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My Super Bowl 46 Rooting Interests

I still can't decide how to root this afternoon. Since I no longer have a home team, I have a formula I use that goes like this:

1. Is San Diego in the game? If yes, root for the Chargers. If no, move on to #2.
2. Is anyone I consider a friend playing? If yes, root for his team. If no, move on to #3.
3. Is Oakland in the game? If yes, root for the NFC champion. If no, move on to #4.
4. Is St. Louis in the game? If yes, root for the AFC champion (unless Oakland). If no, move on to #5.
5. Which team has the most Trojans? Root for that team. If a tie, proceed to #6.
6. Which team has the fewest Bruins? Root for that team. If a tie, proceed to #7.
7. Which team has the better Trojan? Root for that team. If there is no clear preference, proceed to #8.
8. Which team has the fewest Irish? Root for that team. If a tie, proceed to #9.
9. Does either team suck? If so, root for the other team. If neither team sucks, proceed to #10.
10. Which team is favored? Root for the underdog. If it's a pick-'em, proceed to #11.
11. Flip a coin.

This year, San Diego isn't in it, so I move to #2. I don't have anyone I consider a "friend" in the game, but there is a kid who went to school with my kids - Matthew Slater (Jackie's kid). If you asked Matthew who I was, he'd have no idea. Plus, the dude is a bRuin and a Servite Friar. I'd like to see a former Lancer win a Super Bowl ring, but I think I'll move on to #3 and just be happy that a former Lancer played in the Super Bowl. Neither Oakland nor St. Louis are there to root against, so I move on to most Trojans.

There are no Trojans suiting up this weekend, but Terrell Thomas is on the Giants roster. He tore his knee in the preseason and has been on the injured reserve list all year. Close enough.

Go Giants!

Your Final 2011 College Football Champions - The West Virginia Mountaineers

For the second time this season, the Clemson Tigers have lost possession of the college football championship belt.  This time, they leave West Virginia as the final champion of the 2011 season, and for a change, the belt will not be put at risk in the BCS Championship Game. It wasn't close. After building a first quarter lead, Clemson got outscored 56-16 in the final three quarters to lose the Orange Bowl by the shocking score of 70-33.

Since I've been following this method of crowning my own national champion, I've only posted when there was a new champion. Here is the history of my belt, awarded in accordance with the belt method:

• Texas took it from undisputed champion USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
• On September 9, 2006, #1 Ohio State gained the belt by defeating the #2 Texas Longhorns 24-7.
• On January 8, 2007, #2 Florida won the belt and the BCS by defeating the #1 Buckeyes 41-14.
• On September 29, 2007, the Auburn Tigers took the belt with a 20-17 win at #4 Florida.
• On October 20, 2007, #5 LSU obtained the belt from #18 Auburn with a 30-24 victory.
• On November 23, 2007, Arkansas took the title from #1 LSU with a 50-48 victory.
• On January 1, 2008, #7 Missouri took the belt away with a 38-7 win in the Cotton Bowl.
• On October 11, 2008, #3 Missouri lost the title to #17 Oklahoma State 28-23.
• On October 25, 2008, #1 Texas won back the belt by defeating #6 Oklahoma State 28-24.
• On November 1, 2008, #7 Texas Tech won the belt by defeating #1 Texas 39-33.
• On November 22, 2008, #5 Oklahoma took the belt by defeating #2 Texas Tech 65-21.
• On January 8, 2009, #2 Florida took the belt, and the BCS title, by beating the #1 Sooners 24-14.
• On December 5, 2009, Alabama won the belt (and later the BCS) by beating the Gators 32-13.
• On October 9, 2010, #19 South Carolina took the belt from #1 BCS champ Alabama 35-21.
• On October 16, 2010, Kentucky took the belt by defeating #10 South Carolina 31-28.
• On October 23, 2010, Georgia took the belt by winning at Kentucky, 44-31.
• On October 30, 2010, Florida took the belt by beating Georgia 34-31 in OT.
• On November 13, 2010,#23 South Carolina reclaimed the belt from #22 Florida 36-14.
• On December 4, 2010, #1 Auburn won Belt and BCS from #19 usc 56-17 in the SEC title game.
• On September 17, 2011, Clemson took it from #21 Auburn 38-24.
• On October 29, 2011, Georgia Tech tore it away from #5 Clemson, 31-14.
• On November 10, 2011, Virginia Tech took it from #20 Georgia Tech 37-26.
• On December 4, 2011, Clemson took it from VA Tech in the ACC title game, 38-10.
• On January 4, 2012, Qest Virginia took it in the Orange Bowl, 70-33.

West Virginia will defend the belt in its season opener at home against the Thundering Herd of Marshall on September 1.

Your New College Football Champions - The Clemson Tigers

For the second time this season, the Clemson Tigers are the owners of the college football championship belt.  This time, they got it in the ACC Championship Game, defeating the Virginia Tech Hokies by the comfortable margin of 38-10. They are headed to a BCS Bowl to be announced tomorrow night.

Since I've been following this method of crowning my own national champion, I've only posted when there was a new champion. Here is the history of my belt, awarded in accordance with the belt method:

• Texas took it from undisputed champion USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
• On September 9, 2006, #1 Ohio State gained the belt by defeating the #2 Texas Longhorns 24-7.
• On January 8, 2007, #2 Florida won the belt and the BCS by defeating the #1 Buckeyes 41-14.
• On September 29, 2007, the Auburn Tigers took the belt with a 20-17 win at #4 Florida.
• On October 20, 2007, #5 LSU obtained the belt from #18 Auburn with a 30-24 victory.
• On November 23, 2007, Arkansas took the title from #1 LSU with a 50-48 victory.
• On January 1, 2008, #7 Missouri took the belt away with a 38-7 win in the Cotton Bowl.
• On October 11, 2008, #3 Missouri lost the title to #17 Oklahoma State 28-23.
• On October 25, 2008, #1 Texas won back the belt by defeating #6 Oklahoma State 28-24.
• On November 1, 2008, #7 Texas Tech won the belt by defeating #1 Texas 39-33.
• On November 22, 2008, #5 Oklahoma took the belt by defeating #2 Texas Tech 65-21.
• On January 8, 2009, #2 Florida took the belt, and the BCS title, by beating the #1 Sooners 24-14.
• On December 5, 2009, Alabama won the belt (and later the BCS) by beating the Gators 32-13.
• On October 9, 2010, #19 South Carolina took the belt from #1 BCS champ Alabama 35-21.
• On October 16, 2010, Kentucky took the belt by defeating #10 South Carolina 31-28.
• On October 23, 2010, Georgia took the belt by winning at Kentucky, 44-31.
• On October 30, 2010, Florida took the belt by beating Georgia 34-31 in OT.
• On November 13, 2010,#23 South Carolina reclaimed the belt from #22 Florida 36-14.
• On December 4, 2010, #1 Auburn won Belt and BCS from #19 usc 56-17 in the SEC title game.
• On September 17, 2011, Clemson took it from #21 Auburn 38-24.
• On October 29, 2011, Georgia Tech tore it away from #5 Clemson, 31-14.
• On November 10, 2011, Virginia Tech took it from #20 Georgia Tech 37-26.
• On December 4, 2011, Clemson took it from VA Tech in the ACC title game, 38-10.

Clemson (10-3) will defend the belt in the Orange Bowl or Sugar Bowl.

My College Picks 2011: Week 14 Results

So I'm 3-2 on the week yet again, bringing me to 37-26-1 for the year. Pretty good if I do say so myself. Overall, I was only 5-6, bringing me to 115-110-5 on the year. The Boise State failure to cover burned my ass a bit because Boise wasted not one, but two trips into the red zone. Oh well. Here's how I did:

W *#22 West Virginia @ South Florida +2
L UCLA @ #8 Oregon -31½
W #24 Southern Miss v #7 Houston -13
L * Iowa St. @ #16 Kansas St. -10½
W * UNLV @ #18 TCU -38½
L Texas @ #19 Baylor -2½
W * #12 Georgia v #1 LSU -13½
L * New Mexico @ #9 Boise St. -48½
W #5 Virginia Tech v #21 Clemson +7
L #13 Oklahoma @ #3 Oklahoma St. -3
L #15 Wisconsin v #11 Michigan St. +9

This week, I was rooting, in order, for: Oregon, Southern Miss, Clemson, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and LSU to win, and a moral victory for New Mexico. Only Oklahoma and New Mexico failed me. Southern Miss and Clemson won memorable upsets. I'm looking forward to bowl season, which, for the first time in a while, will not feature a BCS Championship matchup that involves the team holding the College Football Championship Belt. That currently belongs to Clemson, which will be in a BCS bowl, just not the big one.

My College Football Picks, 2011 Week 14

Again this week I've gone through the schedule of ranked teams and checked the odds. Here are my picks for this weekend in the top 25 against the spread, as shown in bold. The five *bets I like are marked by an asterisk. See if your picks can beat mine.

Thursday, Dec 1
*#22 West Virginia @ South Florida +2

Friday, Dec 2
UCLA @ #8 Oregon -31½

Saturday, Dec 3
#24 Southern Miss v #7 Houston -13
* Iowa St. @ #16 Kansas St. -10½
* UNLV @ #18 TCU -38½
Texas @ #19 Baylor -2½
* #12 Georgia v #1 LSU -13½
* New Mexico @ #9 Boise St. -48½
#5 Virginia Tech v #21 Clemson +7
#13 Oklahoma @ #3 Oklahoma St. -3
#15 Wisconsin v #11 Michigan St. +9

This week, I am rooting, in order, for: Oregon, Southern Miss, Clemson, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and LSU to win, and a moral victory for New Mexico.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/odds

My 2011 Bottom 10 After Week 13

Florida Atlantic got its first win of the season. This means Tulane now has the nation's longest losing streak. It also drops Akron to the "top" of the rankings. Akron's season was so bad, they fired their coach over the phone, even though the guy was on his way to bury his mother. Indiana comes in at second, the only AQ conference team to go winless against the FBS. Amazingly, 6 of these teams still have action left, and three of them are going to get clobbered like a Bruin at the Coliseum. We now have three 11-game losers. Here's how I see 'em this week:

1. Akron (1-11) [2] Beat only VMI. Final loss: Done
2. Indiana (1-11) [3] Beat only S.C. St. Worst AQ conference team. Final loss: Done
3. UNLV (2-9)* [4] Losses include New Mexico and S. Utah. Final loss: @ TCU
4. New Mexico (1-10)* [5] "Below" UNLV because of head-to-head. Final loss: @ Boise St.
5. Florida Atlantic (1-10) [1] Now owns FBS's 54th longest winning streak. Final loss: La-Monroe
6. Tulane (2-11) [8] Ten-game losing streak is nation's longest. Final loss: Done
7. Middle Tennessee St. (2-9) [6] 0-9 when scoring less than 38 points. Final loss: @ N. Texas
8. Idaho (2-9) [7] Only wins were San Jose and North Dakota. Final loss: @ Nevada
9. Kansas (2-10) [NR] Only team to go perfect 0-9 in conference. Final loss: Done
10. UCLA (6-6) [NR] Pac-12 South Division Champs lost 50-0 to USC. Final loss: Dignity.

