USC Commits 13 Year Old Quarterback

Every once in a while you hear stories as ridiculous as this story about the 13 year old kid, David Sills of Delaware, committing to USC to play Quarterback. I can rant forever about why this is dumb, un-newsworthy, and pretty much a disgrace to recruiting rules past and present, but let's take a step back from everything and take a look at who is behind this disasterpiece.

That would be Lane Kiffin.

You know Lane, the guy who couldn't cut it in the NFL but get a top tier job at Tennessee, and could barely cut it there so he got an elite tier job at USC. Yeah, that guy. The one who has gotten three sweet gigs while accomplishing nothing in his life. Besides being the son of a Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator I suppose. And Lane was a successful assistant under Pete Carroll at USC, but c'mon folks, what assistant wasn't successful under Pete Carroll at USC.

Anyway, one of the reasons that this story is un-newsworthy is because the kid is still in 7th grade. Between now and the time he hits his senior season in High School a number of things could happen; his body may not develop the way a successful quarterbacks body is supposed to, a number of quarterbacks may pass him by, many of whom probably won't put on pads until they get to 9th grade, and finally, this 13 year old kid now has an "X" on his back in every game he plays in between now and the time he puts on the Trojans colors.

Do you really think that undersized but downright nasty defensive end that lines up against Sills is really going to take it easy on the kid? Because I don't.

Perhaps what Kiffin is doing is setting the Trojans up for success for a few years down the road. You know, when their NCAA punishment is lifted. I don't project their punishment to be "SMU death penalty" status, but I expect it to be pretty harsh. Harsh enough to give Kiffin an excuse to fail at least.

So I guess I'll make it clear before we never talk about this kid again, David Sills will never make it to USC as their quarterback, chances are he won't even make it to the FBS, and Lane Kiffin will not be USC's head coach by the time Sills is a senior in High School.

Trust me, I'm not Nostradamus, but this is common sense.

Signing Day Winners and Losers

Some like to compare signing day to the NFL draft. I'm not one of those people. There are way too many intangibles when it comes to recruiting high school seniors to consider it even close to the NFL draft. For every 4 and 5 star recruit that pans out to be what he's supposed to be, there is another recruit of the same status that falls flat on their face. The same cannot be said for the NFL draft. Also, for every 4 and 5 star recruit to make it, there is a 3 or 2 star recruit that everyone passed on because they didn't go to the "right" school, or show the right flashes.

Hence it's hard to immediately judge a signing day, or even think about judging a signing day, but if you look at where certain teams finished the day, you can start to shine a light on certain programs and the direction they're moving in.

Winners

USC - Finishing #1 in the country after falling out of the top 10 at one point this season was a huge accomplishment for Lane Kiffin. I had actually foreseen Kiffin falling flat on his face; Obviously I was wrong and it looks like Kiffin will, on paper, have a team capable of winning a national championship in the next couple of years.

UCLA - For as impressed as I was with Kiffin and USC, I was probably more impressed with Rick Neuheisel who was able to get UCLA into the top 10, even after a relatively poor 2009. The fact that UCLA showed flashes of improvement in 2009 makes this 2010 recruiting class that much more dangerous for the rest of the NCAA, especially their PAC 10 rivals.

Tennessee - Losing their head coach actually may have helped this team in recruiting. With Kiffin still in town, the Vols were recruiting well, but not great. Kiffin's departure had little to no effect on the Volunteers recruiting efforts, raising the question if Kiffin ever had any swagger in the SEC to begin with?

Hawaii - Hawaii jolted to number 65 yesterday after swimming around the mid 80's most of the season. Though it sounds pretty bad, consider that Hawaii's recruiting class was the strongest of their rivals in 2010, including Boise State, Nevada, and that school in Texas coached by June Jones. This recruiting class is a great morale boost for this program.

Missouri - The team in the Big 12 no one really talks about but is actually pretty good. Mizzou picked up six four star recruits en route to catapulting the team to the #21 spot in this years recruiting class. Though Missouri have flirted around this area for the past couple of years, for Mizzou to still be doing this well after a year that saw the program come back down to earth is a sign that this program is for real.

Losers

Miami - What the heck is the U doing at #24? No five stars? Only six four stars? Ouch. Something needs to be done to revitalize this program and it starts at head coach. This is a program that should be winning championships, not struggling to outrecruit USF.

