Weekly Musings - Bye Week Edition

It is so different to "muse" about a weekend of college football when my Trojans did play ...  I hate bye weeks, but I am actually very grateful for this one (the timing, I suspect, was good for USC; people do not understand how many injuries we have been dealing with).  And it was fun to see all the action around the country this week uninhibited ...  So off we go.My pre-Oregon game thoughts are simple: If the offense plays the way it has in the last three games, and the defense plays the way it did against Cal, we certainly have a chance.  If the defense plays as it did against Washington, Oregon can put up 50+ points no problem.  I would really like to see Nick Perry and Armond Armstead at 100% (something that has not happened the last three weeks), and have Wes Horton back (who has not even been able to suit up).  That front seven does have the ability to be lethal, and while the rest of the country may not know or care how bad the injury picture has been, those of us in the Trojan family should be excited to see this group back at full strength (at least as far as the players who are not injured for the whole year are concerned).  As far as the secondary is concerned, I do believe we need to get our best game of the year out of these very young guys.  The Cal game was a big encouragement.  But it has tough to be overly optimistic here.  We need an unbelievable offensive output, and then we need a really special defensive production.  Can we beat the #1 Oregon Ducks?  Yes.  Will we?  That's why they play the game.That Masoli did Oregon a big favor with all of his drugs and booze and burglary and vandalism and so forth in the offseason.  Oregon is a way better team this year with Masoli gone; a stunning but true compliment to the performance of this young man playing QB for them now.Oregon's win against UCLA was insane, but it is hard to believe Bruin fans could have been surprised.  I also wonder if UCLA will be a little better off to now know that Prince is out for the year.  That QB situation at UCLA seems to have been going on forever now.No such QB deficiencies throughout the rest of the Pac-10.  Could Luck and Locker go 1-2 in the draft?  It is possible.  Top-to-bottom the Pac-10 is actually the best conference in football this year, and it has been a few years since that was true. People keep asking me what I think of the conference re-alignment and all this here in the Pac-10.  Answer: I support anything and everything that will either incrementally or quickly bring down the BcS system.  I believe a four super-conferences paves the way to the destruction of the BcS, which is not only the worst system for determining a champion this side of synchronized swimming, but has a created a culture where Chris Fowler asked Chip Kelly this week how mad his players were at the BcS computers.  WTF?My Heisman pick halfway through the year is Cam Newton - hands down.  Statistically and qualitatively, he has been lights out.  And this COULD be Auburn's year ...I do not believe Alabama will go the rest of the year with only one loss, but IF they do, I do believe they will be in the BcS fictitious championship game.  It will mean they will have beaten Auburn and won the SEC championship game.  And Oklahoma and Ohio State have already been exposed.  There is NO way they are going to let TCU and Boise play each other.  So when you look at all the other nonsense, I do think Alabama controls its own destiny.  People who believe the BcS creates a system where every week is a playoff week are idiots.  It all depends on WHEN you lose; that's it.  Don't count Alabama out.Yes, I am predicting that Missouri and Auburn will lose a game.Nebraska is going to need years to get over that inexcusable loss to a terrible Texas team last week.  It may have cost their program a dream chance in a dream year to win a fictitious BcS national championship.We now know that USC should be 6-1 with their only loss of the year to Washington in the Coliseum who kicked a field goal with one second to go to win after a miracle drive down field that included a 4th and 11 conversion.  That is because we now know that when Stanford won with one second to go the week before they were given no less than 25 extra seconds by the Stanford timekeeper.  Having watched all that took place with the benefit of TIVO and peace and quiet, I am of the opinion that it was on purpose, it was cheating, and Stanford should not take the win.  But of course, 99.9% of the time that is just sour grapes.  It's not for me.  You just have to watch the tape.  I have decided to forgive a great Trojan young man named Chris Gallipo for that personal foul, as first of all, we all make mistakes, and secondly, the time-keeping being done by Stanford isn what made that foul so lethal.  Just watch the tape.  Start on USC's final drive.Okay.  Enough about that.  We fight on.I am sticking to my recollection that the last time USC had the #1 team in the country coming to the Coliseum was Notre Dame in 1988 (and we were #2 at the time).  If anyone recalls differently, please advise.  ESPN College GameDay is coming, which is weird since I was under the impression that USC was an irrelevant program now, on sanctions, never again to be of consequence, etc.  Nice to have you, ESPN.  I am so looking forward to my inevitable column about USC's rebound from the NCAA witch-hunt, the role ESPN played in the silly stupid episode, and hwo badly everyone else looked in the aftermath (as USC celebrates its title).  The day is coming.  And I will write.  In the meantime, come on out to Southern California, ESPN.  We know how stupid you are already.Having been in Michigan on Thursday evening for business, I will say that they seem to be truly ecstatic at this run Michigan STATE is having.  I think they can keep it going.  Any team that wins a game off of a fake field AND another game off of a fake punt deserves to be undefeated.Navy??  Not good times for the Domers.  I do not like seeing them struggle this way, but I have never in my life (in any sport) seen a fan base more in denial than Notre Dame's folks are.  UCLA's football program doesn't have any fans, and the seven or eight they have are under no delusions about UCLA being any better than Temple is year in and year out.  Florida State fans are eager to be good again but they do not believe they are good right now (or at least not great).  Tennessee fans may be guilty of truly aberrant behavior, but they do live in Knoxville, and they still don't think they are a top 5 program.  Only Notre Dame fans start off every single season complaining that they get no respect for not being a top 10 team; and only Notre Dame has gone nearly twenty years without winning one single big game.I remain convinced of what I said a few weeks ago.  USC could go 10-3, and they could go 6-7.  Technically, 11-2 is possible, but obviously very difficult.  I am not nervous - I am excited.  And if you don't think the Coliseum faithful will be pumped up for the Ducks to enter the stadium, you don't know Troy.  We ready.  Fight on.