Dropped up and out: Minnesota* [10] beat Illinois, Colorado [9] beat Utah,

Not far ahead: Maryland (2-10), Memphis (2-10), Ole Miss (2-10), Troy (3-8)

This week's crummy Game of the Weak: Lousiana-Monroe @ Florida Atlantic

This week's Blowouts of the Weak: New Mexico @ Boise State, UNLV @ TCU, UCLA @ Oregon

Dishonorable Mention: Western Kentucky*, Oregon St.*, Minnesota*

* lost to FCS team(s)

My 2011 College Football Top 25, Week 13

If I had an AP vote, here is what my ballot would look like after week 13, with last week's picks in brackets:

1. LSU [1]
2. Alabama [2]
3. Stanford [4]
4. Virginia Tech [5]
5. Oklahoma State [6]
6. USC [7]
7. Oregon [8]
8. Arkansas [3]
9. Houston [9]
10. Boise State [10]
11. Michigan State [11]
12. South Carolina [12]
13. Wisconsin [13]
14. Georgia [14]
15. Oklahoma [15]
16. Kansas State [16]
17. Michigan [17]
18. TCU [19]
19. Baylor [20]
20. West Virginia [22]
21. Nebraska [25]
22. Clemson [18]
23. Florida State [NR]
24. Southern Miss [NR]
25. Texas [NR]

Dropped out: Penn State [21], Virginia [23], Georgia Tech [24]

I almost went with: Cincinnati

I knew it! Notre Dame

I blew it! Arkansas

I think the AP is overrating these: Houston, Georgia

I can't believe anyone gave votes this week to: Notre Dame, Louisville

 

My College Picks 2011: Week 13 Results

So I'm 3-2 on the week again, and 34-24-1 for the year. Overall, I was 9-7, bringing me to 110-104-5 on the year. I didn't bet on USC because I thought it would be a two or three touchdown game, and 14½ is a lot of points to give in a real money wager in a rivalry game. I should have bet my retirement on it, though. Here's how I did:

W * Iowa @ #22 Nebraska -9½
L #8 Houston @ Tulsa +3½
L * #3 Arkansas @ #1 LSU -12
L Ohio St. @ #17 Michigan -7½
W #13 Georgia @ Georgia Tech +5½
W #11 Michigan St. @ Northwestern +6
W Iowa St. @ #12 Oklahoma -28½
L Wyoming @ #7 Boise St. -33
L Oregon St. @ #9 Oregon -27½
L #2 Alabama @ Auburn +21
W * #20 Penn St. @ #15 Wisconsin -14½
L * #6 Virginia Tech @ Virginia +4
W Texas Tech @ #21 Baylor -13
W #18 Clemson @ #14 South Carolina -4
W * #22 Notre Dame @ #4 Stanford -7
W UCLA @ #10 USC -14½

In unranked USC opponent play, I was awful:
L Colorado @ Utah -22
L Cal @ Arizona St. -6
L Cincinnati @ Syracuse -2
W Illinois @ Minnesota +10½
L Louisiana-Lafayette @ Arizona -13½
L Washington St. @ Washington -8½

My rooting interests did pretty good. USC, Stanford and Wisconsin won. Thus, USC fans got their Perfect Day and Penn State will not darken the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game. Tulsa, Wyoming, Virginia, Auburn and Arkansas missed their upset bids. Arkansas was up 14-0, so I had a 26 point lead on the spread. Got stomped. Utah and Arizona State stunk up their home fields, sending UCLA to the Pac-12 Championship Game, which, if they lose, will drop them to 6-7 and out of bowl contention.

Troy Week 2011 - Game Day! Your USC-UCLA Rooting Guide

It's time for the "City Championship", the "Bell Bowl", the "Crosstown Showdown" and the 79th game of the famous crosstown rivalry. We're heading to the Coliseum early. The tailgating begins at 9:00 a.m. Kickoff on FSN Sports starting at 7:00 p.m. The game will also be heard on ESPN Radio and locally on AM 710 KSPN, AM 570 (KLAC) and the Bruin Radio Network broadcasts for the Bruins. Parking might be sixty to eighty bucks near the stadium. We'll park early.

Game Promotions: USC’s 23 senior football players will be saluted prior to the game as they run onto the field through the Heritage Tunnel (comprised of former Trojans)…USC head coach Lane Kiffin is hosting the Kiff’s Kids toy drive to benefit children from the local community (fans are encouraged to bring a toy or unwrapped gift to collection boxes set up around the Coliseum)…Former USC Olympians Inger Miller (track, 1996 and 2000), James Gilkes (track, 1976) and Jack Beckner (gymnastics, 1952, 1956 and 1960) will be saluted on the field as part of USC’s “Cardinal and Gold Medal Heritage” yearlong celebration…2012 USC Athletic Hall of Fame inductees Tony Boselli (football), Clarence Davis (football) and Bob Hughes (water polo, swimming) will be honored on the field…USC’s team physicians will be honored on the field as well

Senior Day: USC’s 23 seniors (including some redshirt juniors who do not plan on returning in 2012) playing in their final home game in the Coliseum are: LB Augusto Alonso, CB Taylor Ashton, WR Robbie Boyer, WR Brandon Carswell, DE Eric Childs, OG Martin Coleman, FB-LB Ross Cumming, WR Nic Curry, FB-TE Rhett Ellison, LB Chris Galippo, DT Tyler Grady, DT DaJohn Harris, LB Shane Horton, CB Sean Jackson, S Marshall Jones, DT Zack Kusnir, CB Allen Noble, SNP Chris Pousson, CB Boomer Roepke, S Cody Romness, DT Christian Tupou, TB Marc Tyler and OT Peter Yobo. As is tradition, they will be introduced individually prior to kickoff by running onto the field through the Heritage Tunnel (comprised of former Trojan players). Also potentially playing their last game as Trojans: draft-eligible underclassmen such as QB Matt Barkley, OT Matt Kalil, DE Nick Perry and S T.J. McDonald.

Things to Do Before The Game: Would you like to see USC's Heisman Trophies? Then check out Heritage Hall before the game. Then you can stop by to see Tommy Trojan, before kicking the flagpoles across from the Rose Garden. FanFest will be set up between the Figueroa and the peristyle entrance

Up-To-The-Minute Weather: You can check the latest forecast here.

Up-To-The-Minute Odds: The line opened at 14½ then moved to 16½, where it now sits. The over/under is 57½.

USC's Injury Update: POSSIBLE: LB Dion Bailey (ankle), S Drew McAllister (ankle), LB Lamar Dawson (ankle).
QUESTIONABLE: CB Torin Harris (shoulder).
OUT: CB Anthony Brown (ankle), TE Christian Thomas (hip), LB Marquis Simmons (neck), C Abe Markowitz (foot), CB Brian Baucham (ineligible), DT Armond Armstead (medical), TE Junior Pomee (foot), DE-FB Charles Burks (knee), OG Giovanni Di Poalo (shoulder), S Patrick Hall (knee), WR Cody Gifford (ankle), OG-C John Katnik (shoulder).

Fight Songs - UCLA:

"Sons of Westwood" (played after a good play)

We are Sons of Westwood
And we hail to Blue and Gold
True to thee our hearts will be
Our love will not grow old,
FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
Bruins roam the hills of Westwood
By the blue Pacific shores
And if we chance to see
A man from USC
Every Bruin starts to roar.
U...C...L...A...
UCLA, fight, fight, fight!

"Mighty Bruins" (played after a score)

We are the mighty Bruins
The best team in the west!
We're fighting on to victory
To conquer all the rest.
We are the mighty Bruins,
Triumphant ever more,
And you can hear
From far and near
The mighty Bruins roar!

Fight Songs - USC:

"FIGHT ON!" (after first downs and touchdowns)

Fight On for ol’ SC
Our men Fight On to victory.
Our Alma Mater dear,
looks up to you
Fight On and win
For ol’ SC
Fight On to victory
Fight On!

During World War II, an American task force attacked an island held by the Japanese and blasted "Fight On" from the deck of one of the transports to improve moral.

"ALL HAIL"

All hail to Alma Mater,
To thy glory we sing;
All hail to Southern California,
Loud let thy praises ring;
Where Western sky meets Western sea
Our college stands in majesty.
Sing our love to Alma Mater,
Hail, all hail to thee.

TRIBUTE TO TROY: this stanza of pounding drums and blaring horns is played when the band takes the field and again after every defensive stop.

CONQUEST: This battle cry, from Alfred Newman's score to the 1947 film "Captain from Castile," has been played after every USC score and victory since the Trojans adopted it in 1950.

FANFARE: This introduction to Tribute To Troy is played when the band takes the field.

OTHERS: 'All Right Now' is played after USC gets a turnover.  The 'William Tell Overture' is played at the start of the fourth quarter for the lighting of the Olympic Torch.  "The Emperor's Theme" from Star Wars is played when USC is flagged for a major penalty.

TUSK: If you don't go to USC, and never have, you might think that the lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's hit song "Tusk" go like this:

Why don't you ask him if he's going to stay?
Why don't you ask him if he's going away?
Why don't you tell me what's going on?
Why don't you tell me who's on the phone?
Why don't you ask him what's going on?
Why don't you ask him who's the latest on his throne?
Don't say that you love me!
Just tell me that you want me!
Tusk! Tusk! Tusk! Tusk!
Tusk! Tusk! Tusk! Tusk!
Tusk! Tusk! Tusk! Tusk!
Tusk! Tusk! Tusk! Tusk!
Tusk!

Not so. The lyrics are actually as follows:

Why don't you ask him if he's going to stay?
Why don't you ask him if he's going away?
Why don't you tell me what's going on?
Why don't you tell me who's on the phone?
Why don't you ask him what's going on?
Why don't you ask him who's the latest on his throne?
Don't say that you love me!
U-C-L-A sucks!
Just tell me that you want me!
Tusk!
U-C-L-A sucks!
Just say that you love me!
Tusk! Tusk!
U-C-L-A sucks!
Tusk!
U-C-L-A sucks!
Tusk!
U-C-L-A sucks!
Tusk! Tusk! Tusk!
U-C-L-A sucks!
Tusk!

It looks odd on paper, but it sounds great in a stadium. Basically, you mumble or skip all the parts that are not U-C-L-A sucks! Those parts, you scream at the top of your lungs.

Bowl Scenarios: If the Bruins lose, they will be 6-6, and facing a possible "Rose Bowl or Bust" scenario, where a win next Friday in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game will send them to the Rose Bowl, but a loss would leave them at 6-7, and ineligible for any bowl bid unless they get a waiver from the NCAA, or there are not enough bowl eligible 6-6 teams to fill the 70 bowl spots. There are currently 69 teams with 6 wins or more, including UCLA. Two of those teams - USC and Miami, will not play in a bowl game this year. In addition, two pairs of 5-6 teams meet next week, with the winners getting to 6 wins.

Insert your own punchline.

 

 

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Finally, here's your official Coliseum Game Day Guide. You can also download the USC Game Day app, available for iPhone or Android phones.

Coliseum Fan Guide:

Directions:  From the North - Take the 110 Freeway south, exit Exposition Blvd., turn left on Flower St., follow the directional signs to Coliseum and parking.  From the South - Take the 110 Freeway north, exit Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., turn left on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., follow directional signs to Coliseum and parking.  From the East - Take the 10 Freeway west, exit Los Angeles St., turn left on Broadway St. or Hill St., follow directional signs to Coliseum and parking. From the West - Take the 10 Freeway east, exit Hoover St. and turn right, turn left on Jefferson St., turn right on Figueroa St., continue past campus and follow directional signs to Coliseum and parking.

Parking - General parking is extremely limited around the Coliseum on Game Days. There are many different lots to choose from that are not directly located on Coliseum property, but are within a comfortable walking distance. Lots in close proximity of the Coliseum include: USC Campus Parking: USC owned parking structures PSA, PSB, PSD, PSX - $20, PS1, PS2 - $25, USC Parking Center (with shuttle to Coliseum) - $20. Coliseum Parking: All Coliseum parking lots will open at approximately 9:30 a.m. The only General Public parking lot available is on the South Lawn of the Natural History Museum. To access the South Lawn, enter on Menlo Ave. and Exposition Blvd. All other lots are reserved for USC Athletic Department Donors. Rate information can be checked here. For updates and additional Coliseum parking information please call Classic Parking at (213) 749-5654 or follow @USCParking on Twitter.

Heritage Hall - Home to the USC Athletic Department, Heritage Hall houses six of the seven Heisman trophies (Mike Garrett's is on loan to the College Football Hall of Fame), the 2004 Football National Championship trophy, all retired football jerseys, the Lexus Gauntlet, as well as numerous awards and trophies representing all USC student athletes from past years.

