How Did The USC Sanctions Shift The Balance of Power in the Pac 12?

Back in the mid-2000s the USC Trojans were easily the most dominant program in the country. During that impressive run of national championships and Heisman Trophy winners in quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart as well as electrifying running back Reggie Bush (more on that in just a second) head coach Pete Carroll was on top of the college football world. They looked to be on the fast track to becoming one of the dynasties in college football history. Then after an NCAA investigation regarding what was referred to as "lack of institutional control" from 2004-2009 by not only the football team, but the men's basketball and women's tennis teams as well. But for the sake of this writing, I will not dive into the basketball and tennis aspect of the sanctions and focus on the football side of things, I mean... This is a college football blog after all, right?

The football violations were centered around the aforementioned Reggie Bush and the alleged interaction with several marketing agents and his acceptance of several monetary payments from what would be classified as an agent, not to mention a house purchased for Bush's family as well as a luxury car fitted with high dollar rims and stereo system. In light of the findings the USC football team was penalized severely by the NCAA (partially, in all fairness due to the lack of cooperation on USC's part, many writers feel). The Trojans were banned from post season play following the 2010 and 2011 seasons, and a scholarship reduction of 30 total scholarships over the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons, and all wins from December 2004 through the 2005 season, including the USC national championship victory over Oklahoma were vacated, and to top it all off, all of Reggie Bush's records and his Heisman Trophy were vacated. Any images and/or video of Bush also were removed from all NCAA related television and other forms of media.

Since those initial 2010 sanctions we have seen the Oregon Ducks and Stanford Cardinals become national powers, and UCLA, Washington and Arizona State have all made significant strides in not only recruiting but in the win/loss columns as well. Which brings up the question, did the USC sanctions have a significant impact, if any on the reemergence in the quality of football played out west? Now, let's not beat around the bush, in the mid-2000s the USC flat out dominated the Pac 10 at the time, now Pac 12. During that run from 2003-2009 the Trojans won the Pac 10 championship 6 times. Pure domination. Which obviously makes recruiting relatively easy, especially on the west coast with no significant football program in your region. 

Since the sanctions were handed out, naturally the Trojans have came back to earth with zero Pac 12 championships and Oregon and Stanford have taken control of the Pac 12 and with the hiring of Jim Mora Jr the cross city rivals UCLA have made some noise and expectations are high in 2013 for the Bruins. Washington and Arizona State have also made significant strides since 2010. I truly do believe that the bowl ban and scholarship reductions altered the ability of the Trojans to recruit top level talent. The lack of bowl appearances would obviously scare many top level recruits away and teams in the Pac 12 like Oregon, Washington and UCLA have began the swoop in and take advantage. The scholarship reductions also changed the number of incoming freshmen coach Lane Kiffin and company can bring to campus as well. The sanctions have brought the Trojans back to earth, and now the Oregon Ducks and Stanford Cardinals have become the class of the Pac 12 and the previously untouchable Trojans are "just another team" with the Arizona State's and Cal's of the conference.

- Josh Gamez

@itsjoshgamez

josh.projectcfb@gmail.com

The Evolution of the Alternate Uniform in College Football

Uniforms have always been among the first things you notice when you watch a sporting event on television or in person. I remember from a young age being drawn to uniforms in football, I remember from a young age being fascinated with the Michigan helmets. From the trademark golden domes of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, to the all white Penn State uniforms, for the most part college football uniforms have stayed pretty consistent throughout history.

Now in the world of what seems like weekly unveils of new uniform combinations, it is hard to remember a time when most teams just stuck to the old school home/away uniform combinations. Now, we still have a few teams like Alabama and USC that stick with the historic uniforms that Crimson Tide and Trojan fans have known for generations, but over the last few years, more and more teams have adopted, what many fans and analysts look at as the Oregon style of uniforms. Now, Oregon wasn't the first team to use an alternate uniform, among the earliest programs to adopt a third uniform was actually the Ole Miss Rebels, but the University of Oregon and Nike are the program who most people equate with the alternate uniform phenomenon.

