By Phil Soon

USC:
Despite a shocking early upset loss at Washington, the USC Trojans find themselves in a familiar position as they enter the second half of the season: in serious contention for the Pac-10 title and a possible shot at the BCS national championship game.  Heading into the season, many experts speculated that coach Pete Carroll’s Trojans were at their most vulnerable point since 2002, due to the loss of eight starters on defense and true freshman Matt Barkley starting at quarterback.

These predictions were seemingly confirmed on Sept. 19, when former USC offensive coordinator and current Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian’s Huskies sprung a 16-13 upset loss on the visiting Trojans.  A flurry of turnovers, the injury-related absences of Barkley and All-American safety Taylor Mays, and superior execution by Washington contributed to the loss, leading many to dismiss the Trojans’ national title game aspirations a mere week after USC’s thrilling win over then No. 8-ranked Ohio State.  However, Carroll’s team has responded with four straight wins, including a rout of supposed conference contender California, an eighth-consecutive win over rival Notre Dame, and a 42-36 shootout victory versus Oregon State, leaving the team with a 6-1 record heading into its Halloween matchup with conference-leading Oregon.

Midseason MVPs:
Offense: Matt Barkley
Despite his status as a true freshman, quarterback Matt Barkley is quickly becoming a star, showcasing next-level talent, poise, and confidence that belie his age.  Barkley has led the Trojans to victory in two memorable road games, leading a dramatic, 14-play, 86-yard game-winning drive at Ohio State and passing for 380 yards against rival Notre Dame.  Offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates has opened up USC’s playbook, and Barkley’s performance over the second half of the season will determine how far the Trojans will go.
Defense:  Everson Griffen & Nick Perry
While All-American safety Taylor Mays receives the bulk of national media attention, defensive ends Griffen and Perry have anchored one of the nation’s most-talented defenses.  Both players have NFL-level talent, with Perry leading the Pac-10 in sacks and Griffen close behind.  Having two defensive ends of this caliber allows the Trojans to generate an incredible amount of pressure on opposing quarterbacks without having to commit extra defenders, helping a Trojan defense that lost eight starters to the 2009 NFL draft remain among the nation’s best.

Second-Half Outlook:
USC’s hopes for the conference title and possible shot at the national championship game remain intact, but several key obstacles remain in their path.  First and foremost is an incredibly important game at Oregon’s Autzen Stadium Halloween night.  The winner of this game will have the inside track to the Pac-10 title, and a legitimate shot at reaching the national title game.  The Oregon Ducks are rolling, relying upon a high-powered offense to win six straight games for first-year head coach Chip Kelly.  Although Barkley and tailback Allen Bradford helped USC score enough points to win, the defense struggled to contain the Oregon State offense in a 42-36 shootout at the Coliseum, a troubling development in the week leading up to the Oregon game, which appears to be the most difficult game left on the schedule.  Carroll’s teams have shown a propensity to win big games but occasionally stumble against lesser foes, and upcoming games against Arizona and rival UCLA could also prove problematic.  If the Trojans can remain undefeated through the remainder of conference play, they will have as good a claim as any team for a shot at the BCS national championship.

UCLA:
Across town in Westwood, a promising 3-0 start has quickly turned into a struggle to save UCLA’s season.  A tough 19-15 win at SEC opponent Tennessee on September 12 showcased the Bruins’ strengths on defense, with Tennessee held to 208 total yards and four turnovers. However, four straight losses in Pac-10 conference play have illustrated the Bruins’ struggles to return to relevance, leaving the Bruins with a 3-4 record and no wins in conference play.

Despite having one of the Pac-10’s most talented defenses, UCLA’s has suffered from a lack of execution and consistency on offense.  Injuries and a lack of productivity at the quarterback position has been the main problem, preventing the Bruins from capitalizing upon the turnovers generated by their defense. In the Bruins’ recent 27-13 loss at Arizona, UCLA’s defense forced five turnovers.  Bruin free safety Rahim Moore, the NCAA’s co-leader in interceptions, picked off his sixth and seventh passes of the season, strong safety Tony Dye returned a fumble 28 yards for a touchdown, and all 13 Bruin points were generated as a result of turnovers.   Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel played three quarterbacks in the game – starter Kevin Prince, backup Kevin Craft, and freshman Richard Brehaut – but none was effective enough to generate consistent offensive drives.