Tailgating - Tailgating is permitted on Game Days, both on campus or in the parking lots. There are some rules that you must abide by, including: you may not occupy adjacent parking spaces for your tailgate.

Trojan Walk - Two hours prior to kickoff, the team arrives at the east end of Christmas Tree Lane and walks into the Coliseum through the Peristyle. Yellow ropes will be set up to guide the team into the Coliseum. Please do not cross the ropes once they are in place and please obey any request from USC staff or security while attending the Trojan Walk.

Merchandise - Official USC merchandise can be found in various areas on campus and on the Coliseum grounds during Game Day. There are merchandise stands set up on campus along Trousdale Parkway, one outside Coliseum Gate 1 on the southeast end of the stadium, and one on the west end of the Trojan Fan Fest. Also, there are merchandise stands inside the Coliseum gates, throughout the concourse.

Bookstore - The USC Bookstore is located in the center of campus just south of Tommy Trojan. On the second floor, you can find officially licensed USC products, Team Trojan merchandise, and Nike game jerseys.

Trojan Fan Fest - The Trojan Fan Fest opens 4 hours prior to kickoff of every home game. There are inflatable games for the kids and free giveaways for fans.

Ticket Policy - A USC Football ticket holder is restricted to seating in the location that appears on the tickets and agrees to abide by stadium and University policies, as well as City, State, and Federal laws. USC reserves the right to revoke tickets by refund of purchase.

Will-Call Booths - The general will-call booth is located outside Gate 4. Will-call opens 3 hours prior to kick-off and will remain open until the end of the 1st quarter. At the end of the 1st quarter, general will-call tickets will be moved to Gate 33 at the player will-call area. Picture identification is required for ticket pick-up.

Coliseum Entry Gates - You may enter the Coliseum through Gates 1, 4, 11, 16, 19, 23, and 28A up to 2 hours prior to kickoff. Gate 28 is for student entrance only with a valid student ID and the purchase of a Spirit Activity Card.

Coliseum Stadium Policies - Per the request of the Los Angeles Police Department, no re-entry privileges will be given to any ticket holder. The Coliseum and USC Game Management has the authority to prohibit any items deemed a security risk. Patrons will be required to discard or return such items to their vehicles or residence. Non-reusable sealed water bottles will be allowed into the stadium.

Customer Service - The Coliseum Office is located on the east end of the stadium, just south of the Olympic torch, directly below the stadium temperature gauge. The office can be reached at (213) 747-7111.

Game Management Office - Located in the east end of the stadium, just north of the Olympic torch, directly below the Stadium Clock, in the North Office.

First Aid - The Coliseum hospital is located on the Concourse level (Row 68), across from tunnel 6. Roaming First Aid teams are located at the Tunnels on the north, south, west, and east sides of the stadium. Please contact the nearest usher or security officer if medical attention is needed.

Lost and Found - Located in the Coliseum office. Found items may be given to any usher in your section who will turn them into the office. For more information please call (213) 747-1111, weekdays 8:30am - 4:30pm.

Restrooms - Located immediately inside the Coliseum gates at Tunnels 19-20 and 26-27 (on the north side), adjacent to Tunnels 2-3 and 9-10 (on the south side), and Tunnels 13-14 (on the west side). Restrooms are also located throughout the Concourse level (Row 68). Outside the Coliseum gates, a permanent restroom is located at Gate 4. Portable restrooms can be found around the Trojan Fan Fest and in various locations throughout Exposition Park.

Drinking Fountains - Located at various locations adjacent to the restrooms.

Telephones - Located inside Gate 6 next to the ATM.

ATMs - Located on the Yard level at Gates 6, 14, and 23.

Escalators - Available for those needing assistance up stairs for upper level seating. Escalators are adjacent to sections 4, 11, and 19 and will exit at Row 68. Please do not crowd the escalators or jump while using them as it may cause mechanical failure.

Elevator - Located at Tunnel 6. Elevator use is for handicap access only.

Concessions - Concession stands providing many choices of delicious Game Day foods and refreshing Coca-Cola products are located on Yard level outside of Tunnels 4, 6, 16, and 23. Additional concessions are located on the Concourse level outside every other tunnel.

Students - Student seating is first-come, first-serve and is accessed with a valid student I.D. and the purchase of a Spirit Activity Card. Student I.D.s are scanned electronically and can only be used once per game.

Troy Week 2011 Friday - USC-UCLA Talking Points and Memories

Here is a list of facts you might see on your TV tomorrow during the big crosstown game:

• This is their 81st game. USC leads the series 45-28-7.
• USC won the first two games, in 1929 and 1930, by lopsided scores of 76-0 and 52-0.
• The teams did not play again for the next five seasons. Since 1936, the teams have met at least once each year.
• When a ranked USC team has played an unranked UCLA squad, the Trojans are 13-6-2.
• USC is 25-12-5 overall against unranked UCLA teams
• At the Coliseum, USC holds a 38-20-7 edge, with wins in the last 6 Coliseum games.
• USC has won 11 of the last 12 meetings.
• A win would give USC is 25th ten-win season, and its 8th in 10 years.
• USC is 6-2 in conference and in first place in the Pac-12 South.
• UCLA is 5-3 in conference and would take tie USC for first place in the Pac-12 South with a win
• Due to USC's postseason badm UCLA has clinched a spot in the Pac-12 Championship game
• UCLA will travel to Stanford or Oregon for that conference title game
• Until 1982, the Bruins shared the Coliseum with USC.
• Both teams are permitted to wear their home jerseys
• UCLA is opting for an alternate jersey
• UCLA is 5-8-1 in the Coliseum since leaving in 1982 for the Rose Bowl.
• The Coliseum has hosted this game 65 times. USC and UCLA used to share a home stadium, so each team would play in their home jerseys
• No team has beaten UCLA more times than USC.
• No team has beaten USC more times than ... Notre Dame.
• UCLA's first mascot was a dog named "Rags".
• USC's first mascot was a dog named George Tirebiter.
• Tirebiter's sculpture on the USC campus is covered with a dog house this week to thwart would-be vandals.
• Both Tommy Trojan and the Bruin Bear have been covered all week, too.
• This is the third-latest start time for the Bruins and Trojans
• Only 1945’s 8:30 p.m. kickoff and last year's 7:30 kickoff were later
• This is only the seventh night game in the series
• USC leads the Bruins 5-2 in night games
• This is the second time in the past 30 years that the teams have met on Thanksgiving weekend
• Last game: USC 28 @ UCLA 14
• Last game at the Coliseum: USC 28 UCLA 7 (2009)
• Last UCLA win in the Coliseum: 1997 (31-24)
• The winner of the annual USC-UCLA football game gets year-long possession of the Victory Bell
• Ten Crosstown Gauntlet points will be awarded to the winner
• USC has defeated both UCLA and Notre Dame in the same season 18 times
• USC, UCLA and Notre Dame are the only teams in the divisional era who haven't played an FCS school.
• This is UCLA's 13th season since its last Rose Bowl bid - the Bruins' longest drought ever
• The Bruins won all four of their Pac-12 conference home games this season
• UCLA's 5-1 home record is tied for best in the Pac-12
• USC is also 5-1 at home this season
• UCLA's win over then 20th ranked Arizona State was its first over a ranked conference opponent
  since 2007
• UCLA has won 21 straight games in which it has rushed for at least 250 yards
• UCLA is 4-5 against top ten teams since 2006.
• UCLA is 1-2 against top ten USC teams
• UCLA's last road win against a top ten team: Sept. 25, 2010 at #7 Texas.
• USC has 40 players who saw their first action in 2011.
• First time Trojans this season included 9 true freshmen and 14 redshirt freshmen.
• USC has started 4 of those true freshmen and 7 of those redshirt freshmen
• UCLA has played just one first year player in 2011 - TE Raymond Nelson
• Despite 6 wins, UCLA is not yet bowl-eligible.
• If it is 6-7 after the conference championship, UCLa would need a waiver to play in a bowl.
• USC is 66-41-11 (.606) in all season finales
• Last time USC's season ended before November 26: 2000
• The earliest USC's season has ever ended: November 13 (1909)
• Matt Barkley is 273-of-404 for 67.6%. The USC record is 68.6% (Rob Johnson, 1993)
• Barkley's 33-7 TD to INT ratio is among the best in the country
• Barkley's 273 completions in 2011 is fourth on the USC season list
• Barkley needs: 45 yards of total offense to pass Rodney Peete for 3rd on USC's career list
• 103 yards of total offense to pass Mark Sanchez for 7th on USC's single season list
• 218 yards of total offense to pass J.D. Booty for 6th on USC's single season list
• 243 yards of total offense to pass Matt Leinart for 5th on USC's single season list
• 11 completions to pass Matt Leinart for third on USC's single season list
• 36 completions to pass Rob Johnson for second on USC's single season list
• Robert Woods needs one catch to reach 100 on the season
• The USC and Pac-12 record is 102, held by Keyshaun Johnson
• Woods is 5th in the country in receptions with 9 per game 
• Woods needs 5 catches to pass Johnson for 7th on USC's career list
• He needs 13 to pass Mike Williams for 6th place on USC's career list
• USC's offensive line leads the Pac-12 in sacks allowed (7)
• USC is 16th in the nation in rushing defense
• Kevin Prince’s 390 rushing yards are the most by a Bruin QB since Jeff Dankworth in 1976 (815)
• Nelson Rosario is UCLA’s 10th 2,000-yard receiver (2,091 career yards)
• Derrick Coleman’s 11 rushing TDs is the most by a Bruin since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2005)
• Coleman is deaf

Now, when those facts come onto your TV screen tomorrow, you can now lean over and say "I knew that."

And here are some memorable anniversaries of previous years' games:

Memorable Anniversaries - 5 years (2006, UCLA 13 USC 9): Five years ago, UCLA knocked USC out of the BCS Championship with a 13-9 victory over the Trojans at the Rose Bowl. UCLA fans still use 13-9 as a rallying cry. I've seen it on billboards, license plates and screen names. It's the only win UCLA has had in the series since 1998 and it is the Bruins' favorite moment in the rivalry.

Memorable Anniversaries - 10 years (2001, USC 27, UCLA 0): Ten years ago, the Trojans won the first shutout in the series since 1954, defeating the 20th ranked Bruins 27-0 at the Coliseum to become bowl eligible for the first time in three years. Trojan fans remember this as the game in which Antuan Simmons intercepted a pass between his legs and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown.

Memorable Anniversaries - 15 years (1996, UCLA 48, USC 41 2OT): Fifteen years ago, in the only overtime contest ever between the Bruins and Trojans, UCLA made the most remarkable comeback in the history of the series. For the first time in 13 years, neither team was ranked. UCLA trailed by 17 points with seven minutes to play. With three minutes left, UCLA trimmed the lead to 7, but failed to recover the onside kick. USC tried to run out the clock, but Lavale Woods fumbled and UCLA went on to score and send the game into overtime when USC's last second field goal attempt was blocked. UCLA outscored USC 10-3 in overtime to win.

Memorable Anniversaries - 25 years (1986, UCLA 45 USC 25): Twenty-five years ago, with a 24 point lead and just seconds to play in the first half, UCLA used a trick play -- faking the QB taking a knee to end the half -- to score on a touchdown pass from Matt Stevens to Karl Dorrell. The Bruins held on for a 20 point victory. Trojan fans hated Dorrell for years, until he became UCLA's head coach and led the Bruins to just one win over USC. Then USC fans loved him.

Memorable Anniversaries - 30 years (1981, USC 22 UCLA 21): Thirty years ago, USC won 22-21 when George Atica blocked Norm Johnson's 46-yard field goal attempt with four seconds to play. The field goal would have sent UCLA to the Rose Bowl. With the win, USC earned a trip to the Fiesta Bowl, the Bruins went to the Bluebonnet Bowl, where they lost to Michigan, and Washington ended up in the Rose Bowl, where they shut out the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be another memorable one.