Oregon starting with what has been referred to as the "Donald Ducks" in the 1995 Rose Bowl, the Ducks have always pushed the envelope in uniform combinations (some good, some not so much). After the 1995 season, the Ducks and Nike have had a partnership with Nike as their uniform designer. And since then the Ducks have a 144-59 record, with 8 Bowl victories and 5 Pac 12 championships. I feel you could make a correlation between the Nike partnership and the on the field performance. I feel the Ducks program had benefited tremendously with the Nike uniforms, many of which are very cool, if I must say.

Contrary to what many may feel, uniforms are among the most important thing to football players. Back when I played football I know the uniform was one of my favorite part of being a player. Many of these college prospects tend to be drawn to schools with slick uniforms and ever since the Oregon trend of alternate uniforms more and more schools have begun to partner up with sneaker companies like Adidas and Under Armor to develop new uniforms to I feel draw in potential recruits in with the different uniform combinations, which may seem flashy and gimmicky to some, but to these kids, it's hip and in a sense fuels the flash that national media outlets that ESPN have helped become a major aspect of the college football world. Along with Oregon, Ohio State, North Carolina and Maryland have started getting very creative with their uniform combinations, with varying levels of success.

Over the last 5 or 6 seasons, alternate uniforms have now become more than just an every once in a while, big game type of tradition to almost an every week occurrence. Odds are, if you watch a decent amount of college football you will see at least one team a week donning an alternate uniform. Naturally, with the amount of uniform flip flopping in college football, you will have a few "what the heck are they wearing?" instances. The Maryland checkered shoulder pad design, many of the early Nike Oregon designs, and the all blue Boise State uniforms are among the worst that I have ever seen. For every nifty alternate design (the Virginia Tech camo Veteran's Day, Washington and Arizona State's all black and Florida orange alternate jerseys are among some of my favorite alternate get ups) you have a few head (or in this case eye) scratchers. However, I do not think this will get stopped anytime soon. The alternate uniform phenomena has bled into other college sports. College basketball and baseball teams (as well as a few pro teams) have started using the alternate uniform combinations to draw in recruits, and much like the football uniforms, not all the basketball ones have been appealing. I remember Notre Dame this past college basketball season donned some all green uniforms that received unanimously negative reviews among fans and viewers on Twitter.

I am a big fan of alternate uniforms in college football. It adds to the flash and presentation of the game, but I also feel that to an extent a few teams could afford to tone it down a little and stick to their traditional uniforms, but as long as we don't get more of the Maryland checker pattern type designs it is a good thing in my eyes. Some people might feel the alternate get ups are gimmicky and unnecessary, and others feel it is part of the charm of college football, which tends to be the side of the fence I tend to lean towards.

-Josh Gamez

@itsjoshgamez

josh.projectcfb@gmail.com

A Short History of the BCS Championship

Not many things can stir up as much anger and debate among college football fans as these three letters: BCS. Bowl Championship Series. The governing body that looks over major college football and through a complicated process of polls, rankings (both human and computer) and what amounts to basically rocket science to most fans, they are able to crown a “national champion” even if it’s just in the BCS voters’ eyes.
               
Since the Bowl Championship Series took over for the equally controversial and flawed Bowl Alliance in 1998, they have been the governing body in crowning a national champion, and putting together all other bowl games. They have used the coaches and Harris polls as well as different computer polls to crown a national champion. Starting in 2006 however, they used the poll system in place to narrow down all the teams in Division I football from over 200 all the way down to 2 to play in what is known as the BCS National Championship game. Before the 2006 season, there wasn't a real “national championship” game. It was looked at among many some as a fictitious national championship at the time, but before the BCS National Championship Game tradition that began in 2006, the national championship was crowned by who won one of the 4 BCS bowls; Orange, Sugar, Rose and Fiesta, rotated annually.
               
