Weekly Musings - Arizona Edition

Is USC one of the better teams in the country?  I think so.  And I think I can prove it.The fact that Stanford struggled with ASU is a break-even for USC (we beat Stanford on the road but the cheater time clock operator allowed 11-point favorite Stanford to win with one second to go).  We beat ASU, which Stanford's struggle makes look more impressive.  And we played Stanford to the wire (in a fair universe we actually beat them), which looks impressive but less impressive now with their unimpressive showing against ASU. Regardless, Stanford is a top 7 or 8 team.  Oregon is the best team in the country, and we had a three point lead against them in the third quarter before it got away from us.  We beat Cal by a thousand points, who held Oregon to a two-point game Saturday night.  We went on the road and beat Arizona.  And we swept our non-conference teams, some of which are having very good years.  Are we as good as Auburn, Alabama, and Wisconsin?  Of course not.  Do we belong in the top 20 in the country?  Undoubtedly.  And IF we finish 10-3, those two losses by one point each with one second to go in each game will hurt even more than they did at the time.Saturday was perhaps Lane's finest hour as a play-caller. So was it the mighty Cal defense that gave up 42 points to the Trojans in ONE HALF that kept Oregon’s offense to 15 points ?????  Weird.  “That’s why they play the game”I understand that Utah was a fraud, and they have been exposed, but I will say with 100% certainty that Notre Dame is better than 4-5.  The Trojans need to focus on the Beavers right now, but a very determined Notre Dame team will be coming into the Coliseum in late November.I believe one of the most under-used and potentially amazing plays in football is an onside kick to start off the second half.  I wish we saw it more.Speaking of gutsy coaching calls, Lane Kiffin has re-defined what it means to go for it on fourth down.  And by the way, they have not just been gutsy calls; they have been beautifully-executed (for the most part).Matt Barkley and Marc Tyler looked absolutely perfect on Saturday night.  That first drive was an 80-yard statement from Marc Tyler that he is a competitor.  His entire night's performance ended the discussion as to who the every-down back at USC should be. That call to start the second half against USC when Carswell was going to throw and took off running was why USC will always always always have the moral high ground in claiming that the refs in the Pac-10 are clearly dumber than shNBt and trying to do them wrong.  Perhaps the worst call I have seen all year.  Well, that is what I thought until the end of the game when USC again blocked a PAT (and ran it back for two points) and the referee inexplicably called Wright for "lining up in the neutral zone".  I would have been tempted to walk my team off the field had I been the head coach.We won seven conference championships in a row with an extreme referee effort against us.  We can and will win again even with the referees trying to beat us.  But this requires better execution and more discipline. USC’s first punt of the game was in the third quarter on Saturday night.  Wow.I am not sure what to say about Oregon State's loss to WSU.  I would not be going into Corvalis taking anything for granted if I am USC.  We know what happened last time we were up there.  And you know they will bring a full house (which is about 9,000 people, by the way) to try and save their season with a win against the Trojans.  But Oregon State has now lost to the two worst teams in the Pac-10 (UCLA and WSU).  Should be interesting ...This thing with Auburn's QB is annoying.  If no money traded hands, which it sounds like it didn't, this whole thing is a waste of time.  If he is eligible at Auburn, he is the Heisman winner.  But one thing Cam and Auburn should be more afraid of than ESPN or Mississippi State or the NCAA - the Crimson Tide of Alabama.  If they take care of business there, a game against Oregon in their future ...Congratulations to USC (east) and Steve Spurrier on their well-deserved appearance in the SEC championship game.That's it for the week.  I am enjoying this season as much as any I have ever seen.  I am so proud of my Trojans and of this coaching staff I do not know what to say.  I just want us to finish strong.  As Matt Barkely said when some idiot reporter asked what the Trojans had to play for:  "We play for the cardinal and gold.  We play for our team.  We play because we love the game."  Get some of that.  Fight on.