Notre Dame - A number 14 finish is great on a national scale, but for a program that notoriously finished top 10 in recruiting under Charlie Weiss, you have to wonder how good Weiss really was at that whole recruiting thing. Recruiting for Notre Dame is harder than it sounds, especially with bigger, more party friendly schools going after some of the same recruits. I've got a feeling the Irish will be back in the top 10 of recruiting next year.

Michigan - If this team wants to rebuild successfully recruiting classes finishing 20th aren't going to cut it. If this is the last year of what looks to be a faile Rodriguez expirement, whoever takes over the program will bare the burden of this mediocre class.

TCU - A BCS team in the state of Texas that finished 46th in recruiting? Ouch. I didn't expect the Horned Frogs to finish top 20, but top 40 was reasonable. Something has to be up if this team can't tap into that talent pool. There are enough quality players in Texas to get this team a top 40 recruiting class. Especially after their past two seasons. To give the program some credit, being top 50 in the country is a sign of progress for a program that at one point was considered lower tier in Texas.

Boise State - I know it's the system, not the players that wins on the Smurf Turf, but number 82? For a team that expects to be in the National Championship game next year, recruiting number 82nd doesn't exactly help the Broncos when it comes to being taken seriously by the media. Personally, I think the Broncos deserve a shot at the top, but I also think they should be recruiting better than Hawaii, Kent State, and Toledo.

Lane Kiffin to USC: The Best Thing to Happen to Tennessee Since Peyton Manning

USC have finally settled down on their head coach, landing (now former) Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin.

For USC it seems like a little bit of rushed decision. It seems like they couldn't land Harbaugh, or Del Rio, or any other major candidate and instead landed themselves what they didn't want; an unproven, thus far unsuccessful head coach.

Of course Kiffin comes fully equipped with his defensive coordinator father, but overall the decision looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Kiffin's antics in the SEC were a disgrace this past year, magnify them in Los Angeles and you're looking at something pretty awful brewing at SC.

As for Tennessee, once the storm clears the skies will be a lot more clear on Rocky Top. Kiffin was never going to out-recruit Saban or Meyer. Kiffin could recruit well nationally, but that's not hard to do when you coach at Tennessee, one of the premiere SEC schools.

USC will be fine, it's one of the top five programs in America. Recruiting will recover, and they'll win a bunch of games these next two years because of Pete Carroll's recruits. It's in the long term that we'll see the results.

Tennessee will land a great coach; As good of a job that USC is for "high profile" coaches, Tennessee is for "real ball" coaches. Kiffin was never going to develop into an SEC level coach. He was never going to be Phillip Fulmer. The program learned from their mistake of hiring Kiffin, and now they're going to find themselves a real coach.

So USC got what they think they wanted, and Tennessee will get what they really wanted. We won't be able to really judge this situation until 2013 though.

Pete Carroll is Now the Seahawks Head Coach/President: What This Means for Seattle and USC

Despite all the talk about Pete Carroll leaving USC because of the "pending punishments" the NCAA is going to lay down on the program, I feel as though the bigger reason for Carroll "going pro" is that he realizes that USC is about the enter a decline.

No program in the past forty years has been able to stay on top of the NCAA for a decade. The University of Miami fell off in the mid 1990's, and again in the mid 2000's. The University of Alabama floats in and out of contention every five to ten years. Currently the Universities of Michigan and Tennessee, and California Los Angeles are all in rebuilding eras, yet only ten years ago were national title contenders.

USC's run of greatness that began in 2002 isn't in danger of reaching UCLA status (otherwise known as irrelevance), but it is in danger of reaching mediocrity. Before Carroll's resignation and departure for Seattle, USC were struggling in recruiting for the first time since 2002. For most of the decade the Trojans were the best recruiting team in the nation. In the past several years Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Lousiana State, Texas, and Oklahoma have caught up the Trojans, but have also surpassed USC as the top recruiting schools in the nation (signifying the South's return to dominance in College football).

Another problem that USC may run into comes from their own conference, the Pac 10. This year we saw USC fall from the crows nest and back to the decks. Pete Carroll is no longer the "only" coach in the conference, and Stanford, Oregon, Washington, and UCLA all look to be competitive for years to come; Oregon State, Arizona, and Cal Berkley will also be competitive as usual.