In the Fiesta Bowl following the 1998 season, which is recognized as the first BCS national championship, #1 ranked SEC champion Tennessee were victorious over the 2nd ranked ACC champion Florida State Seminoles by a final score of 23-16. However, the Seminoles were victorious in the 1999 Sugar Bowl over the Big East winners Virginia Tech Hokies by a lopsided score of 46-29. The Seminoles would then make a 3rd straight appearance in the title game in 2000 as they faced the Big 12 Champion Oklahoma Sooners in the 2001 Orange Bowl. However, they would not be repeat champion as the Sooners prevailed over the Seminoles 13-2. This ended up being the last national championship appearance by legendary coach Bobby Bowden in a national championship game, he retired in 2009.
               
In the 2001 Rose Bowl, the top ranked Big East Champion Miami Hurricanes prevailed over the Big 12 co-champion Nebraska Cornhuskers in a dominating 37-14 performance. The U would then compete in the Fiesta Bowl the next year that was slated to be that seasons national championship against the Jim Tressel led, Big 10 co-champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Much like the hated Seminoles, the Hurricanes were not successful in the repeat attempt. They would fall to the Buckeyes 31-24 behind a phenomenal performance by Buckeyes quarterback Craig Krenzel. The next season, a familiar face in the national championship, the Oklahoma Sooners came in to the 2003 Sugar Bowl as the top ranked team in the country to face off the SEC champion LSU Tigers and head coach Nick Saban. Which was one the first major BCS controversies. In 2003 there were 3 one loss teams at the end of the season. The USC Trojans were also among those 3 teams with the best record in the nation. But LSU/Oklahoma was selected as the championship game. Many USC supporters actually protested the LSU/Oklahoma game. USC was victorious in the Rose Bowl that year 28-14 over the Michigan Wolverines. USC ended the year as #1 in the AP poll, but the Tigers were #1 in the coaches’ poll.
               

Reggie Bush was a big part of USC's success in 2004.

The very next season, technically doesn't exist anymore because of the sanctions against the University of Southern California because of the Reggie Bush scandal of a few years ago, when the #1 ranked Pac 10 champion Trojans faced the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2004 Orange Bowl. The 2004 national championship is still looked at as one of the most star studded of all time with 2003 Heisman trophy winning signal called Jason White dueling with the Trojans own signal caller Matt Leinart, who won the trophy the very next year. It also included two of the best college running backs of the last decade, the aforementioned Reggie Bush of USC, and the Sooners’ Adrian Peterson (who many feel may have been the best player in the country that season, but that’s a different discussion for a different day). This game also happened to feature 4 of the 5 finalists in the 2004 Heisman Trophy voting, the only excluded party being Utah’s signal called Alex Smith. Unfortunately, this offensive star power didn't equal a compelling game. With Jason White throwing 3 interceptions (the Sooners had 5 total turnovers) and Peterson rushing for a pedestrian 82 yards on 25 carries (for a very un-Peterson like 3.28 yards per carry), the Sooners just couldn't keep up with the high powered Trojan offense, behind the 5 touchdown passes from the Trojans’ Heisman Trophy winning quarterback (3 of which to wide receiver Steve Smith) and 525 yards of total offense, Pete Carroll’s Trojans cruised to a 55-19 victory and national championship.
               
The Trojans would be back in the championship again the very next season, with 2004 Heisman winner Matt Leinart and the 2005 Heisman winner, running back Reggie Bush leading the charge for the Pac 10 champs. They faced off against the Texas Longhorns and quarterback Vince Young in the 2005 Rose Bowl for the national championship. Unlike past years, there was not any doubt who the two best teams in the country were. The Longhorns and Trojans would then clash in what is still considered by many one of the greatest college football games of all time. The Trojans came in riding a 34 game winning streak, dating back to 2003, and USC’s Reggie Bush was named Heisman Trophy winner over the Longhorns’ Young (that trophy has since been vacated due to NCAA violations). The two teams were on a collision course since they were 1 and 2 in the polls all season. The hype for this game was insane, and boy did it deliver. The game was a battle all the way through. When USC scored, the Horns would answer back. Behind Vince Young’s 467 yards of total offense (267 passing, 200 rushing), and the 10 yard TD run on 4th and 5 to win the game is looked at as one of the greatest plays in college football history, the Longhorns would be crowned champions by a final score of 41-38 in a game that is still talked about today, and from a personal standpoint, that game took me from casual viewer of college football to a full-fledged fanatic. This was the final game in the previous rotating national championship format. The very next season, a separate BCS National Championship Game would be played after the 4 other BCS bowl games.
               