My College Football Picks, 2011 Week 13

Again this week I've gone through the schedule of ranked teams and checked the odds. Here are my picks for this weekend in the top 25 against the spread, as shown in bold. The five *bets I like are marked by an asterisk. See if your picks can beat mine.

Friday, Nov. 25:
* Iowa @ #22 Nebraska -9½
#8 Houston @ Tulsa +3½
* #3 Arkansas @ #1 LSU -12

Saturday, Nov. 26:
Ohio St. @ #17 Michigan -7½
#13 Georgia @ Georgia Tech +5½
#11 Michigan St. @ Northwestern +6
Iowa St. @ #12 Oklahoma -28½
Wyoming @ #7 Boise St. -33
Oregon St. @ #9 Oregon -27½
#2 Alabama @ Auburn +21
* #20 Penn St. @ #15 Wisconsin -14½
* #6 Virginia Tech @ Virginia +4
Texas Tech @ #21 Baylor -13
#18 Clemson @ #14 South Carolina -4
* #22 Notre Dame @ #4 Stanford -7
UCLA @ #10 USC -14½

In unranked USC opponent play, I like:
Colorado @ Utah -22
Cal @ Arizona St. -6
Cincinnati @ Syracuse -2
Illinois @ Minnesota +10½
Louisiana-Lafayette @ Arizona -13½
Washington St. @ Washington -8½

This week, I am rooting, in order, for: USC, Stanford, Tulsa, Utah, Arizona St., Wyoming, Virginia, Arkansas, Auburn and Wisconsin.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/odds

Troy Week 2011 Thursday - More USC-UCLA Game Notes

More stuff about Saturday's USC/UCLA game:

Signature Victories: USC's top 10 wins over the Bruins (#1 led to a national championship). UCLA's top 10 wins over the Trojans (#1 left USC having to "settle" for the Rose Bowl that year).

Weekly Releases: USC's. UCLA's.

Team Stats: Here are the Trojans' team stats for 2011. Here are UCLA's.

Webcams: USC has Tommy Trojan on a webcam. UCLA has Royce Hall on a webcam. Joe Bruin is not on a webcam.

Recruiting: This is one of USC's biggest recruiting weekends of the year. In addition to many recruits making unofficial vists, OLB Noor Davis (Leesburg, FL) makes his official visit this weekend. The teams are competing for a number of top-notch recruits, and this game can matter a lot.

Weather: Los Angeles has been enjoying unseasonably wet weather lately, but the current weather forecast for Saturday is a clear, with light 5-10 mph winds, and an afternoon high of 79° leading to an overnight now of 49°. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. PST.

Connections: Bruin head football coach Rick Neuheisel earned his law school degree at USC in 1990. Former UCLA All-America linebacker Ken Norton (1984-87) is on USC’s football coaching staff. Wendell Tyler, fifth on UCLA’s career rushing list, is the father of USC tailback Marc Tyler. Two USC players—S T.J. McDonald and S Marshall Jones—have brothers who play for UCLA (S Tevin McDonald and TB Malcolm Jones)…USC offensive coordinator/running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu was a graduate assistant coach at UCLA in 1992 and 1993, working with the secondary and special teams…USC S Shane Horton and DE Wes Horton are the sons of former UCLA offensive tackle Myke Horton, who lettered there 2 years (1973-74)…USC C Abe Markowitz’s father, Barry, lettered as a linebacker at UCLA in 1974 while his great grandfather, Richard Love, played basketball and tennis at UCLA in the 1920s and his cousin Frank Manumaleuga played football at UCLA in 1974…UCLA C Kai Maiava is the brother of former USC LB Kaluka Maiava (2005- 08)…UCLA CB Brandon Sermons is the brother of ex-USC TB-FB Rodney Sermons (1994-97)…

Blogs and Info Sites For the Trojans:

USC Football Official

USC Freedomblogging - the OC Register's USC blog

TributeToTroy - Trojan football news and information

TrojanWire - news

USCFootball - Rivals USC Football site (news, forums, recruiting info)

WeAreSC - Insiders USC Football site (news, forums, recruiting info)

FightOn - More Trojan football links

Conquest Chronicles - a great fan site

Scott Wolf's Inside USC - LA Daily News Trojanblog

ESPN's USC Boards

Awesome stuff.

Blogs and Info Sites for the Bruins.

Bruinville

The Bruin Show

www.beatsc.com

Bruin Blitz

Bruin Gold

Bruin Report Online

Bruins Nation

Inside UCLA

Trojan-Haters Club

UCLA Bruins Fans

UCLA Bruins Official Site

Stuff.

Troy Week 2011 Wednesday - Photos and Video From USC-UCLA Lore

The USC-UCLA rivarly has produced a decent history of college pranking. A helicopter drop of manure on Tommy Trojan is widely considered once of the best pranks ever (though well short of Caltech's all-time great Rose Bowl prank), although reportedly most of the manure got sucked  up by the helicopter blades. Every year, the most foreseeable prank is a paint-the-mascot attack. USC tries to thwart the Bruins by wrapping Tommy Trojan with duct tape and having the Trojan Knights stand guard around the clock. The Bruins, meanwhile, put the Bruin Bear Security Force to work, standing guard 24 hours a day, protecting the hibernating Bruin Bear (which is a redundancy, is it not?) until Wednesday. Why stop on Wednesday morning? USC pranksters don't care. They just like the opportunity. Vulnerability means a fresh coat or two of paint. As shown below:

Heh. USC, meanwhile, even puts Tirebiter under lock and key.

Now, courtesy of YouTube, some USC-UCLA video for your enjoyment.

A general preview of the rivalry.

 

Some highlights from last year's game.

 

The end of the 2009 game - timeouts, a TD bomb and a fight.

 

Highlights of the 2008 game, a 28-7 USC win at the Rose Bowl.

Part three of a three part set of highlights from their 2007 game at the Coilseum, a 24-7 win for USC:

UCLA's last win was in 2006:

 

USC's postgame celebration if they win:

UCLA's postgame celebration if they win:

USC has the Song Girls:

UCLA has this guy:

Ain't this just like a Bruin:

Fight On!

Troy Week 2011 Tuesday - Why The Game's So Great

There are many other great rivalries in college football: Michigan & Ohio State, Auburn & Alabama, Florida & Florida State, Harvard & Yale, Army & Navy, Stanford & Cal, and so on and so on and so on. But there are no two strong rivals in college football who share the same city. USC-UCLA is unique in that regard. What makes it so great? Here's what I tell people every year:

The Thrill of Victory: The prize for this game is the Victory Bell. The winner keeps the Victory Bell for a year and paints it their team's colors. Since 1942, the Victory Bell has awarded to the winner of this game. The bell originally rang atop a Southern Pacific locomotive. It was donated to the UCLA student body in 1939 and it was used to proclaim each UCLA touchdown for two seasons. In 1941, six USC fraternity men heisted the truck that was taking the bell back to Westwood, and it was hidden away for more than a year. A series of retaliatory pranks ended with a badly needed truce, in which the student body presidents signed an agreement to make the bell a trophy given to the annual winner of the football game. It now traditionally comes out only for the first three quarters of this game. This year, the Victory Bell is painted cardinal and gold. 

The Agony of Defeat: Despite the loss to the Ohio State University, Michigan fans can still wear Wolverine gear around Ann Arbor and face little ridicule from Buckeye fans. But the loser of the USC-UCLA game can't wear their colors around town without somebody popping off. Win in basketball season don't ease the pain. A College World Series title doesn't absolve you. Volleyball? Water polo? Tennis? Track? Fuggedaboudit. The winner of this game can have their fans openly dig their team for the next year. The loser and its fans are losers for the rest of the year, at home and abroad. For eight long years, we were up to our necks in Bruin crap. For seven years, Bruin fans have had to put up with the same from the Trojans. Bruins fans are still basking in the glow of their 13-9 upset in 2006, but the Trojans have a new four-year winning streak working. The sting is worse because UCLA and USC fans and players share the same city, the same neighborhoods, the same high school alma maters, even the same households. On this year's teams, the starting safeties - USC's T.J. McDonald and UCLA's Tevin McDonald - are brothers. So are USC safety Marshall   Jones and UCLA tailback Malcolm Jones. USC tailback Marc Tyler is the son of former UCLA tailback Wendell Tyler. Several players on both teams have brothers who played for the other team. In fact, UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel has degrees from both UCLA and USC.

The Glory of Pac-10 Pac-12 Titles and Bowl Berths: For most of the last 25 seasons, this game has had an impact on the Pac-10 championship, a BCS bowl bid or a national championship. In 1998, UCLA was atop the BCS standings and finishing off just the 4th perfect 8-0 conference record in Pac-10 history. (They lost to Miami the next week in a hurricane postponed game that was supposed to have been played in September.) In 2002, USC went to the Rose Bowl and won, 52-21, to set the stage for their Orange Bowl-sealing win over Notre Dame the following week. In 2003, the Trojans beat UCLA, 47-22, to clinch the Pac-10 title and set up their move to the top of the polls the following week. In 2004, a 29-24 win at the Rose Bowl sent the Trojans back to the Orange Bowl for the BCS title game. In 2005, a 66-19 victory clinched USC's 30th Rose Bowl appearance. In 2006, UCLA dropped the Trojans from the BCS championship game to the Rose Bowl. In 2007 and 2008, Trojan wins secured their place in the Rose Bowl. This year, the game could decide whether UCLA plays in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game with a shot at the Rose Bowl.

Trojan and Bruins Fans, Tailgate Responsibly

I received this email from USC today, regarding security at Saturday night's game.

Dear Trojan Fans:   We all know how important the USC vs. UCLA game is to our fans, alumni and players each year.  As the Athletic Directors of these storied programs, this day has been circled on our calendars since the end of last season.  This is a special rivalry that we both look forward to as a capstone to each conference season, and the 81st meeting of our teams this Saturday is shaping up to be a great game.   Just as this game brings elevated attention to the 60 minutes of exciting on-field competition, the hours of pregame festivities and fun also deserve extra attention from our staff and fans alike. We want the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to be a safe and friendly environment for you and your family to enjoy a great day of college football.   This year we have increased the emphasis and visibility of game day security, particularly given the 7pm kickoff time. Security staff will be bolstered by over 25% for this game, and there is an integrated effort between both universities and a host of local law enforcement organizations to make the entire game experience around the Coliseum safe and secure.   Working together, our staffs are coordinating efforts with USC Department of Public Safety, University of California Police Department, LAPD, Exposition Park Police, FBI Special Events, Homeland Security, CA Alcohol-Beverage Control, and others to minimize any safety concerns on game day. You will notice increased staffing presence and bike patrols to go along with a host of enhancements behind the scenes. The Coliseum’s standard tailgating policies – only one parking space per car and no amplified sound – will be strictly enforced.   A big part of making this day safe and enjoyable for everyone is the conduct of both fan bases. We ask you to please respect the rivalry, respect each other, and bring the same level of sportsmanship to the game that we expect of our players. Should you have any questions or see anything of concern on Saturday, please notify the closest staff member, call our Fan Behavior Hotline at 213-765-8525, or send a text to 274637 with TC4T and your issue or question details.   Thank you for your continued support of this great rivalry and for doing your part to make this year’s game a safe and enjoyable day for all in attendance.   Fight On!		What: USC vs UCLA Football Where: LA Coliseum When: Nov. 26, 2011 Limited tickets available
Pat Haden USC Charles Griffin Cale Director of Athletics' Chair	Dan Guerrero UCLA Director of Athletics

It's a good letter, and not just because they managed to get Dan Guerrero's name at the bottom of a letter that concludes with "Fight on". The Trojans want to avoid this sort of trouble, which often occurs when a crosstown game doesn't start until well into the evening, giving thousands of young men time to drink, kill time, and then turn their alcohol-fueled aggression on each other.

 

If you're going to the game on Saturday, and you plan to drink, pace yourself. Show that you can handle your liquor. Tailgate with class.