Pete Carroll is a smart man, and he has unfinished business left at the professional level of the sport. With a conference that is evening out, and an FBS that is returning to it's southern roots, Carroll understands that his pro stock can only go down. Younger coaches like Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh have already caught up (and in Meyer's case likely surpassed) to Carroll's professional value, and with both coaches likely to go pro before 2012, I think Carroll understands just how valuable the Seahawks job really is.

Carroll is also falling into an excellent situation. The Seahawks ownership has always been very committed to building a great team, and their fan base always ranks amidst the best in the NFL. The ownership has forfeited the franchises presidency over to Carroll who can use his decade of excellence in recruiting and coaching at the highest level of collegiate football towards developing an NFL roster.

The NFC West is also the best place a coach looking to rebuild his professional image can go. The Rams are at least two years away from seriously competing, the Cardinals are a Kurt Warner retirement away from falling back to mediocrity, and it's unknown as to whether or not the 49ers will ever "get it together" with this roster. Carroll is going to have a lot of rebuilding to do in the next two years, fortunately for him so will the entire NFC West.

As for USC, their best case scenario will be landing a coach like Jack Del Rio. Del Rio is what Carroll was ten years ago. An average NFL head coach, his mentality will translate incredibly to the college game. He is a USC graduate and a successful pro as a Cowboy. He'll have sway in Texas, California, and Florida. Yikes. The Jacksonville Jaguars are moving on without Jack Del Rio, that seems eminent, the Trojans should move forward with him.

The appeal of Southern California to college recruits will never go away. The average kid in Iowa, San Antonio, or western Pennsylvania doesn't understand the USC isn't on the beach. They just think Palm Trees, warmth, and prime time. In terms of "i'll go there for three years, have fun, then go pro" schools, USC is right up there with Miami as the place to go. The academics at USC are absolutely legitimate, but we all know that means nothing to high school players. Still, USC will stay strong in the FBS, and I do not see them falling out of bowl eligibility anytime in the next five to seven years.

But with Carroll going to Seattle, it has become obvious that USC's era of greatness in the 00's has come to an end, but Carroll's Trojans will forever remain the program of the decade.

USC Take Care of Boston College, Win The Emerald Bowl

USC entered the Emerald Bowl letting everyone know that "this wasn't the last game of 2009, it was the first game of 2010."

If that's the case, then the Trojans QB and defensive woes of 2009 will be cured in the 2010 season.

Freshman QB Matt Barkley decided to cash in on the Freshman-Crazed QB performances thus far by adding 350 of his own passing yards to the mix. Though he also had two interceptions, Barkley's performance should give him more confidence heading into 2010, where the Trojans will expect to compete for a national championship, yet again.

Personally, I think the Trojans won't even be in the national title discussion by November of next year. I think that they will improve in 2010, but a Pac 10 conference championship may be all that's in their cards. I can't see them competing with Alabama next year.

As for Boston College, the loss caps off a season that may have exceeded many peoples expectations. I don't expect the Eagles to compete realistically in the ACC next year. I think it's Miami's conference to lose heading in to 2010.

And thus, the Emerald Bowl is in the books; USC 24, Boston College 13. A closer game than some anticipated.

Thoughts on Last Week

I know these are all late, and all deserved their each article, but in order to catch up on a missed three days, I'm going to combine the following four stories into one article.

MARK MANGINO

Remember that 2007 season when Kansas made that run? When we were all like, "man isn't Kansas supposed to be a basketball school?" That was thanks in large part to Mark Mangino.

Mangino understood what it took to build a winner in the NCAA, and eventually built that in Kansas. There's no denying he was good at what he did. I'll give him all the credit in the world as a football coach.

At the same time, Mangino was totally out of line for the things he said to his players. Telling one player he's going to end up an "alcoholic" like that players "father," and telling another player that he can go back to Oakland and got "shot by his homies" like that player's brother is totally out of line. Let's not forget that these college football coaches are hired to be educators.

Mangino worked for an institution where he was hired to educate. Kansas did the right thing. No amount of wins could cancel out the atrocities that this man was bringing to the locker.

Hopefully for Mangino this serves as a wake up call. Division 1-AA FCS should be his next stop; and it will equate to a great opportunity to rebuild his reputation on work his way back to the FBS.

BOBBY BOWDEN

Wow. You'd think that athletic programs like Florida State would have high paid public relations people working for them. Coach Bowden came out in the beginning of the week and said he wanted to remain the head coach at Florida State and was then let go.

Ouch.