Midseason MVPs:
Offense: Kai Forbath
In spite of UCLA’s inconsistencies on offense, kicker Kai Forbath is quite simply one of college football’s best kickers, having converted 19 out of 20 field goal attempts this season (is this the right word? A word was missing…).  A consistent source of points, Forbath’s range and accuracy have been repeatedly put to the test, given UCLA’s aforementioned inconsistencies on offense.  Forbath has missed only one field goal this season, a 51-yarder against Tennessee.
Defense:  Rahim Moore
Free safety Rahim Moore is the national co-leader in interceptions, having picked off two passes versus Arizona, three against SDSU, and two against Tennessee.  Moore’s presence in the Bruin secondary forces opposing offenses to alter their game plans, and his string of multi-interception games have helped the Bruin defense generate a high amount of turnovers.  On a defense with several NFL-caliber players, Moore is undoubtedly the Bruins’ most visible and valuable performer.

Second Half Outlook:
While UCLA has struggled mightily over its last few games, the fact remains that the Bruins can still reach a bowl game if the offense can step up its production.  In terms of personnel, UCLA is one of the more talented teams in the Pac-10, but Rick Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow must find a way to improve the struggling Bruin offense.  Coach Neuheisel is a great recruiter, bringing in several nationally-ranked recruiting classes, but his team’s on-field performance can only be described as mediocre.  Currently, the Bruin offense is unable to capitalize on the turnovers and opportunities its defense gives it, and the team has failed to execute at crucial moments.  UCLA is near the bottom of the Pac-10 standings, but remains a dangerous team, with considerable talent on both offense and defense.  Winnable games against Washington and Washington State lie ahead, but the Bruin offense must improve for the team to have any chance of turning its season in a positive direction.  If not, a season on the brink could quickly turn into a nightmare.

BY Matthew Welde, 3L

As of this writing, we’re three weeks into the 2009 college football season. What used to be preseason aspirations and hype are now being molded by the actual games into cold reality. Each college football season bestows upon us a whole bevy of upsets and unexpected turns of events. This season is no different.

Now, I could write all day about all of the unexpected things that have popped up so far, but I’m too lazy and there’s not enough room in the paper. Instead, I’ll regale you with a handful of exceptionally startling and unlikely twists of fate.

I’ll start off in the oft-ignored world of Ball State, alma mater of David Letterman. I’m pretty confident that Ball State’s football team doesn’t show up in The Commentator all that often, and I don’t expect it to become a regular practice, but the start of its year warrants some attention.

Ball State’s story is one of monumental collapse. For those that don’t know, which is probably most of you, Ball state went 12-0 last year for the first time ever and was ranked in the top 25 for the first time ever. Life was good.

Then they lost to Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game. Then their head coach resigned to take the job at San Diego State. Then they lost their bowl game. Then they opened the 2009 season at home against North Texas, who was 1-11 last year, and lost. Then they lost to New Hampshire, which is not even a Division 1A football program. That is literally rock bottom. I’m going to venture to say that a team has never before fallen so far so fast . . . ever.

My next stop on the tour of crazy things happening is the very scenic Boulder Colorado. Colorado is in its fourth year under Dan Hawkins, who previously enjoyed great success as head coach of the Boise State Broncos. This past off-season, after a mediocre 5-7 record in 2008, Hawkins proclaimed that anything less than 10 wins would be a disappointment.

Hawkins had reasons to be confident. He had 17 starters returning and an experienced quarterback, which is usually a recipe for improvement. A few pundits were even talking about Colorado as a dark horse candidate to win the Big 12 North.

That sort of talk ended when Colorado State strolled into Boulder and walked out with an impressive win. That sort of talk became the basis for humiliation when Colorado was pasted by Toledo, who themselves had been pasted by Purdue. While the Buffs did manage to beat up on Wyoming, their 1-2 start is a far cry from their lofty dream of 10 wins and caught most of the college football world by complete surprise.