My 2011 Bottom 10 After Week 12

Florida Atlantic got throttled at Troy, solidifying its stranglehold on the Bottom Ten, but it still has ttwo winnable games on its schedule. If it loses to UAB and Lousiana-Monroe, it would be as perfect a season as 0-12 gets. Akron and Purdue, meanwhile, look like locks to finish winless against the FBS. We now have six 10-game losers. Here's how I see 'em this week:

1. Florida Atlantic (0-10) [1] Only team yet to taste victory. Next loss: UAB
2. Akron (1-10) [2] Beat only VMI. Final loss: @ Western Michigan
3. Indiana (1-10) [3] Beat only South Carolina St. Final loss: @ Purdue
4. UNLV (2-8)* [4] Losses include New Mexico and S. Utah. Next loss:@ San Diego St.
5. New Mexico (1-10)* [5] "Below" UNLV because of head-to-head. Final loss: @ Boise St.
6. Middle Tennessee St. (2-8) [6] Teams they beat have a combined 2 wins. Next loss: FIU
7. Idaho (2-9) [7] Only wins were San Jose and North Dakota. Final loss: @ Nevada
8. Tulane (2-10) [8] Nine-game losing streak is nation's 2nd longest. Final loss: @ Hawaii
9. Colorado (2-10) [NR] 13-game schedule gives them chance at 11 losses. Final loss: @ Utah
10. Minnesota (2-9)* [NR] Lost to North Dakota St. Final loss: Illinois

Dropped up and out: UAB [9], beat #22 Southern Miss; Troy [10] Earned 3rd win against Fla. Atlantic.

Not far ahead: Maryland (2-9), Kansas (2-9), Memphis (2-9), Ole Miss (2-9), Troy (3-7)

This week's crummy Game of the Weak: Florida Atlantic @ UAB

This week's Blowouts of the Weak: New Mexico @ Boise State

Dishonorable Mention: Western Kentucky*, Oregon St.*

* lost to FCS team(s)

Troy Week 2011 Monday - Records, Rankings, Odds, Streaks, Upsets and Heroes in USC-UCLA Lore

Once again, it's UCLA week aka "Troy Week". It's time for our annual cross-town rivalry game against the Bruins. The City Bowl. The Bell Bowl. As often happens, a shot at the Rose Bowl is at stake. USC is in first place in the Pac-12 South Division, but is bowl ineligible, leaving UCLA in the running for a spot in the conference championship game. UCLA goes to the game if they beat the Trojans, or if Arizona State loses and Utah wins on Saturday.

Here are a few details about the game.

Starting Time: The game Saturday at the Coliseum will be broadcast live nationally at 7:00 p.m. PST on FSN (Craig Bolerjack, Joel Klatt, Petros Papadakis). It's the last game of the night involving a ranked team.

Records: USC is 9-2. UCLA is 6-5. USC's 6-2 conference record is currently best in the Pac-12 South. UCLA sits in 2nd place in the division at 5-3, a game ahead of Arizona State and Utah.

Rankings: USC is ranked 10th in the AP Poll, but is ineligible for the Harris Interactive Poll or the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll or the BCS rankings. UCLA is not ranked.

Odds: USC opened as an 14½ point favorite

Coliseum Streak: USC has won four straight in the series after having its 7 game winning streak snapped in 2006. The last six games at the Coliseum were won by USC:
• 1999: USC 17, UCLA 7
• 2001: USC 27, UCLA 0
• 2003: USC 47, UCLA 22
• 2005: USC 66, UCLA 19
• 2007: USC 24, UCLA 7
• 2009: USC 28, UCLA 7

Historic Upsets: In the past 25 years, there have been several huge surprises:
• 1989: UCLA, 3-7 and unranked, ties 8th ranked and Rose Bowl bound USC 10-10.
• 1992: UCLA, 5-5 and unranked, defeats No.15 USC 38-37.
• 1994: UCLA, 4-6 and unranked, defeats No.13 USC 31-19.
• 1995: UCLA, 6-4 and unranked, defeats No.11 Rose Bowl bound USC, 24-20.
• 2001: USC, 5-5 and unranked, defeats No. 20 UCLA 27-0.
• 2006: UCLA, 6-5 and unranked, defeats No. 2 Rose Bowl bound USC 13-9.

Unlikely Heroes: The series is known for having superstars carry the day with big games, but it is also known for lesser known players having big games, e.g.,
• 1992: Senior walk-on John Barnes, the fifth-string QB for UCLA, leads the unranked Bruins (see above) to a 38-37 win on a 90-yard TD pass to J.J. Stokes with 2:04 left. Barnes threw for 384 yards.
• 1993: UCLA avoids the come-from-ahead loss when safety Marvin Goodwin intercepts a pass in the end zone on a 3rd-and-goal play in the final seconds of the game.
• 2000: USC's third-string placekicker, David Bell, who had missed all three field goal attempts that season, lines up for a a 36-yard field goal with nine seconds to go. It barely clears the crossbar.

You never know what's going to happen.

My College Picks 2011: Week 12 Results

This week, I did not forget to mark USC as one of my money picks. It was the sweetest win of the season. And like last week, it was the difference between winning and losing. So I'm 3-2 on the week, and 31-22-1 for the year. Overall, I was 8-10, bringing me to 101-97-5 on the year. It's a good thing I don't bet on every game every week. The house's cut would have left me poorer for it. Here's how I did:

L #15 Wisconsin @ Illinois +14½
W #17 Nebraska @ #20 Michigan -3½
W * Indiana @ #12 Michigan St. -28
W Citadel @ #14 South Carolina -39
W Kentucky @ #13 Georgia -31
L #21 Penn St. @ Ohio St. -6½
L #7 Clemson @ N.C. State +7½
L * Mississippi St. @ #6 Arkansas -13
L SMU @ #11 Houston -20
L Colorado St. @ #19 TCU -34
W Boston College @ #24 Notre Dame -24½
L #1 LSU @ Mississippi +30½
W Virginia @ #23 Florida St. -17½ (straight up!)
W * #18 USC @ #4 Oregon -14½ (straight up!)
L #10 Boise St. @ San Diego St. +18
W * #5 Oklahoma @ #25 Baylor +15½ (straight up!)
L #16 Kansas St. @ Texas -8
L * California @ #8 Stanford -17

In unranked USC opponent play, I like:
L Minnesota @ Northwestern -15½
L Washington @ Oregon State +2
W Utah @ Washington St. +3½
L Colorado @ UCLA -11
W Arizona @ Arizona State -10½ (straight up!)

My rooting interests did pretty good. USC, Iowa State and Baylor all had monster upsets. BC played well, but lost. Michigan and Stanford stepped up like I wanted. It was a good week for me.

Pac-12 South Division Title Scenarios

Going into the last week of the season in Pac-12 play, the Pac-12 South standings are:

1. USC 6-2
2. UCLA 5-3
3. Arizona State 4-4
4. Utah 4-4
5. Arizona 2-7
6. Colorado 1-7

If UCLA beats USC, they will finish tied at 6-3 and UCLA will win the division tiebreaker on head-to-head results. If USC beats UCLA it will finish 7-2 and will take first place in the division, but USC is not eligible to play for the conference title, so the championship game participant will be the second-place finisher.

The season's head-to-head results among the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place team went like this: UCLA>ASU>Utah>UCLA. So UCLA wins a tiebreaker against Arizona State, but not Utah. Utah wins a tiebreaker against UCLA, but not Arizona State. Arizona State wins a tiebreaker against Utah, but not UCLA. Therefore:

• UCLA goes if it wins at USC (winning outright), or if Colorado wins at Utah (winning outright or in a tiebreaker against Arizona State).
• Utah goes if it beats Colorado and USC beats UCLA, but Arizona State loses at home to Cal (because it would finish a game ahead of ASU, and would win the head-to-head tiebreaker against UCLA).
• Arizona State goes if it beats Cal, and USC beats UCLA and Utah beats Colorado (because ASU has the advantage in a three-way tie by virtue of UCLA being eliminated on divisional records, then ASU winning the head-to-head tiebreaker ober Utah). Barring an upset, this is the likely scenario.

How does that 3-way tie get settled? I've copied and pasted the tiebreaker rules below, but here's how it would apply this season if UCLA, Arizona State and Utah all finish with 5-4 conference records.

• First, you would go to head-to-head records. Each team is 1-1 against the other two teams, so the tie is not yet broken.
• Next you go to record in games played in the division. ASU finished 3-2 against the Pac-12 south. Utah would be 3-2 against the south with a win over Colorado. UCLA would fall to 2-3 against the south with a loss to USC. So UCLA is eliminated.
• With UCLA eliminated, ASU and Utah would be decided by head-to-head play. ASU beat Utah, so ASU heads to Eugene (if the Ducks beat Oregon St.), or Palo Alto (if the Beavers beat Oregon.

The loser of the Pac-12 championship game is assured of nothing. It doesn't get the #2 bowl spot (now the Alamo Bowl), and in fact, it could finish ineligible for a bowl. If UCLA were to lose on Saturday, and Utah were to lose to Colorado, even if ASU wins, the Bruins and Sun Devils would finish second at 5-4, with Utah third at 4-5, and UCLA would take its 6-6 record to the championship game by virtue of its win over Arizona State and USC's post-season ban. If UCLA then lost to Oregon (or Stanford) in the conference title game, it would be 6-7, and not eligible for an at-large bid to any bowl.

Curiously, last week, the Pac-12 put out a release saying Arizona State needed 2 wins and a UCLA loss, or a win and 2 UCLA losses. That's actually not true. As I mentioned above, Arizona State goes to the Pac-12 championship game if it finishes in a three-way tie with UCLA and Utah. Here are the Pac-12 tiebreakers for two teams, and for three or more teams:

Divisional Champion Tie-breaker

Two Teams:

Head-to-head competition between the two tied teams. If no game is played between the two tied teams or that game ends in a tie, the following tie-breaking procedures would be applied:

1. Record in games played within the division.

2. Record against the next highest placed team in the division (based on record in all Conference games, both divisional and cross-divisional) proceeding through the division.

3. Record in common Conference games.

4. Highest BCS Ranking following the last weekend of regular-season games.

5. Total number of wins in a 12-game season. The following conditions will apply to the calculation of the total number of wins:

• Only one win against a team from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision or lower division will be counted annually.
• Any games that are exempted from counting against the annual maximum number of football contests per NCAA rules (current Bylaw 17.9.5.2) shall not be included.

6. Coin toss.

Three or More Teams:

The following procedures will only be used to eliminate all but two teams, at which point the two-team tie-breaking procedure will be applied.

1. Head-to-head (best record in games among the tied teams).

2. Record in games played within the division.

3. Record against the next highest placed team in the division (based on record in all Conference games, both divisional and cross-divisional), proceeding through the division.

4. Record in common Conference games.

5. Highest BCS Ranking following the last weekend of regular-season games.

My 2011 College Football Top 25, Week 12

If I had an AP vote, here is what my ballot would look like after week 12, with last week's picks in brackets:

1. LSU [1]
2. Alabama [3]
3. Arkansas [5]
4. Stanford [7]
5. Virginia Tech [9]
6. Oklahoma State [2]
7. USC [14]
8. Oregon [4]
9. Houston [10]
10. Boise State [11]
11. Michigan State [12]
12. South Carolina [13]
13. Wisconsin [15]
14. Georgia [16]
15. Oklahoma [6]
16. Kansas State [18]
17. Michigan [19]
18. Clemson [8]
19. TCU [20]
20. Baylor [23]
21. Penn State [21]
22. West Virginia [25]
23. Virginia [NR]
24. Georgia Tech [NR]
25. Nebraska [17]

Dropped out: Florida State [22], Southern Miss [24]

I almost went with: Rutgers - still could win the Big East

I knew it! USC, Southern Miss

I blew it! Clemson

I think the AP is overrating these: Houston, Kansas State, Georgia, Notre Dame

I can't believe anyone gave votes this week to: Notre Dame, Arkansas State

With the exception of the placement of Houston, the AP poll basically just ranks teams according to their number of losses. LSU comes first, followed by the six one-loss teams, then Houston, then the 12 two-loss teams (except Arkansas State), then their 5 best three-loss teams. Schedule and head-to-head results seem to matter little.

