USC Survives, Do They Slip?

Posted on Categories Personal

I recognize my tendency to frequently blame the officiating when my team’s not doing well but there are games when its justified and today’s near-disaster at Washington is one of them. The Trojans didn’t play terribly well either but the refs made far too many bad penalty calls against us. In the end the SC defense stood up and covered for mistakes by the offense and (especially) special teams for the 27-24 squeaker.

The only thing I can say is this has been a weird weekend in college football all over, with five of the Top 10 losing. Sadly that includes Rutgers, potentially stopping a run at a BCS bowl game; I didn’t see the game but the Scarlet Knights were better on paper. The losses will get Cal up to #3, their highest spot in 55 years, and give even more meaning to USC’s matchups against the Bears and Oregon, who barely lost to Cal 31-24 on the last play of the game.

An LSU move to the top spot wouldn’t shock me. The Tigers haven’t made too many statements aside from the Va Tech thrashing but they’ve never been in serious trouble either. Here’s my Top 5:

  1. LSU
  2. USC
  3. Cal
  4. Ohio State
  5. Wisconsin

The Pac-10 is one tough conference this year since even with the loss to Cal Oregon could conceivably move up from #11, Arizona State should move up to at least #20, a 4-1 UCLA is knocking on the door and certainly going to a bowl (even with losses to Oregon and USC at the end of the season).

The remaining Trojan schedule is pretty tough: road games at Notre Dame (0-5 only means that beating us at home would make their whole season), Oregon, Cal and Arizona State and finishing with a ‘home’ game to UCLA. LSU’s is much easier with Florida, Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas and (presumably) the SEC championship game. Cal actually has the easiest of the three, if only they can beat USC.

We got us a football season!

Tuesday: Sure enough, LSU hopped to the top spot in the AP poll, though USC remained first in the USA Today/Coaches list. Slim margin of difference so with a few solid wins and perhaps a close game for the Tigers this Saturday versus Florida we’ll jump back.