I am on the road to L.A. today for business. I won't get in until the early evening. Of course its just my luck that football is on a Bye week and basketball is on the road in Puerto Rico but I do plan on heading over to practice Monday or Tuesday before I head back in time for Thanksgiving. So leave any comments here and check out SB Nation's BCS Hub (I sheepishly took it from BON).

Enjoy your weekend!

 

Photo Credit: AP/Danny Moloshok

So, USC plays Seton Hall tonight in the Puerto Rican Shoot-out Tip-Off.

Here is the game preview from ESPN. Here is the kicker...I know next to nothing about Seton Hall but I know the team Doc. I have just been too busy to get in touch with him about his take on the team.

Tip Off is set for 7PM EST. I am not sure if the game is on regular TV. It's on ESPN U which I don't have (Thanks ComCast) but you never know.

Leave your comments questions or rants here. I will be online but I am not sure if it will be effective with seeing or hearing the game.

FIGHT ON!

Not. Surprised. At. All.

From Andy Katz at ESPN...

Alex Stepheson's appeal to play immediately at USC after transferring from North Carolina was denied Wednesday by the NCAA.

Stepheson, who didn't travel with the Trojans to San Juan for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off on Tuesday, will redshirt this season and have two seasons of eligibility remaining. USC assistant Rob Cantu said the Trojans were informed of the decision Wednesday morning.

The 6-foot-9 Stepheson said he transferred to USC to be closer to his family. He filed an appeal to play immediately because he said he needed to help his parents who were dealing with health issues. Stepheson played at Harvard-Westlake High in Los Angeles.

I have said it before and I will say it again...The NCAA would not allow Stepheson's appeal because of the Mayo Mess. Do I have proof, no I do not, It is pure speculation on my part but I don't think I am far off the mark,

I also have hard time seeing an institution like the NCAA with all its ineptness doing the right the right thing for a kid trying to help out his family. They have made bone head decisions in the past so this falls right into line.

We will be fine, But I do fell sorry for the kid. More to come if its pertinent.

UPDATE...

The LAT has a little more information on why Stepheson was denied.

NCAA staff examined "the spirit of the rule and case precedent" and found that the circumstances of Stepheson's transfer year-in-residence wai- ver request "do not warrant relief," NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn wrote in an e-mail to the Times.

Osburn also cited "a lack of contemporaneous medical documentation to indicate that the family members needed extra assistance.

"NCAA guidelines state that a member institution must provide documentation regarding any injury or illness of a student-athlete or family member and how those are directly related to the student-athlete's transfer waiver request."

Hmmm...That sort of statement makes me uncomfortable. It seems ambiguous at best. I am not sure what sort of documentation they were looking for but my biggest issue is in regards to patient privacy. I understand that what Stepheson is asking for is akin to a favor from the NCAA but his parents' medical condition should be kept private and I do not have faith in the NCAA in keeping that information private. Now I don't know what the Stepheson family doctors provided but I have a hard time believing that they DIDN'T lay out what the family is facing without going into too much detail. 

I stand by my original opinion that this is payback for Mayo...and by extension Bush especially when they have granted that sort of waiver in the past for two other players.

Having not seen the game I can't do any write-up or commentary but here are some links from the local papers.

The L.A. Times

The Daily News

The OCR

The Press-Enterprise

Here is Tim Floyd on Petros & Money after the game.

I am going to put this up in the hope that anyone in the LA area will be able to listen to this on the radio. 710 ESPN no longer streams the games over the internet and its not on TV so I am SOL.

So, if anyone listens to the game leave your obervations here.

FIGHT ON!

Strange things come in odd packages.

For three years we have watched USC start off sluggish only to right the ship with 2nd half adjustments that grab the win. How many of you wanted to throw yourself off a bridge when SC went down 21-0 to Oregon St.? How many of you wanted to scream at the top of your lungs to get this team a kick in the pants and turn it around. Well they did briefly in that game in Corvallis but they never seemed to get over the hump until it was too late.

Last night we saw some of the same things. Missed tackles, ineffective pressure on the QB and soft coverage in the passing lanes. All of these allowed Stanford to rack up 156 yards rushing in the first half and 17 points on the board. It looked like Corvallis all over again and once again I wanted to throw myself of the GWB and scream at the top of my lungs to make the adjustments.Thankfully, this time they figured it out.

“We came together in the second half,” senior linebacker Brian Cushing said. “We weren't down, 21-0, either.”

That was the halftime deficit in Corvallis that USC couldn't overcome. This time the Trojans fought through their struggles and forged a halftime tie that made them feel as if they had hit the restart button.

“Coming back in the second half,” junior guard Alex Parsons said, “we're thinking it's a 0-0 game.”

USC played like a different team, seizing control of the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball to remain alive for the Rose Bowl or a BCS berth.

That was missing in Corvallis but had we not had our teeth kicked in up in Corvallis we may not have have learned those lessons that helped us overcome our poor play last night. Don't get me wrong, I am still not happy about las night's first half performance but the team dug down deep and figured out what needed to be done to turn it around.

On the BCS...