2011's Perfection: And Then There Were 2

There are now just two unbeaten teams after twelve weeks of college football:

1. LSU
2. Houston

Oklahoma State lost for the first time this week. Raise your hand if you picked Houston and LSU at the beginning of the year. Next week, LSU plays Arkansas and Houston travels to 8-4 Tulsa. Either team could lose their division with a loss. It looks like my BCS fiasco scenario won't play out because Oregon ruined things by losing to USC. Somehow, that doesn't bother me much.

My College Football Picks, 2011 Week 12

Again this week I've gone through the schedule of ranked teams and checked the odds. Here are my picks for this weekend in the top 25 against the spread, as shown in bold. The five *bets I like are marked by an asterisk. See if your picks can beat mine.

Saturday, Nov. 19:
#15 Wisconsin @ Illinois +14½
#17 Nebraska @ #20 Michigan -3½
* Indiana @ #12 Michigan St. -28
Citadel @ #14 South Carolina -39
Kentucky @ #13 Georgia -31
Georgia Southern @ #3 Alabama N/L
#21 Penn St. @ Ohio St. -6½
#7 Clemson @ N.C. State +7½
* Mississippi St. @ #6 Arkansas -13
SMU @ #11 Houston -20
Colorado St. @ #19 TCU -34
Boston College @ #24 Notre Dame -24½
#1 LSU @ Mississippi +30½
Virginia @ #23 Florida St. -17½
* #18 USC @ #4 Oregon -14½
#10 Boise St. @ San Diego St. +18
* #5 Oklahoma @ #25 Baylor +15½
#16 Kansas St. @ Texas -8
* California @ #8 Stanford -17

In unranked USC opponent play, I like:
Minnesota @ Northwestern -15½
Washington @ Oregon State +2
Utah @ Washington St. +3½
Colorado @ UCLA -11
Arizona @ Arizona State -10½

We already saw this:
#22 Southern Miss 31 @ UAB 34
North Carolina 21 @ Virginia Tech 24
#2 Oklahoma State 31 @ Iowa State 37

This week, I am or was rooting, in order, for: USC, Colorado, Boston College, Iowa State, Baylor, SMU, Michigan, Texas, Stanford and San Diego State.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/odds

My College Picks 2011: Week 11 Results

This week, I forgot to mark USC as one of my money picks. It worked out for me, but I won't take credit for it in my picks record, since no one could see it as a money pick until now. So I broke even, 2-2, on the week. That brings me to 28-20-1 on the season. Overall, I was 9-8-1, bringing me to 93-87-5 on the year - a winning record, but still not winning enough to be profitable. Here's how I did:

L Wake Forest @ #9 Clemson -16½
W * #19 Nebraska @ #12 Penn St. +2½
L * #21 Texas @ Missouri +1
L #13 Michigan St. @ Iowa +2½
W West Virginia @ #23 Cincinnati -3
W * Florida @ #15 South Carolina -2½
L #2 Oklahoma St. @ Texas Tech +19½
P #16 Wisconsin @ Minnesota +29
W Texas A&M @ #17 Kansas St. +5½
W #22 Michigan @ Illinois PK
L TCU @ #5 Boise St. -16
W #24 Auburn @ #14 Georgia -12
W Washington @ #18 USC -11½
W Tennessee @ #8 Arkansas -15
L * West. Kentucky @ #1 LSU -42
L #4 Alabama @ Mississippi St. +17½
W #6 Oregon @ #3 Stanford -3
L UCF @ #25 Southern Miss. -8½

Among USC's currently unranked opponents, I did great:

L Arizona @ Colorado +10½
W Oregon State @ Cal -9
W UCLA @ Utah -6½
W Maryland @ Notre Dame -20½
W Arizona State @ Washington State +11½

2011's Perfection: And Then There Were 3

There are now just three unbeaten teams after eleven weeks of college football:

1. LSU
2. Oklahoma State
3. Houston

Boise State and Stanford lost for the first time this week. That brings us down to three.

This week, LSU and Oklahoma State have trap games, on the road, looking ahead to bigger games next week. Oklahoma State has the tougher opponent, but both will be heavily favored. Houston gets a home game against SMU. Could any of them lose? Sure, and I'll be rooting the hardest against the Cowboys, who probably need to lose to Iowa State for my BCS fiasco scenario to play out. Wouldn't it be something if Houston was the last unbeaten team in the nation?

My 2011 College Football Top 25, Week 11

If I had an AP vote, here is what my ballot would look like after week 11, with last week's picks in brackets:

1. LSU [1]
2. Oklahoma State [3]
3. Alabama [5]
4. Oregon [6]
5. Arkansas [7]
6. Oklahoma [8]
7. Stanford [2]
8. Clemson [9]
9. Virginia Tech [10]
10. Houston [11]
11. Boise State [4]
12. Michigan State [12]
13. South Carolina [14]
14. USC [15]
15. Wisconsin [16]
16. Georgia [17]
17. Nebraska [19]
18. Kansas State [20]
19. Michigan [24]
20. TCU [NR]
21. Penn State [13]
22. Florida State [NR]
23. Baylor [NR]
24. Southern Miss [NR]
25. West Virginia [NR]

Dropped out: Texas [18], Cincinnati [21], Auburn [22], Georgia Tech [23], Ohio State [25]

I almost went with: Nobody

I knew it! Oregon

I blew it! Stanford, Texas

I think the AP is overrating these: Southern Miss, Georgia, Kansas State, Notre Dame

I can't believe anyone gave votes this week to: Notre Dame

My 2011 Bottom 10 After Week 11

We finally have a clear #1 in the Bottom Ten, and it's a new #1. New Mexico slips down the rankings, just a bit, with a win over UNLV. That leaves Florida Atlantic alone at the bottom with the nation's only perfect 0-9 record. We still have no ten game losers, though. Both of the 9-time losers who played last week scraped up a victory. Here's how I see 'em this week:

1. Florida Atlantic (0-9) [2] Only team yet to taste victory. Next loss: @ Troy
2. Akron (1-9) [3] Beat only VMI. Next loss: @ Buffalo
3. Indiana (1-9) [4] Beat only South Carolina St. Next loss: @ Michigan St.
4. UNLV (2-7)* [6] Losses include New Mexico and S. Utah. Next loss:@ Air Force
5. New Mexico (1-9)* [1] Finally won one, over lowly UNLV. Next loss: @ Wyoming
6. Middle Tennessee St. (2-7) [8] Teams they beat have a combined 2 wins. Next loss: Ark. St.
7. Idaho (2-8) [9] A sorry 1-8 against FBS teams. Next loss: Utah State
8. Tulane (2-9) [10] Beat teams with a combined 1 won over FBS teams. Next loss: @ Rice
9. UAB (2-8) [5] Won a road game. Next loss: #22 Southern Miss
10. Troy (2-7) [NR] Wins were UAB and Middle Tenn. Next loss: Florida Atlantic

Dropped up and out: Colorado [7] Beat Arizona

Not far ahead: Kent State, Kansas, Memphis, Buffalo, Arizona, Oregon State, Ole Miss

This week's crummy Game of the Weak: Florida Atlantic @ Troy

This week's Blowouts of the Weak: Indiana @ Michigan State

Dishonorable Mention: Western Kentucky*, Oregon St.*, Minnesota*

* lost to FCS team(s)

How The BCS Could Shock Us All Again

Remember when the BCS first came into being, and people wondered, "what if a team was ranked #1 in both polls and didn't play for the BCS championship?" Then it happened with USC, and for all the wailing and gnashing, nothing really changed. This year, something even more bizarre could happen. We could end up with a pair of 12-1 team playing for the national championship, while another 12-1 team, that beat them both, sits at home and watches. How?

Right now, the BCS standings look like this:

1. LSU
2. Oklahoma State
3. Alabama
4. Oregon

LSU still has to play Ole Miss, #6 Arkansas and then #14 Georgia or #12 South Carolina in the SEC championship. What if it loses one of those games, especially if it is the SEC championship game? Would the pollsters just give them a mulligan and send them off to the BCS championship? That's happened before. Nebraska and Oklahoma both made if to the title game after losing their last game of the season. But that ended poorly for both teams, and nobody except Nebraska fans and Oklahoma fans liked it. So what if they dropped to #3 or #4?

Suppose still that Oklahoma State loses. It has to play at Iowa State and at home against rival Oklahoma. If they lose to #5 Oklahoma, my scenario might not play out, because Oklahoma could jump past Oregon in the BCS standings, but what if it was Iowa State that beat them, and then Oklahoma State beat the Sooners? Or what if Oklahoma loses at Baylor next weekend, then beats Oklahoma State on December 3? That's not really so implausible. If it happens, both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are out.

Let's make this assumption first: Oklahoma loses at Baylor; LSU is undefeated going into the SEC title game against Georgia, and Oregon and Alabama win the rest of their games. The BCS standings going into the final games of the season would have the same top four as they do now, with Clemson or Stanford in the #5 spot. Then Georgia beats LSU and Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State.

Your final BCS rankings could look like this:

1. Alabama (12-1)
2. Oregon (12-1)
3. LSU (12-1)

Alabama plays Oregon for the national championship, while LSU fans scream bloody murder because they have the same record as the other two teams, and beat them both in the regular season. How funny would that be?

My College Football Picks, 2011 Week 11

Again this week I've gone through the schedule of ranked teams and checked the odds. Here are my picks for this weekend in the top 25 against the spread, as shown in bold. The five *bets I like are marked by an asterisk. See if your picks can beat mine. I'm now off to the USC-Washington game, in layered clothing, with plastic bags and a plastic hoodie:

Saturday, Nov. 12:
Wake Forest @ #9 Clemson -16½
* #19 Nebraska @ #12 Penn St. +2½
* #21 Texas @ Missouri +1
#13 Michigan St. @ Iowa +2½
West Virginia @ #23 Cincinnati -3
* Florida @ #15 South Carolina -2½
#2 Oklahoma St. @ Texas Tech +19½
#16 Wisconsin @ Minnesota +29
Texas A&M @ #17 Kansas St. +5½
#22 Michigan @ Illinois PK
TCU @ #5 Boise St. -16
#24 Auburn @ #14 Georgia -12
Washington @ #18 USC -11½
Tennessee @ #8 Arkansas -15
* West. Kentucky @ #1 LSU -42
#4 Alabama @ Mississippi St. +17½
#6 Oregon @ #3 Stanford -3
UCF @ #25 Southern Miss. -8½

Among USC's currently unranked opponents, I like:

Arizona @ Colorado +10½
Oregon State @ Cal -9
UCLA @ Utah -6½
Maryland @ Notre Dame -20½
Arizona State @ Washington State +11½

For what it's worth, I split the Thursday games in picks that I didn't publish:

Thursday, Nov. 10:
L #12 Virginia Tech @ #22 Georgia Tech -1½
W #14 Houston @ Tulane +22

Ten teams I'm rooting for, in order: USC, Utah, Maryland, Nebraska, Stanford, Washington St., Texas A&M, Minnesota, Auburn, and Iowa.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/odds

Your New College Football Champions - the Virginia Tech Hokies

Using the belt title system, we have yet another championship belt winner in college football - the 10th ranked Virginia Tech Hokies defeated the 20th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets by a score of 37-28 on Thursday. It was Georgia Tech's first defense of their belt, taken two weeks ago from fifth-ranked Clemson before the Yellow Jackets took a bye.