By the time I was old enough to know who Bobby Bowden was he was already a legend in the sport, and that was over 15 years ago. Sure, he's old, but the man has done so much for the sport, the NCAA, and Florida State that he deserved to choose when it's time to go. Not the stinking school.

What a sad ending for (arguably) the greatest coach in college football in the past 40 years. You can't blame Florida States recent string of mediocrity on Bowden, the Florida schools have always taken turns rotating who the states powerhouse is. First it's the Gators, then it's the Hurricanes, and then it's the Seminoles.

Question is, can the Seminoles remain a legitimate BCS contender without Bowden? Not anytime soon.

RUNNING UP THE SCORE?

A lot of people have been talking about Pete Carroll's decision to "run up the score" on UCLA after they called a time out.

USC apologists cite that UCLA called a time out and had it coming (heck it was a rivalry game) while UCLA apologists have called the move bush league.

Personally I can care less whether it was USC vs UCLA or Auburn vs Eastern Michigan, all I care about is the integrity of the sport.

It's one thing if USC is trying to gain BCS points, but they're BCS hopes ended about 5 weeks ago. It's one thing if you were still moving the ball before UCLA's timeout, but you had just taken a knee, so that rules that out. It's one thing if you just want to go home early and end the game, but throwing a touchdown makes the game even longer!

What Carroll did was wrong. I'm not saying losers should be rewarded, I'm just saying coaches need to show one another, and especially the kids playing the game some respect.

Dick Vermeil put it best when he explained the Carroll coached some pretty bad NFL teams (was it Carroll's fault they were that bad? Probably yes, considering under Parcells/Belichick the Jets/Patriots got a lot better) and wouldn't have appreciated it that much if say the Dolphins, Broncos, or Jaguars did that to his teams.

CHARLIE WEIS

It was only a matter of time before Weis was fired. Do I agree Weis should have been fired? Yes. But this has to be it for Notre Dame.

Weis was able to recruit well at Notre Dame, his successor will likely benefit from the same luxury, therefore, Notre Dame needs to make their next coach hiring a long term decision. The team needs to continue graduating players and maintaining high academic standards first; with program continuity BCS bids will come.

As for Weis, he'll be fine. I'm sure he'll end up back in the NFL and coordinate somewhere. Maybe Miami with Bill Parcells, maybe New England with Bill Belichick, maybe Kansas City with Scott Pioli, or maybe even Cleveland with Eric Mangini. Heck, Weis may even be a dark horse for a pro head coaching job. Think about it, the NFL defensive coordinators actually do their job, and Weis would never have to worry about a 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, Nickel, Dime or whatever while getting all the credit for a win.

I think this separation of Notre Dame and Charlie Weis will be for the better for both parties. It's what they have to do. But sometimes after a divorce, even when they're for the party, both parties still end up in shambles.

Picks For This Weekend's Top College Match Up's

This is a slow week for college football so instead of doing a number games, I'm only breaking down two college games this week... SMU @ Tulsa and West Virginia @ South Florida. The winners of these two game will take massive steps towards earning a bid at a National Championship.

Very funny, I know.

Actually I'll be breaking down USC @ Oregon and and Texas @ Oklahoma State; two games where the winners will actually take massive steps towards the BCS.

USC @ Oregon - After an opening night loss on smurf turf that turned LeGarrette Blount into a household name for all the wrong reason, Oregon's national title hopes seemed abysmal. Since that game Oregon have beaten two ranked opponents, and dominated a Washington team in Washington that previously upset the Trojans. A win this week and it's likely that Oregon will not only win the Pac-10 conference, but the Ducks will also get right into the middle of the national title picture.

On the other side of the ball there's the USC Trojans. The perennial Pac-10 favorites opened the season with a lot of questions about Freshman QB Matt Barkley, but quieted most of those questions in a week 2 18-15 win at Ohio State. In that game Barkley got hurt though, and the next week backup Quarterback Aaron Corp was unable to lead the Trojans to a win against the unranked Washington Huskie. Since then, the Trojans have impressed picking up wins against ranked Berkley and Notre Dame teams on the road.

If this game were in LA it'd be a lot easier to predict given that USC just don't lose at home; but it's not. The game is in Oregon where the Ducks are always tough to beat. At some point true Freshman Matt Barkley is going to learn what it's like to lose, and this game looks like a good time for that to happen... But it won't.