The first official BCS National Championship Game took place after the 2006 season. It featured the #1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and a new face on the BCS stage; the Florida Gators. After winning the SEC championship game against the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Gators leapfrogged USC and Michigan in the BCS rankings, stamping their ticket to University of Phoenix Stadium to face the Buckeyes. Which was another BCS controversy. Many people wanted a rematch between the unbeaten Buckeyes, and rival Michigan Wolverines who had an all-time great game a few weeks prior. But, because of the Wolverines idleness while the Gators won the SEC championship game, which is what put the Gators over the top in many people’s eyes, the Buckeyes and Gators faced off for the national championship in Glendale, Arizona, for the first time in each schools’ history. The 12-1 Gators were led by quarterback Chris Leak, and the Buckeyes came in with Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Troy Smith. The Gators defense was stingy as stingy can be, they held the Heisman Trophy winner to 4 completions for 35 yards and an interception, and only 82 yards of total offense from the Buckeyes offensively (they did however give up a phenomenal return touchdown to Ted Ginn Jr. in the opening seconds of the game), the Gators cruised to a 41-14 win, and began a dominating stretch of National Championship Game victories by SEC teams.
               
The Buckeyes would return to the championship game the next season, only this time matched up with Les Miles’ LSU Tigers. This was the 2nd bowl game match up between Tressell and Miles. The first taking place in the 2004 Alamo Bowl. Behind 4 touchdown passes from Tigers quarterback Matt Flynn, the Buckeyes would fall for the second straight year in the national championship. The next year, the Florida Gators, this time lead by 2007 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, and one of the most polarizing figures in American sports history, Tim Tebow. While the Sooners and 2008 Heisman Trophy winner, Sam Bradford and the highest scoring offense in NCAA history. The second time that the last two Heisman quarterbacks faced off in the BCS championship. Given the potency of both offenses (Florida averaged over 45 points per game that season, and Oklahoma 54) it was a relatively low scoring game, the Gators would prevail 24-14, for their second championship in 3 years.
               

Nick Saban's Crimson Tide has been dominant in title games.

The last 4 years, the BCS National Champion has come from the state of Alabama. Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide, with one of the most dominant run games in recent memory lead by future first round NFL draft picks; Mark Ingram (that seasons Heisman winner) and Trent Richardson leading the charge offensively, prevailed over the Texas Longhorns 37-21. The next season, behind the dynamic Cam Newton, the Tide’s in state rival the Auburn Tigers won the SEC (and one of the most impressive Iron Bowl comebacks of all time) and defeated the Oregon Ducks in the championship game, behind 254 rushing yards, the Tigers were victorious 22-19 on a last second field goal.
               
The next season might have been the most controversial yet. With only one undefeated team, Les Miles and the LSU Tigers the big debate arose again; rematch or new opponent. The Alabama Crimson Tide, sporting an 11-1 record, and the only loss being a 9-6 overtime loss to the top ranked Tigers and the also one loss Oklahoma State Cowboys were looked at as the two potential opponents for the Tigers in New Orleans for the BCS National Championship Game. Alabama was announced as the #2 team, which created much debate among fans that not only was the championship game a rematch, but also a rematch between teams in the same division of the SEC. Alabama would go on to shut out the Tigers 21-0 for their second championship in 3 years. The Tide would win again this past season in convincing fashion once again 42-14 over unbeaten Notre Dame.
               
