In USC v USC, the real SC Wins

When I first moved to the South (from Washington state) and heard people talking about USC, I was pumped.

Finally, I had found some worldly sports fans who actually discussed college conferences outside their own geographic area. Boy was that wrong.

In the Carolinas, USC meant the University of South Carolina (a member of the SEC) not the University of Southern California (crown jewel of the Pac-10).

But now, thanks to a lawsuit the real SC has been established.

South Carolina wanted to put an interlocking “SC” logo on its baseball uniforms. That logo was similar enough to the “SC” Trojans, so Southern Cal sued.

A federal appellate court ruling came down on Jan. 19 in favor of the Left Coast school. In the decision the court noted that South Carolina's mark was “legally identical” to Southern Cal's and could potentially create confusion.

So even though South Carolina was established 75 years before Southern Cal, the Trojans are the real “SC”. And justice is served.

Now if only the NCAA would only clamp down those extras passed out to the Trojans top running backs over the years.

He's no Montana, not even close

If you're trying to figure out the next media crush when Florida quarterback Tim Tebow graduates, look no further than USC's Matt Barkley.

After one collegiate game SI.com writer Stewart Mandel set off a barrage of anger when he compared the Trojans freshman QB to All-time great Joe Montana. Things have gotten worse since USC stole a win last Saturday in Columbus.

LA Time's columnist Bill Plaschke wrote "the questions that had dogged the USC football program for several weeks were stunningly answered Saturday night with two words. Matt. Barkley."

Fanhouse's Jay Mariotti wrote "never have I seen a quarterback so young, in a game with Bowl Championship Series implications, carve out an epic 86-yard rally in an enemy setting." Others evoked images of a John Elway-esque drive.

This has been bugging me all week. Were they watching the same game I was?

I give USC lots of credit for the win. And yes, Barkley was taking snaps on the final drive but what did he really do?

Give the ball to tailback Joe McKnight. McKnight lead the Trojans down the field on that "epic" drive, circa Reggie Bush. Bush bailed out USC time-and-time again during his time in LA.

Barkley completed three throws on the final drive, though two of them were dump off passes. For the game the freshman was a pedestrian 15-of-31 passing for 195 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception (yawn).

Call me crazy, I just don't see the Montana or Elway comparisons. Barkley could develop into that type of player one day, but it's clear he's not there yet. I wouldn't even say he's as good as Mark Sanchez.

As for the game 18-15 victory, I'd say Barkley & Co. are lucky referees continue to conform to human nature, and err a lot.

NCAA Kickoff: Why does the Big 10 stink?

It's been one of the most discussed topics over the past couple years, what's wrong with the Big Ten? While it's growing stale, the question still merits a discussion.

One problem the Big Ten has is Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans. Since 2002, Southern Cal has enjoy quite the renaissance and has feasted on the Big Ten's Rose Bowl participant. Michigan fell 32-18 in 2006, Illinois, who didn't belong and proved it, got obliterated 49-17 and Penn State experienced a similar fate last year falling 38-24 in the granddaddy of all bowls.

For casual football fans the Big Ten Rose Bowl blunders look like incompetence, but the truth of the matter is give Carroll a month to prep and he'll make 116 out of 120 teams look silly. You can't blame the Big Ten on that count.

But there is a BIG bowl problem. The conference went just 1-6 in postseason games in 2008 and hasn't produced a winning bowl record since 2002. And they've gone 3-8 in the Bowl Championship Series the last six years, including big flops from Ohio State. 

Right there is another reason for the Big Ten's perception problem, America's punchline: The Ohio State University.

Where USC has carried the one-team Pac-10 conference, the one-team Big Ten has floundered with the Buckeyes in recent years. Not help, is the team from Columbus has been media purgatory ever since their supposed "best ever" coronation in 2006 and then thrashing at the hands of Florida, 41-14.

Are the Buckeyes really that terrible? Just look at who Ohio State has lost to over the past four years.

--2005: Texas (eventual national champs)

--2006: Florida (national champs)

--2007: Illinois (Rose Bowl participant), LSU (national champs)

--2008: USC (Rose Bowl winner), Penn State (Big 10 champs), Texas (arguably No. 1 or 2 in nation)

Eight Ohio State losses in four years, all to BCS teams. Compare that to USC. The Trojans have lost six games in that span: once in the title game ('05 Texas squad), once in Autzen to Oregon, then unexplainable losses to Oregon State (twice), Stanford and a terrible UCLA team. So who should be more beleaguered by the media?

As a league, the Big Ten just needs to win games, especially showcase ones. Ohio State, Michigan State and Minnesota all have early chances to help repair their conferences tattered reputation. And the Big Ten needs teams like the Gophers, Iowa and Purdue to rediscover their winning ways.

Also, I think the conference should embrace it cold roots and schedule games in December. Snowy football works for the NFL, why not the Big Ten?

Really, what else can be said for the conference that's sent more teams to the BCS than any other league.

The REAL Politicking begins

Now that we've elected our 44th president, we can turn our attention to the real political landscape. The '08 BCS Championship campaign is officially underway.

The most recent successful campaign dates back to 2006, when Flordia's Urban Meyer excessively whined.. I mean lobbied.. his way into the championship game, throttled Ohio State and took home the ultimate prize.

The current battlegrounds are taking shape. In Pennsylvania, things aren't so happy in Happy Valley where Penn State coach Joe Paterno was quick to question the wacky BCS formula.

"Is it the BCS or the BSC? I don't know," Paterno said in a recent press conference. JoePa is launching a sarcastic campaign, but the 81-year-old is probably harboring some resentment from being left out of the championship picture during four undefeated seasons (1968, 1969, 1973 and 1994).

Then yesterday, USC coach Pete Carroll launched his BCS Championship campaign from the perpetually 'blue' LA area. During his weekly press conference Carroll insisted he doesn't understand the BCS system. But then went a little further.

"I think it stinks. I don't think it's the way it should be," Carroll said.

What stinks is USC's performance during games they're heavily favored to win. There's a litany of haunting losses from Oregon State (in '06 & '08) to Stanford last year to UCLA in 2006. What really stinks though is the Trojans' aura in the post-(Reggie) Bush years. Just take care of business Pete.

Concern is growing with how college football crowns its champion, especially with a glut of elite teams in the Top 10. But even if college football had a playoff, coaches would still politic jockeying for position.

There's no cure-all for college football, so lets just tee-it-up and play some games. The dust will settle, just like the real political season that ended this morning.