The Most Extraordinary Day of College Football perhaps ever - Musings, ASU Week

It is only because of my love for college football as a sport that I am taking a positive approach in titling this week's musings, as if I kept the focus only on my beloved Trojans there would be far more angst, depression, and maybe even despair. I'll get to that insane meltdown in the Coliseum and miracle finish for Arizona State in a moment. But I am always and forever a lover of the sport of college football, and this weekend's activity essentially covered every single thing that actually makes college football the magical and superior sport that it is. I will spend much of my day today watching NFL football at an awesome neighborhood sports bar in the upper west side of Manhattan. It will be fun, and it will be exciting. I look forward to this day every year. But it will not be magical. Football is a really amazing sport; I could enjoy watching any level of it being played. But what the NFL could simply never re-create is the passion and insanity that we saw in yesterday's college football action. Never. When the Giants win a Super Bowl it is not the greatest thing that has happened in New York City; but that Ole Miss win over Bama - well, it just might be the greatest thing that's happened in Mississippi in a long, long time. The kids playing college football are hungrier, more desperate, more passionate, and all around more inspired/inspiring (even though they are not more talented). The NFL also cannot by definition have a small market team - the economics don't even allow for some major market teams. But in college football there is not a farm, city, township, county, state, bridge, county, water tower in the country not eligible for the thrill of victory. It is not something that can be matched. And on Saturday we got it all in its glory, and in abundance.It started Thursday night with Arizona's win over #2 Oregon. I know Oregon's offense is generally exciting and I know they are culture changers by wearing metro-sexual uniforms, but does anyone else care that they have been all sizzle, no steak, for years. Years! They can never close the deal, and they look less and less overpowering all the time. I imagine Duck fans (and I'm not referring to the Peking kind, of which I am one) are not so happy with the post-Chip Kelly era. The only thing I can tell them: It only gets worse ...I am very fortunate that I have been in NYC this weekend. If I were on west coast hours I would have missed the 4th quarters of the Alabama game, Notre Dame game, Oklahoma game, etc. I had business in New York City all the way until 6:30pm, and arrived at Tonic at 48th and 7th just in time to sit down at a table my myself in front of eight big screens, order a diet coke, and take all of the drama in. That the timing worked the way it did is another sign of God's goodness being manifested through college football, but I digress. Ole Miss flat out won that game; Alabama didn't lose it. They made huge plays on the ball, they ran extraordinary plays on the offensive side, they forced a huge fumble (as opposed to merely recovering one) - it was a sight to behold. And that celebration - oh that celebration. I assume it will be going on for another three days.I won't walk through each and every other game. Florida State obviously is in the driver's seat, but I would not bet on them running the table even with that schedule. Why? Ummmmm, do I even have to answer that after this weekend?None of the teams who lost their first game this weekend - Alabama, Oregon, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, etc., etc. are out of consideration for the playoffs. This should be obvious as the tragedy of a loss is diluted when everyone else gets one with you. The remaining undefeated teams have very little chance of remaining undefeated. MAYBE a repeat of last year's title could happen, but Auburn running the table is hardly guaranteed (or even likely). Notre Dame is not good enough. Michigan State could win their remaining games as a Big-10 team (where me and my high school basketball friends would only lose one game), but they would lose big in a playoff, and of course already lost big to Oregon. I am pretty sure Eastern Carolina might soon be like the #4 team in the country if all this keeps up (not literally). It is WIDE open, and I actually think there is a very good chance one or more of the teams in the playoff final four may have TWO losses. Awesome stuff.So let's talk about my Trojans. I am typing this less than 12 hours after the painful conclusion to that game, so emotions are still raw. However, I don't feel irrational or lacking in judgment or objectivity about this loss. Poise and sober-mindedness are usually quite lacking from the cyber world, especially right after a loss. I feel like what I am about to say reflects how I truly feel.Sark is highly unlikely to make it at USC, and