The BCS system is far from perfect, but it’s not the worst possible way to crown a championship. However, the popular idea of a playoff will in fact come into play in 2014 with a brand new 4 team playoff to crown a champion. Only time will tell if that is the end all be all of crowning a champion, but one thing is for sure, regardless, we will more than likely still watch and be enthralled in everything national championship. After all, that’s we all love college football right?

- Josh Gamez

@itsjoshgamez

#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at USC Trojans Preview

Saturday night in prime time, the #1 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish will head into Los Angeles Coliseum with two things on their mind. Number one, is beating the USC Trojans. Number two, is if they beat the Trojans, they are pretty much guaranteed to be playing for the National Championship. The last time the Fighting Irish won the National Championship was 1988, so it's something that they have been itching to do for quite sometime.

Although we can't look past the Trojans. USC is normally led by Heisman hopeful quarterback Matt Barkley, but after injuring his arm, Barkley will sit this important game out, and freshman quarterback Max Wittek will take the snaps. Wittek hasn't had much experience, throwing less than 100 yards and only one touchdown. But he has a supporting cast that will definitely make his job at quarterback a little bit easier.

Marqise Lee looks to upset the #1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Wittek will be looking to another Heisman hopeful in sophomore wideout Marqise Lee. Lee has reeled in 107 catches for 1,605 yards and 14 touchdowns. Lee has made Matt Barkley's job as Trojans' starting quarterback easier, and he'll look to do the same for Max Wittek Saturday night.

But the wideouts don't stop there. Junior wide receiver Robert Woods has also had quite a season, catching the ball 66 times for over 700 yards and 10 touchdowns. Wittek will definitely have some reliable receivers at hand to help him out Saturday night. Although Notre Dame's defense is ranked number one at points allowed, only allowing 10.1 points per game. And another Heisman hopeful, Manti Te'o will be looking to spoil Wittek's hope for an upset of the #1 team.

USC's backfield is also looking rather impressive. Junior running back Silas Redd and senior Curtis McNeal have combined for over 1,300 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. They'll look to make Wittek's day a little easier as well, gaining a lot of yards on the ground and opening up the option to pass it down field, spreading Notre Dame's defense thin.

Notre Dame however, isn't lacking at offense either. They're averaging about 200 yards rushing per game, and they can thank both running backs for that. Senior backs Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood have gained a combined 1,454 yards on the ground and 8 rushing touchdowns.

But the Brian Kelly's team's offense doesn't stop there. They are also equip with sophomore quarterback Everett Golson who has thrown for over 1,900 yards and 11 touchdowns, with only five interceptions thrown. And that's not counting Tommy Rees. Rees has only thrown for 436 yards and two touchdowns, but he's a natural leader that has came into the game and led critical scoring drives. Coach Kelly loves to have the ace up his sleeve that he can pull out if he needs to.

Golson has two wide receives that he's hooked up for for over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns. Their names are Tyler Eifert and TJ Jones.

Manti Te'o is looking to prove to the skeptics that he
deserves the Heisman hype, and that ND deserves the #1 spot.

On paper, the matchup looks fairly even. USC has the nod in passing yards and points scored per game, while Notre Dame has the better stats in rushing yards and points allowed per game. But without Matt Barkley, the USC Trojans are going to have a hard time defeating the #1 ranked team in the country. There are many skeptics that say Notre Dame isn't as good as a #1 ranked team should be. But Brian Kelly, Everett Golson and of course Manti Te'o beg to differ. With big victories over Michigan State, Michigan, Stanford and Oklahoma, the Fighting Irish feel they deserve every bit of that #1 ranking, and they'll look to prove it Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.

Can USC pull the upset? Stranger things have happened. But like I said, with Barkley out of the game, and with a freshman in as starting QB, it's going to be a tough task. We'll see what happens! Should be interesting.

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

#18 USC Trojans at #17 UCLA Bruins Preview

Another marquee game this week features a PAC-12 showdown of the Southern California schools as #18 USC travels across town to #17 UCLA. Both teams have had strong seasons this year and both have different means of motivation. This game will feature lots of big time talent and a couple of high profile coaches as well. While UCLA has been playing really well as of late, USC will be a tough challenge for the Bruins to overcome.