I have been saying for weeks that SC was out of the BCS Title chase if for no other reason SC just didn't impress the voters with dominant performances. Nobody cares about 3 shut-outs when two of the three come against two of the worst teams in Division I. The ASU shut-out would have been more impressive had SC not struggled in the second half with 4 Mark Sanchez turnovers. The fact is SC is either going to the Rose Bowl if Oregon St. loses a game or they have a 50/50 chance of being an at-large team in the BCS if the Beavers win out.

Its easy say that if SC didn't lose in Corvallis they would control their own destiny in regards to the title chase but if SC goes to some other bowl other than the Rose or as a BCS at-large team it will once again show just how flawed the system is. Sure, props to OSU for their win in Corvallis but could you imagine a a Rose Bowl rematch with OSU and PSU?

At this point SC does not deserve a shot at the championship game, but if the BCS is about the best teams and the best match-ups then they once again need to look at how they get the best teams and best match-ups because this aint it. I get it about tradition but no one wants to see USC play tOSU in the RB anymore than they want to see Ore. St. play PSU in the RB. I am not sayng that Ore. St. doesn't deserve it if they win out but does anyone really want to see those games? Heck the Holiday bowl might be a better BCS game than the Rose Bowl on sheer talent alone.

One other thing that is on my mind. How in Gods name is Texas BEHIND Oklahoma in the coaches poll last week?! If we are going to criticize the writers for some of their picks the coaches need to be taken to task for their bone head picks. Some of those guys need to have their membership cards pulled.

It just shows how flawed the whole system is...

Image Credit: AP Photo/Danny Moloshok via ESPN

Taj Gibson had 17 points, DeMar DeRozan had 14 points and Dwight Lewis led USC scoring with 18 points as USC rolled over UC Irvine today at the Galen Center

A year ago, USC lost its opener to Mercer, with Mayo scoring 32 points on 27 shots in his college debut. DeRozan scored 14 on 6-of-11 shooting from the field.

"I was comfortable out there," the 6-foot-6 freshman guard out of Compton High said. "I just wanted to execute the plays."

That meant spreading the ball, which USC did. Four Trojans scored in double figures and not one took more than 12 shots to do so.

"I think unselfishness helped us get this win," guard Dwight Lewis said. "At times we leaned on him (Mayo) a little bit too much last year."

Lewis, who had a game-high 18 points and seven rebounds, appeared to be one a few players with more opportunities in Mayo's absence.

"We think he's our most improved player," Floyd said. "Seven rebounds is something he wouldn't have done a year ago."

It would appear that by reading numerous stories on this game that SC has turned a corner in how they will approach their season. Yes, DeRozan will be a star but with a more balanced and experienced team you can see that tey won't have to rely rely on just one guy like they did with Mayo last season.

SC was a little shaky in the first half but they really got it together in the 2nd half as they put together a 23-7 run.

Of course the DeRozan comparisons to Mayo are already taking place.

DeRozan arrives as a newcomer with the ability to immediately make an impact on the program.

The McDonald's All-American forward averaged 29.2 points as a senior at nearby Compton High. He cracked the starting lineup Saturday, going 6-of-11 from the floor, making both his free throws and grabbing three rebounds.

"It was exciting," DeRozan said. "I didn't want to rush nothing. I wanted to let the game come to me. My time will come."

Floyd couldn't pick one player over the other in comparing Mayo and DeRozan.

"O.J. is a great jumpshooter," he said. "DeMar is a guy who's filling the wings on the break. He's a great finisher. They both have been givers defensively."

With four players in double figures and well-balanced rebounding, DeRozan realizes the load isn't all on him anymore.

"Through high school I always had pressure on me to do a lot," he said. "I don't have to exert myself. The biggest thing I learned is it's fun when we play as a team. Everything will come easy to you if you play as one."

I think DeRozan will fit in just fine.

Hopefully we will here about the availability of Alex Stepheson next week as SC takes on a good New Mexico State team. His addition on the floor could go a long way to getting things going.

Lightning did not strike twice but storm clouds were forming. I almost turned this game off in the second quarter I was so pissed at this performance. I did not want Wilner to prove me wrong...so lets call it a draw he was right in the first half I was right in the second half.

This team beats he heck out of me. I know the defense is the best in the nation but you can expect them to get it done every game. They are bound to have an off night so the offense needs to get the stuff together and make some plays.The O-line was pushed around in the first half causing Sanchez to be Sacked 3 times that's what started to piss me off. Sanchez had a pedestrian performance going 11 of 17 for 136 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. SC had 416 total yards of offense with jst about all of it coming in the second half.

The defensive line had some trouble getting penetration and the let Stanford run all over them. I really thought that SC would stack the box early to stop Gerhart and force Pritchard to throw it but the defense dared them to run it and they run they did. Stanford had 156 yards of rushing in the first alone but SC shut their running game in the second half. Stanford also used that zone-read option a few times that burned SC for some yards as well.

RoJo and CJ had some great kick returns, with CJ scoring a TD on one, but it was the running game that really came alive in the second half and really wore the Stanford defense down.

There are going to be some complaints about this game and there will once again be a lot of questions sbout the offense but SC now has next week off to prepare for Notre Dame and make no mistake there will be some bad blood for that game. So, thats it in a nutsell we'll have more tomorrow or Monday. Leave your comments here...this is our post game thread.