Although I personally believe this is the weakest USC team since Carson Palmer was junior in 2001, the 2009 Trojans are focused. Oregon coach Chip Kelly has done a great job getting his ship back on course but it's unlikely the Ducks will be able to stay afloat this week. Oregon's offense is far too spotty, and though the defense is aggressive, USC will find a way to pull this one off.

Final Score: USC 28 Oregon 16

and now for the other main event:

Texas @ Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State is an interesting team this year, they've had a few impressive wins (@ Georgia, Mizzou) and they're currently ranked #13.

Okay, I'm glad I got that out because now that that's over I can just say this; Texas are going to win this one by double digits and it'll barely be a game in the second half.

This is the same Oklahoma State team that let up 45 points at home to a Houston team that consistantly finish 40 spots behind the Cowboys in recruiting. Texas meanwhile are undefeated, have consistantly punished opponents, and two weaks ago squeaked by an Oklahoma team who a lot of people thought would beat the Longhorns.

This is also Heisman contender Colt McCoy's best chance to impress the world in Prime Time. Half the nation will be watching this game and the Longhorns don't have another game worth mentioning on their schedule (unless you count @ Texas A&M... I'll pass).

Texas are going to win this game, Texas are going to win big. Oklahoma State have never beaten the Longhorns when the Longhorns are ranked. Do me a favor and watch USC @ Oregon instead.

Final Score: Texas 38 Oklahoma State 17


Anyway....

The U will rebound vs Wake Forest
Cincinatti will beat Syracuse
The Gamecocks are gonna fall to The Vols
Notre Dame, Iowa, TCU, LSU, Flordia, and Boise State will all win this week as well.

Notre Dame vs USC Preview

This decade USC's dominance over Notre Dame has had a lot to do with who was under center. Since 2003 the Trojans have produced three current starters on NFL rosters, and two backups. Notre Dame have given the league Brady Quinn.

But for the first time in this era, there is no doubt which team has the better Quarterback. At this point in time Jimmy Clausen is light years ahead of Matt Barkley. Notre Dame's offense is also better than USC's for the first time this rivalry.

I guess that's what happen when you're able to recruit "the kid with the golden arm."

Although Notre Dame have the offensive edge, USC still have the size, the depth, and the defense to make Notre Dame struggle. And I don't want to jump on the Charlie Weis pile on, so let's just say USC have the head coaching advantage here, too.

Neither the Trojans (4-1) or the Irish (4-1) have looked like competition for Florida, Alabama, or even Texas, this year, but this is still the most exciting rivalry on a national level right now. It's also Notre Dame's best shot to get a win with Weiss, a win that may be essential to Weis keeping his job.

Unless Jimmy Clausen stays for senior season, Notre Dame will likely reenter a one to two year rebuilding phase, beginning next year. This is USC's rebuilding. After this season Barkley is a veteran at the college level and USC will once again be national title contenders.

A lot is on the line this week for the Irish. Clausen staying for Senior year is part of it. A win, and national title hopes for 2010, or even this year, begin to emerge. A loss, and Clausen may take the money and run; especially after what happened to Sam Bradford.

Charlie Weis' job is also on the line. Boosters are tired of his act. A loss this Saturday, and Weis may return to Belichick's side in 2010 the way Belichick returned to Parcell's in 1996, and Weis doesn't want that, he may not even be given that sort of opportunity. Weis' collapse in Notre Dame is a lot worse than Belichick's inability to turn Vinny Testaverde into a Pro Bowler (although Testaverde did in 1996, Belichick's first year gone, and 1998, as a Jet with Belichick as defensive coordinator; no need for a Belichick as the reason Testaverde didn't succeed debate though... after all Belichick turned Brady into a Hall of Famer, and Cassell into a millionaire).

Here's the bottom line. Notre Dame are home. Both teams are coming off a bye, both teams BCS hopes are on the line. A win will mean the world for both programs, a loss will go a long way in sending each program backwards. But in college football, nine times out of ten you gotta go with the team with more talent winning the game.

This time the team with more talent is USC.

I hate to say it but the Trojans are going to go into South Bend and win 34 - 21.

Maybe Weis can catch on with Mangini in Cleveland and help develop Brady Quinn. If not I'm sure Big Bill has something for him to do in Miami. If that fails little Bill probably has something in New England. If that fails he and Romeo can co-coach a UFL team.

If that fails there's always pie eating contests. (Damn I said I wouldn't join in the pile on).

If Notre Dame win, Clausen wins the Heisman.