Having won their last four games, UCLA is riding a nice wave at the moment. Coming off of a blowout win against a ranked Arizona team, UCLA nearly had a letdown against a less-than-mediocre, Washington State team before finding themselves and pulling out a victory. In addition to conference standings, UCLA has even more riding on this game as they have not beaten USC since 2006.

#18 USC looks to take down rival #17 UCLA this weekend.

USC on the other hand, has not played as well as of late, losing two of their last three contests, albeit in close affairs. That being said, the Trojans came on strong at the end of last week’s game and both QB Matt Barkley and star WR Marqise Lee will pose a difficult test for the Bruin defense. Additionally, whether you love him or hate him, Lane Kiffin never fails to get his team ready when the cameras are on. This week is no different as the crosstown rivalry draws a lot of media attention.

What I’ll be watching for is how will UCLA respond to last year’s embarrassment at the hands of the Trojans (55-0)? How will they defend against USC’s strong passing attack? If UCLA can keep this game close late, they will be victorious; however I just don’t see Lane Kiffin and the Trojans allowing this to happen. Vegas has the line favoring USC at -4 which I feel is a pretty accurate spread for this type of game. Although I believe that USC will win, I’m just not sure that it will be beyond the spread as USC is having a rough year (3-7) against the spread.

The Sports Messiah’s Picks: UCLA +4, USC gets the win

- The Sports Messiah

#4 Oregon Ducks at #17 USC Trojans Preview

Oregon is going to rely heavily on their running game this Saturday.

This Saturday the #4 Oregon Ducks travel to Los Angeles, California, to take on the #17 USC Trojans. This is a big hyped game (and rightfully so). Both teams have phenomenal offenses, and decent defenses.

Of course the Trojans are going to be led by their Heisman hopeful quarterback Matt Barkley, who has thrown for 2,266 yards this season, with 25 touchdowns thrown and only 8 interceptions. Two of his favorite targets, Marqise Lee and Robert Woods will be looking to assist in taking down the number four ranked Ducks.

Oregon has something else in mind however.

Oregon isn't as strong at the pass as USC. USC is ranked 23rd in the nation for passing, while Oregon is ranked 84th. No surprise, USC is led by senior Matt Barkley, while Oregon is led by freshman Marcus Mariota, who has thrown for over 1,400 yards, 18 touchdowns and only five picks.

Another big key of this game will be the rushing game. Oregon is very strong at rushing while USC has struggled in that area. Oregon is ranked 3rd in rushing yards while USC is ranked 75th. Oregon's lead running back is Kenjon Barner, who has rushed for over 900 yards, and 14 touchdowns. De'Anthony Thomas is another back Oregon has, who has rushed for nearly 500 yards and 7 touchdowns. This duo is going to look to have a huge game against USC's 25th ranked defense, and lead the Ducks to victory.

Meanwhile, USC's running back, Silas Redd, has rushed for 640 yards, and hit pay dirt 7 times. Still not bad stats, but nowhere near Oregon's HB duo.

This game looks like it's going to be quite a good one. Oregon is phenomenal at the run, while USC does very well at the pass. Their defenses are ranked 24th and 25th in the nation. My gut says it'll be a high scoring game, but their defenses are only allowing about 19 points a game.

Last years game began looking like a blowout. Oregon fought back within three, and lost the game 38-35. Oregon was ranked #4 at that time, while USC was unranked.

I know both teams are going to play hard for this victory. Oregon is undefeated, while USC has already tasted defeat twice this year, once to Stanford and last week to Arizona. Lane Kiffin is going to have his Trojans ready to put a whooping on the Ducks in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, of course Chip Kelly is going to have other plans.

The game kicks off at 7:00 eastern time, and definitely looks to be quite a back and forth game. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see a very high scoring affair, and then again, wouldn't be too shocked to see these two defenses hold the other offense in check. I'm looking forward to a barn-burner this Saturday night. It will definitely be worth checking out.

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle