I was actually relieved when I saw Auburn leapfrog Oregon and take over the number one spot in the BCS. Great, let the voodoo target be on their backs this week.
What good what it do for Oregon to be a consensus #1 in the final week of October? Besides maybe increasing the number of duck costumes worn for Halloween, it helps them like, NOT AT ALL.
It would only serve as sauce for the goose (or duck?) the Trojans are licking their chops for this week. USC is on probation and bowl ineligible. This game against Oregon IS their bowl game. And they're hyping it to the hilt:
http://www.uscredout.com/ (Why is the Hulk wearing green and yellow tie-dyed jeans?)
On the other hand, Oregon has reason to get excited over the rankings as well. This week, USC moved up to #24. Hooray! The Ducks are playing a ranked team! The more of those, the better.
Now that would be ironic.
BTW Did you see who would be hosting the BCS #1 Auburn Tigers this coming Saturday? Ol' Miss. Yes, Jeremiah Masoli's Ol' Miss! If Mississippi should knock off Auburn, and Oregon survives at USC, the headlines Sunday morning could read: "Jeremiah Masoli helps Ducks reach BCS #1"
The following is from the L.A. Times:
Trojans will get a taste of postseason play against Oregon
The Trojans, who are ineligible for a bowl game because of sanctions, will host the top-ranked Ducks at the Coliseum on Saturday. It will be USC's first home game against a No.1 team since 1988.
October 24, 2010
By Gary Klein
USC won't play in a bowl game this season, but Saturday's matchup against top-ranked Oregon will boast most of the trappings.
With ESPN's College GameDay setting up shop at the Coliseum and a social network movement urging fans to "Red Out the Coli" by donning cardinal-colored clothing, the game shapes up as one of the most intriguing of the college football season.
USC dropped out of the Associated Press media poll after it suffered the first of consecutive last-second losses against Washington and Stanford. Despite having an open date last week, the Trojans returned to the rankings Sunday at No. 24.
Meantime, Oregon is ranked No. 1 in the AP, coaches' and Harris Interactive polls. The Ducks are No. 2 behind Auburn in the Bowl Championship Series standings.
In the aftermath of his team's rout of California on Oct. 16, USC Coach Lane Kiffin said preparing to play a top-ranked team was no different from readying for any other opponent.
Then Kiffin went out and conducted a series of off-week practices unlike any at USC in the last decade.
With several assistants absent because they were recruiting, the usually low-key Kiffin transformed. He became a vocal taskmaster, sprinting from station to station and constantly exhorting his players to maintain the breakneck pace that was adopted to emulate Oregon's.
The Trojans also ran end-of-practice sprints to improve their conditioning before facing a team that has scored a national-best 55 points a game.
"When I'm running those sprints, I'm going hard because I know I won't have that feeling of being tired in the fourth quarter," safety T.J. McDonald said. "That's when the biggest plays are made because of the fatigue level."
Oregon, however, demonstrated again Thursday that it was capable of deciding an outcome long before the final period. The Ducks routed UCLA, 60-13, behind quarterback Darron Thomas, running back LaMichael James and a defense that has helped the Ducks lead the nation in turnover margin.
James, whose darting runs helped Oregon to a 47-20 victory over USC last season, averages a nation-leading 162 yards rushing a game for a team that must keep winning to remain in the hunt to play for its first BCS title.
Kiffin is in only his second season as a college head coach but has plenty of experience preparing for top-ranked opponents.
Last season at Tennessee, Kiffin's Volunteers played then-No. 1 Florida tough before losing, 23-13.
The next month, top-ranked and eventual national champion Alabama barely overcame the Volunteers, 12-10.
Now, Kiffin must prepare USC for its first game against a top-ranked team since 1992, when the No. 20 Trojans lost to Washington, 17-10, at Seattle.
It's the Trojans' first home game against a No. 1 team since 1988, when Notre Dame beat No. 2 USC, 27-10, in the regular-season finale on its way to a national championship.
That USC team, behind quarterback Rodney Peete, still went on to play in the Rose Bowl.
For these sanctioned Trojans, their postseason style showcase comes Saturday.
Quick hits
After having the weekend off, the Trojans return to practice Monday. … Defensive end Wes Horton (back), linebacker Malcolm Smith (knee) and running back Dillon Baxter (toe) are among the players expected to return this week.
gary.klein@latimes.com
twitter.com/latimesklein
--kb
3 comments:
Ok, so I went to the USCredout site and saw the big Trojan. Is that one of their defensive players? Pretty scary! If he played defense for them last year then he remembers their defense giving up 10 yards a snap against the Ducks! 10 YARDS A SNAP!
They talked about how Lane Kiffen made them do extra conditioning drills. Well he had better make sure his chain gang gets extra conditioning work in because last year, on average they had to move the chains every time Oregon hiked the ball! And as you pointed out that is going to be every 15 seconds this year.
So how much better is their defense this year from last year? 20% better? 30% better? So they hold the Ducks to 8 yards a snap or even 7? That is still a long day for the Trojans.
I read another article saying USC can win if they do what Ohio State did in Rose Bowl. Have Defensive tackles clog up middle, while cornerbacks keep Masoli from keeping ball and running around end.
You see the flaw. Masoli was more of a runner than a passer. Thomas is a far better passer. In fact DT should keep the ball and run around the end the first couple of times just to mess with the cornerbacks.
You know they are watching Ohio State film. And you are right. That was Masoli. Great! They are ready to play Ole' Miss!
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