that is not because I am mad about one loss. He is responsible for the loss, but a lot of coaches have messed up and lost games for their team. I am saying that because I feel reasonably confident by the David Bahnsen Index of Coaching Longevity that he is not the man for this job. If I am wrong I will be happy, and if I am right I will never celebrate. To really upset the chorus of negative idiots who permeate USC chat boards, I also am not going to root for him to lose or obsess over his imminent failure blah blah blah. I am merely making the observation that he has been a head coach for a long time now, and been in football coaching for his entire adult life, and that kind of three-minute meltdown cannot happen at the hands of someone who will eventually pull it together. Again, maybe I am wrong. But the insane amount of penalties (getting worse, not better), the long pass conversions given up by the defense on third and fourth downs, abysmal clock management, and simply inexplicable play-calling at certain key moments, these are all characteristics of guys who are not wired to be a head coach in an 11 or 12 win paradigm.I believe most of the negative jackasses who spend more time bashing Haden and Sark than rooting for the men of Troy are in perfectly understandable territory ... It is a defense mechanism. Fearing a future painful loss, they can prepare themselves emotionally by gearing up for the classic, "well, look at that - I told YOU, didn't I?" moment. So let me be clear - I do not think Sark will make it at USC, and I am disgusted by what I saw last night, but I am not going to harp on it. I will call out bad coaching when I see it, but I am not rooting against Sark until he is no longer the head coach at our beloved university. Period. I think it was probably a bad hire. Some folks have pointed out that he is playing with the schollie limitations, which is true enough,. The problem is that the items I highlighted above have nothing to do with that. Others point out that Pete Carroll went 6-6 in year one at USC, which is also true. However, he was playing with Sonny Byrd at running back, and a team with maybe 20% of the talent that this team has (though his secondary was probably not as bad as this secondary). I think losses to better teams, and occasional losses to worse teams, just plain happen in college football. The whiners who scream for perfection are childish, and I would point out were calling for Pete Carroll's head too after certain losses (the architect of the greatest dynasty in the history of college football). What I am bemoaning is not the mere existence of a loss (or two), but the manner by which they take place: Penalties, Long conversions forfeited, leads given up, and in the case of last night, embarrassing clock management and game time leadership.Buck Allen ran downhill much of the second half last night, which made up for a mediocre game from Cody Kessler (he had a MAN'S run for a touchdown, and made some good throws, but he also was inaccurate much of the night, compounding the problem of his receivers dropping numerous balls). Nelson Agholar had some moments, as did Randall Telfer. The way Sark handled that final possession was pretty much unforgivable. But the defense is another story.I didn't know enough to bemoan the Justin Wilcox hire when it happened. What I do know, now, is that Sark's judgment doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. He voluntarily hired Nick Holt at Udub. Wilcox is not responsible for some of our corners being mediocre, nor is he responsible for Josh Shaw being gone. But their inability to prevent two 50+ yard pass plays in under three minutes is not on the players. Seymour gets picked on ALL THE TIME, and yet Sark talks at MMQB like he is a really good DB. Last week Sark bragged at MMQB at our preparation for the successful first half Hail Mary on the offensive side of the ball (showing us the practice footage of them working on it. Where was the preparation for the defense against the Hail Mary? Dear Lord. I see players regressing under this defensive leadership, namely Hayes Pullard, and when I see that I blame coaches (I saw it for three years under Paul Hackett as high school star after high school star struggled at USC then went on to excel in the NFL). I know we're young on the offensive line and other parts of our team, but we are unprepared to defend the pass, and that is a defensive flaw which lies with the coaches.I can't really re-live it all much more. I have a day ahead of me to cherish. I love this team and I love the fight on spirit which will always embody USC, and will never embody the poor souls who hate us. I want us to win every game on our schedule this year. I will root for it to be so. I am not feeling really good about that right at this moment. So fight on Trojans, and may this memory be erased from our consciousness immediately.What. A. Weekend.