Since I've been following this method of crowning my own national champion, I've only posted when there was a new champion. Here is the history of my belt, awarded in accordance with the belt method:

• Texas took it from undisputed champion USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
• On September 9, 2006, #1 Ohio State gained the belt by defeating the #2 Texas Longhorns 24-7.
• On January 8, 2007, #2 Florida won the belt and the BCS by defeating the #1 Buckeyes 41-14.
• On September 29, 2007, the Auburn Tigers took the belt with a 20-17 win at #4 Florida.
• On October 20, 2007, #5 LSU obtained the belt from #18 Auburn with a 30-24 victory.
• On November 23, 2007, Arkansas took the title from #1 LSU with a 50-48 victory.
• On January 1, 2008, #7 Missouri took the belt away with a 38-7 win in the Cotton Bowl.
• On October 11, 2008, #3 Missouri lost the title to #17 Oklahoma State 28-23.
• On October 25, 2008, #1 Texas won back the belt by defeating #6 Oklahoma State 28-24.
• On November 1, 2008, #7 Texas Tech won the belt by defeating #1 Texas 39-33.
• On November 22, 2008, #5 Oklahoma took the belt by defeating #2 Texas Tech 65-21.
• On January 8, 2009, #2 Florida took the belt, and the BCS title, by beating the #1 Sooners 24-14.
• On December 5, 2009, Alabama won the belt (and later the BCS) by beating the Gators 32-13.
• On October 9, 2010, #19 South Carolina took the belt from #1 BCS champ Alabama 35-21.
• On October 16, 2010, Kentucky took the belt by defeating #10 South Carolina 31-28.
• On October 23, 2010, Georgia took the belt by winning at Kentucky, 44-31.
• On October 30, 2010, Florida took the belt by beating Georgia 34-31 in OT.
• On November 13, 2010,#23 South Carolina reclaimed the belt from #22 Florida 36-14.
• On December 4, 2010, #1 Auburn won Belt and BCS from #19 usc 56-17 in the SEC title game.
• On September 17, 2011, Clemson took it from #21 Auburn 38-24.
• On October 29, 2011, Georgia Tech tore it away from #5 Clemson, 31-14.
• On November 10, 2011, Virginia Tech took it from #20 Georgia Tech 37-26.

Virginia Tech (9-1) hosts North Carolina next week, then travels to Virginia before a likely berth in the ACC Championship game. Unless there are a lot of upsets at the top of the rankings, allowing Clemson (which could reclaim the belt in the ACC title game) the chance to move into the top two, the belt will probably not go to the BCS Champion this season.

Eleven Games I'm Watching in Week 11, 2011

As a USC fan, I have a very good team to follow, but no bowl game or BCS ranking to look forward to, but that doesn't mean I don't have plenty of interesting and relevant football to watch. This week, my rooting interests are:

1. #18 USC v Washington. A win here could move USC into the top 15, leaving the Trojans entrenched in the AP rankings even if they lose next week at Oregon. Fight on!
   .
2. Utah v UCLA. I almost never root for the bRuins, but I'm torn a bit torn here. Far sweeter would be for UCLA to beat Utah and Colorado and have the Trojans knock them out of the Pac-12 title game on the 26th. On the other hand, if the bRuins win here, and if Arizona beats ASU, the bRuins are in the Pac-12 title game even if USC clobbers them. Go Utes!
   .
3. Maryland @ Notre Dame. An Irish loss to the lowly Terrapins would make me smile, but only if UCLA is also losing at Utah.
   .
4. #3 Stanford v. #6 Oregon. I'm rooting for Stanford to win it all this year. Oregon's loss to LSU probably leaves them out of the BCS even if they beat Stanford here. On the other hand, a big win for the Ducks could mean a letdown performance next week against my Trojans. Either way, I'm happy, but go Indians, er, Cardinal, or Tree, or The Farm or whatever the hell they call themselves now.
   .
5. Washington State v. Arizona State. Arizona State is 1-3 on the road, so this upset isn't implausible. And eligible or not, I want USC to win the Pac-12 South. USC may struggle against Oregon, so I want ASU to lose at least one more. A win by the Utes and the Cougars this week could lead to USC winning the Pac-12 South outright with a 5-3 conference record.
   .
6. Texas A&M @ Kansas State. The Wildcats are ahead of USC in the AP Poll. I want them to lose. It's that simple.
   .
7. Minnesota v Wisconsin. USC's win over Minnesota didn't impress anyone, but if the Gophers can beat Iowa and Wisconsin, it would look a bit better. The loss would drop Wisconsin in the polls, too.
   .
8. Florida @ South Carolina. I just hate seeing usc ahead of USC in the polls. Plus, without Tebow telling us that Jesus loves Florida best all the time, it is more palatable to root for the Gators.
   .
9. Auburn @ Georgia. Georgia is four spots ahead of USC, and a loss to Auburn here would drop them below USC if the Trojans beat Washington. It would also make the SEC championship game that much less interesting.
   .
10. Nebraska @ Penn State. I like both of these schools, but I'd like a Nebraska win here. Especially now that we know that Penn State harbored a child rapist and its students saw fit to protest the firign of their deified coach because of it.
    .
11. Iowa v Michigan State. A win by the Hawkeyes would help USC in the polls and it could put the Legends Division of the Big Ten into a four-way tie for first place.

 I'd probably get a kick out of seeing upsets of Virginia Tech, Houston, Clemson, Oklahoma State, Boise State, Alabama, Arkansas, or Michigan, too. The biggest and best upset of the year would be Western Kentucky beating LSU, but that's not even worth rooting for.

My 2011 Bottom 10 After Week 10

Here is my Bottom Ten after ten glorious weeks of play. We still have two perfectly winless teams, and three that have reached 9 losses already. New Mexico still looks like the worst team out there. If they don't beat visiting UNLV this week, they should finish a perfect 0-12. Florida Atlantic is almost as bad. They get a crack at UAB in three weeks, though, so a win doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility for them. Idaho finally won a team from its own subdivision, but San Jose State isn't very good. Minnesota played well last week in a loss, and the Gophers' win over Iowa is starting to look more impressive, but it's hard to forget that loss to North Dakota State. Here's how I see 'em this week:

1. New Mexico (0-9)* [1] Outscored 195-14 in last four. Next loss: UNLV
2. Florida Atlantic (0-8) [2] Second half lead against Ark. St. was a moral victory. Next loss: @ FIU
3. Akron (1-8) [4] Beat only VMI. Next loss: Kent State
4. Indiana (1-9) [5] Beat only South Carolina St. When does basketball start? Next loss: Bye
5. UAB (1-8) [6] Giving up no less than 3 TDs to everyone. Next loss: @ Memphis
6. UNLV (2-6)* [7] All six losses by 25 or more. Next loss:@ New Mexico
7. Colorado (1-9) [9] Gave up a USC-record 6 TD passes to Matt Barkley. Next loss: Arizona
8. Middle Tennessee St. (2-6) [10] Teams they beat have a combined 2 wins. Next loss: @ La-Monroe
9. Idaho (2-7) [3] Finally notched a win over an FBS team. Next loss: @ BYU
10. Tulane (2-8) [NR] Beat teams with a combined 1 won over FBS teams. Next loss: Houston

Dropped up and out: Minnesota* [8] followed up win over Iowa with near-upset of Michigan State

Not far ahead: Kent State, Lousiana-Monroe, Kansas, Memphis, Buffalo, Troy

This week's crummy Game of the Weak: UNLV @ New Mexico

This week's Blowouts of the Weak: Houston @ Tulane

Dishonorable Mention: Western Kentucky*, Oregon St.*, Minnesota*

* lost to FCS team(s)

My College Picks 2011: Week 10 Results

I went back to my winning ways this week, but not by much. I was 3-2 in my money picks, and both of the losses were games in which I picked the favorite and they lost straight up. The three wins bring me to 26-18-1 on the season. Overall, I was 10-7, bringing me to 84-79-4 on the year - a winning record, but not winning enough to be profitable. Here's how I did:

W #21 USC @ Colorado +21½
L Minnesota @ #15 Michigan St. -28
W #13 Michigan @ Iowa +4½ (straight up!)
L Louisville @ #24 West Virginia -13
W * New Mexico St. @ #18 Georgia -32½
W Purdue @ #19 Wisconsin -27
L * Northwestern @ #9 Nebraska -17½
W Texas A&M @ #7 Oklahoma -14
W #4 Stanford @ Oregon St. +21½
W #14 Houston @ UAB +28
W * Cincinnati @ #23 Pittsburgh +3½
L #10 South Carolina @ #8 Arkansas -5½
L * #20 Arizona St. @ UCLA +9
W #17 Kansas St. @ #3 Oklahoma St. -21½
W * #1 LSU @ #2 Alabama -5
L #5 Boise St. @ UNLV +42
L #6 Oregon @ Washington +16½

Among USC's currently unranked opponents, I went a perfect 4-0 this week:
W Washington St. @ Cal -9
W Utah @ Arizona -4
W Notre Dame @ Wake Forest +14
W Syracuse @ Connecticut -1

Some things we learned this week.

• Conference title games might have some mediocre teams playing in them. Arizona State and UCLA are both terrible road teams and whichever one makes it to the Pac-12 championship is likely to be humiliated by Stanford or Oregon.
• The Big 12 got rid of its championship game, but that December 3 schedule will have a Big 12 championship game nonetheless when Oklahoma State goes to Oklahoma.
• The SEC probably has the two best teams in the country - but an LSU upset loss to Arkansas or the winner of the SEC East could leave the SEC out of the BCS championship game.
• The Big Ten may have 5 ranked teams, but it doesn't really have any great ones.

Although this week had more than one game in which the spread was accurate to a half a point, next week has some matchups on which I think the betting public will skew the spread and create some good betting opportunities.

My 2011 College Football Top 25, Week 10

If I had an AP vote, here is what my ballot would look like after week 10, with last week's picks in brackets:

1. LSU [1]
2. Stanford [3]
3. Oklahoma State [4]
4. Boise State [5]
5. Alabama [2]
6. Oregon [6]
7. Arkansas [7]
8. Oklahoma [9]
9. Clemson [10]
10. Virginia Tech [11]
11. Houston [14]
12. Michigan State [15]
13. Penn State [19]
14. South Carolina [13]
15. USC [18]
16. Wisconsin [20]
17. Georgia [21]
18. Texas [23]
19. Nebraska [8]
20. Kansas State [16]
21. Cincinnati [22]
22. Auburn [25]
23. Georgia Tech [NR]
24. Michigan [12]
25. Ohio State [NR]

Dropped out: Arizona State [17], West Virginia [24]

I almost went with: Washington, TCU

I knew it! LSU #1

I blew it! Nebraska, Arizona State

I think the AP is overrating these: Southern Miss, Georgia, Kansas State

I can't believe anyone gave votes this week to: Notre Dame, Virginia

My College Football Picks, 2011 Week 10

Again this week I've gone through the schedule of ranked teams and checked the odds. Here are my picks for this weekend in the top 25 against the spread, as shown in bold. The five *bets I like are marked by an asterisk. I'm taking credit for USC's win against Colorado and the spread, because I actually won that one and tweeted about it beforehand...