The last stop on this tour of the wildly unexpected is the rainy Pacific Northwest. I think you can all see where this is going. In 2008, the USC Trojans won the Rose Bowl. In 2008, the USC Trojans beat Washington 56-0. In contrast, Washington went 0-12 in 2008. In the process, Washington tied the record for the longest Pac-10 losing streak.

In the second week of the 2009 season the USC Trojans traveled to Columbus and walked out with a win over a highly ranked Ohio State team. That same week Washington beat lowly Idaho to snap a 15-game losing streak that dated back to the 2007 season. The following week the USC Trojans traveled to Washington, and the Huskies sent them home with a loss. . . .Seriously. . . For real.

Some unbelievable things have happened in just the first three weeks of this season. I can’t wait to see the rest of it.

Boomer Sooner

Matthew Welde

Now that the new academic year is under-way, that means one thing: college football is on the horizon. By the time people are reading this the start of the season will be just a few weeks away. So, in the spirit of yearning, here’s a rundown of what I consider the three biggest games of the upcoming season. I am only considering regular season games, so that means no conference title games. Also, the most significant factor in what I mean by “big” is how the games affect the race for the BCS National Title. Away we go.

BRONZE MEDAL – NOTRE DAME VS….

Just kidding.

BRONZE MEDAL – FLORIDA GATORS AT LSU TIGERS – Oct. 10

The Gators are a near unanimous pick as the preseason No. #1 team. This game is almost certainly the toughest game on their schedule. Night games against the Tigers are very hard to win. If Florida is going to lose a game, chances are this will be it.

SILVER MEDAL – USC TROJANS AT OHIO STATE BUCKEYES – Sept. 12

Both teams should be top contenders. The winner gets a big boost from beating a quality opponent and the loser falls to the back of the pack. Thus, two top contenders for the Crystal Football have a lot on the line. This game falls short of the gold because the loser has almost the whole season to climb back into the race.

GOLD MEDAL – OKLAHOMA SOONERS VS. TEXAS LONGHORNS – Oct. 17

Both teams will start the season in the top three. The loser will probably be out of the conference title and the BCS National Title games. Also, anyone who follows college football should be having visions of airplane banners and asterisks right about now because of the way the Big 12 South championship played out last year.

Boomer Sooner.

The onset of college football means preseason polls and rankings.  Nearly every sports media outlet has a preseason list of top 25 teams.  I’ve compiled the preseason rankings from five large sports media outlets.  I averaged out the rankings to see which five teams had the highest average rating.

The five preseason rankings I included are the Associated Press poll, the USA Today Coaches poll, the CNNSI.com power rankings, the ESPN.com power rankings, and the FoxSports.com rankings.  Along with the average ranking for each team I take a look at how things have played out through the first three weeks.  Like all things that have to do with college football, there’s bound to be people who don’t agree.  That’s part of what makes it fun.  Here we go.

GEORGIA BULLDOGS

Average ranking - 2.2

Biggest concern - the SEC schedule

Georgia’s SEC schedule is simply brutal.  The Bulldogs have four teams on their schedule that are currently ranked in the top 10.  Two of those games are road games.  It doesn’t get harder than that.

How they’ve fared

So far they’ve beat up on a pair of inferior teams and scraped out a win against the Gamecocks.  They’ve passed their first SEC test against a South Carolina team that beat them last year, but they only managed 14 points, which is a troubling sign for Bulldog fans.  They are one of the rare teams that won and still fell a few spots in the polls.

What lies ahead?

Scoring fourteen points on South Carolina is a bad omen for a team set to face opponents that have a comparable defense and a better offense than the Gamecocks.  A 14-7 win at home against South Carolina translates into a long night playing at LSU.  The Bulldogs are guaranteed a spot in the BCS Championship Game if they run the table, but their path to Miami is the most difficult among these teams.

Were they right?

No.  Their quarterback has put up mediocre numbers, including a paltry four touchdown passes in three games.  Their schedule won’t allow them to score fourteen points and win very often.  The pollsters gave too much weight to a returning quarterback that was mediocre last year and not enough weight to the schedule.

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