Anyhow, see if your picks can beat mine:

Friday, Nov. 4:
#21 USC @ Colorado +21½

Saturday, Nov. 5:
Minnesota @ #15 Michigan St. -28
#13 Michigan @ Iowa +4½
Louisville @ #24 West Virginia -13
* New Mexico St. @ #18 Georgia -32½
Purdue @ #19 Wisconsin -27
* Northwestern @ #9 Nebraska -17½
Texas A&M @ #7 Oklahoma -14
#4 Stanford @ Oregon St. +21½
#14 Houston @ UAB +28
* Cincinnati @ #23 Pittsburgh +3½
#10 South Carolina @ #8 Arkansas -5½
* #20 Arizona St. @ UCLA +9
#17 Kansas St. @ #3 Oklahoma St. -21½
* #1 LSU @ #2 Alabama -5
#5 Boise St. @ UNLV +42
#6 Oregon @ Washington +16½

Among USC's currently unranked opponents, I like:
Washington St. @ Cal -9
Utah @ Arizona -4
Notre Dame @ Wake Forest +14
Syracuse @ Connecticut -1

Ten teams I'm rooting for: Wake Forest, Arizona State, LSU, Minnesota, Louisville, Purdue, UAB, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State and Oregon.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/odds

My College Picks 2011: Week 9 Results

It was my worst week of the season. My *money picks went 1-4, and I was 8-9 overall. I am now 23-16-1 on the season with my money picks. Overall, I'm now 74-72-4 on the year. Here's how I did:

W # 9 Michigan St. @ #13 Nebraska -4
W Purdue @ #17 Michigan -14
W Missouri @ #16 Texas A&M -10
L * #8 Arkansas @ Vanderbilt +9
L * #15 Virginia Tech @ Duke +14½
W Wash St. @ #7 Oregon -35
L Illinois @ #21 Penn St. -5
W #25 West Virginia @ Rutgers +6½
L #11 Oklahoma @ #10 Kansas St. +13½
W Baylor @ #3 Oklahoma St. -14½
L #22 Georgia @ Florida +2½
W Colorado @ #23 Arizona St. -31
L Iowa St. @ #19 Texas Tech -14½
W * #14 South Carolina @ Tennessee +3½
L #4 Stanford @ #20 USC +7½
L * #12 Wisconsin @ Ohio St. +7½
L * #6 Clemson @ Georgia Tech +3½

Among USC's currently unranked opponents, I was a lowly 1-5:
L Syracuse @ Louisville -3
L Iowa @ Minnesota +16
L Navy @ Notre Dame +21½
L Cal @ UCLA +4½
W Oregon St. @ Utah -5
L Arizona @ Washington -4

Midway through the first overtime at USC, I was up 14½ points on the spread. How did I lose that one?

2011's Perfection: And Then There Were 6

There are now just six unbeaten teams after nine weeks of college football:

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Boise State
4. Oklahoma State
5. Stanford
6. Houston

Kansas State and Clemson lost for the first time this week. That brings us down to six.

Next week, we'll have no more than five, since LSU and Alabama face each other. Boise State, Houston and Stanford all go on the road, but against weak opponents. Oklahoma State is home against Kansas State. My best guess: everyone wins except the loser of the LSU/Alabama game. After that, it is entirely possible that the remaining five perfect teams will be undefeated going into their bowl games, further proving the mythical nature of college football's "championship" game.

My 2011 College Football Top 25, Week 9

If I had an AP vote, here is what my ballot would look like after week 9, with last week's picks in brackets:

1. LSU [1]
2. Alabama [2]
3. Stanford [3]
4. Oklahoma State [4]
5. Boise State [5]
6. Oregon [7]
7. Arkansas [8]
8. Nebraska [11]
9. Oklahoma [14]
10. Clemson [6]
11. Virginia Tech [12]
12. Michigan [18]
13. South Carolina [15]
14. Houston [17]
15. Michigan State [9]
16. Kansas State [13]
17. Arizona State [19]
18. USC [20]
19. Penn State [21]
20. Wisconsin [10]
21. Georgia [23]
22. Cincinnati [NR]
23. Texas [NR]
24. West Virginia [NR]
25. Auburn [NR]

Dropped out: Texas A&M [16], Texas Tech [22], Baylor [24], Syracuse [25]

I almost went with: Washington, Ohio State

I knew it! Stanford (and BYU amd Illinois in others receiving votes)

I blew it! Syracuse

I think the AP is overrating these: Southern Miss (in others receiving votes)

I can't believe anyone gave votes this week to: Notre Dame

Your New College Football Champions - the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Using the belt title system, we have yet another championship belt winner in college football - the unranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who unseated unbeaten and fifth-ranked Clemson Tigers by a 31-17 score in Atlanta. Sice taking the Belt from Auburn, Clemson had defended it successfully five times, knocking off #11 Florida State, #11 Virginia Tech, Boston College, Maryland and North Carolina. Georgia Tech built a 24-3 first half lead and never looked back. Fans rushed the field after the win. They look happy, don't they?

Since I've been following this method of crowning my own national champion, I've only posted when there was a new champion. Here is the history of my belt, awarded in accordance with the belt method:

• Texas took it from undisputed champion USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
• On September 9, 2006, #1 Ohio State gained the belt by defeating the #2 Texas Longhorns 24-7.
• On January 8, 2007, #2 Florida won the belt and the BCS by defeating the #1 Buckeyes 41-14.
• On September 29, 2007, the Auburn Tigers took the belt with a 20-17 win at #4 Florida.
• On October 20, 2007, #5 LSU obtained the belt from #18 Auburn with a 30-24 victory.
• On November 23, 2007, Arkansas took the title from #1 LSU with a 50-48 victory.
• On January 1, 2008, #7 Missouri took the belt away with a 38-7 win in the Cotton Bowl.
• On October 11, 2008, #3 Missouri lost the title to #17 Oklahoma State 28-23.
• On October 25, 2008, #1 Texas won back the belt by defeating #6 Oklahoma State 28-24.
• On November 1, 2008, #7 Texas Tech won the belt by defeating #1 Texas 39-33.
• On November 22, 2008, #5 Oklahoma took the belt by defeating #2 Texas Tech 65-21.
• On January 8, 2009, #2 Florida took the belt, and the BCS title, by beating the #1 Sooners 24-14.
• On December 5, 2009, Alabama won the belt (and later the BCS) by beating the Gators 32-13.
• On October 9, 2010, #19 South Carolina took the belt from #1 BCS champ Alabama 35-21.
• On October 16, 2010, Kentucky took the belt by defeating #10 South Carolina 31-28.
• On October 23, 2010, Georgia took the belt by winning at Kentucky, 44-31.
• On October 30, 2010, Florida took the belt by beating Georgia 34-31 in OT.
• On November 13, 2010,#23 South Carolina reclaimed the belt from #22 Florida 36-14.
• On December 4, 2010, #1 Auburn won Belt and BCS from #19 usc 56-17 in the SEC title game.
• On September 17, 2011, Clemson took it from #21 Auburn 38-24.
• On October 29, 2011, Georgia Tech tore it away from #5 Clemson, 31-14.

Georgia Tech (7-2) has some tough defenses ahead of them. They're next games are against #12 Virginia Tech, then a road trip to Duke, followed by a home game against #18 Georgia.

My College Football Picks, 2011 Week 9

Again this week I've gone through the schedule of ranked teams and checked the odds. I am 22-12-1 on the season with my money picks and 66-63-4 on the season overall. Here are my picks for this weekend in the top 25 against the spread, as shown in bold. The five *bets I like are marked by an asterisk. See if your picks can beat mine:

Saturday, Oct 29:
# 9 Michigan St. @ #13 Nebraska -4
Purdue @ #17 Michigan -14
Missouri @ #16 Texas A&M -10
* #8 Arkansas @ Vanderbilt +9
* #15 Virginia Tech @ Duke +14½
Wash St. @ #7 Oregon -35
Illinois @ #21 Penn St. -5
#25 West Virginia @ Rutgers +6½
#11 Oklahoma @ #10 Kansas St. +13½
Baylor @ #3 Oklahoma St. -14½
#22 Georgia @ Florida +2½
Colorado @ #23 Arizona St. -31
Iowa St. @ #19 Texas Tech -14½
* #14 South Carolina @ Tennessee +3½
#4 Stanford @ #20 USC +7½
* #12 Wisconsin @ Ohio St. +7½
* #6 Clemson @ Georgia Tech +3½

Among USC's currently unranked opponents, I like:
Syracuse @ Louisville -3
Iowa @ Minnesota +16
Navy @ Notre Dame +21½
Cal @ UCLA +4½
Oregon St. @ Utah -5
Arizona @ Washington -4

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/odds

My 2011 Bottom 10 After Week 8

Here is my Bottom Ten after eight weeks of play. Two of the teams that lost to lower division schools have now beaten more than one FBS team, so I dropped them from my list. We now have just two perfect 0-7 teams. Lowly New Mexico holds onto the bottom spot because one of its losses were to a lower division school. Here's how I see 'em this week:

1. New Mexico (0-7)* [1] Outscored 118-7 in last two. Next loss: Air Force
2. Florida Atlantic (0-7) [2] Bye week delays the march to 0-8. Next loss: Arkansas St.
3. Minnesota (1-6)* [4] Worst BCS conference team. Next loss: Iowa
4. UNLV (1-5)* [6] All five losses by 25 or more. Next loss: Colorado State
5. Idaho (1-6) [7] Beat only North Dakota. Next loss: Hawaii
6. Akron (1-6) [8] Beat only VMI. Next loss: Central Michigan
7. Kent State (1-6) [9] Averaging 7 ppg against FBS teams. Next loss: Bowling Green
8. Indiana (1-7) [9] Beat only South Carolina State. Next loss: Northwestern
9. Boston College (1-6) [9] Beat only U.Mass. Next loss: @ Maryland
10. UAB (1-6) [3] Improves to 1-6 with win over UCF. Next loss: @ Marshall

Dropped up and out: #5 Oregon State won its second game. #9 Western Kentucky won its third game. #10 Arizona stomped UCLA, #10 Memphis beat Tulane.

Not far ahead: Middle Tennessee, UAB, Western Kentucky

Dishonorable Mention: Western Kentucky*, Oregon St.*

This week's crummy Game of the Weak: Arkansas St. @ Florida Atlantic

This week's Blowout of the Weak: Air Force @ New Mexico

* lost to FCS team(s)

My College Picks 2011: Week 8 Results

I had my first losing week of the season in my five money* picks this week, going 2-3 and taking me to 22-12-1 on the season with my money picks. Overall, I went 9-9 this week in the top 25, bringing me to 66-63-4 on the year. Here's how I did:

L #11 West Virginia @ Syracuse +14
W North Carolina @ #8 Clemson -10½
L * #23 Illinois @ Purdue -3½
L #12 Kansas St. @ Kansas +10½
W #6 Oklahoma St. @ Missouri +7
L #10 Arkansas @ Mississippi +15
L * Boston College @ #16 Virginia Tech -21
W #13 Nebraska @ Minnesota +24½
L #20 Georgia Tech @ Miami (FL) -2½
W * #9 Oregon @ Colorado +31
L #17 Texas A&M @ Iowa St. +20½
L * Air Force @ #5 Boise St. -29
L #19 Auburn @ #1 LSU -21
W Marshall @ #21 Houston -23½
W Tennessee @ #2 Alabama -20½
W #4 Wisconsin @ #15 Michigan St. +7½
W Texas Tech @ #3 Oklahoma -28½
W * #22 Washington @ #7 Stanford -20

In unranked Pac-12play, I went 2-1 (and I'd have bet against UCLA, too):
L Utah @ Cal -2
W USC @ Notre Dame -9½
W Oregon State @ Washington State -3

That ridiculous 9½ point spread in South Bend proved as foolish as I thought it was. The ridiculous spread between LSU and Auburn turned out to be understated. Teams I rooted for did well this weekend: USC, Stanford, Michigan State, Purdue, Miami and LSU won -  four of which were big upsets. I found myself rooting for Texas Tech at the end of the day, too, and was not disappointed.

The saddest part of the weekend for me was that UCLA's defeat at Arizona came on Thursday, denying Trojan fans a Perfect Day. It was, however, a Perfect Week of football. USC won, UCLA and Notre Dame wailed and rent their garments. Life is good.

2011's Perfection: And Then There Were 8

There are now just 8 unbeaten teams after eight weeks of college football:

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Boise State
4. Oklahoma State
5. Stanford
6. Clemson
7. Kansas State
8. Houston

Wisconsin and Oklahoma fell for the first time this week, bringing the total number of perfect teams down to the eight I guessed we would end up with this week.

Next week, Alabama and LSU have the week off, preparing to face each other in a #1 v #2 matchup on November 5. Stanford travels to USC and Clemson travels to Georgia Tech. Both should win, but anything can happen on the road against a decent team. Houston hosts Rice, Oklahoma State hosts Baylor and Kansas State hosts Oklahoma. My best guess is that we have seven unbeaten teams on Sunday morning. I hope Stanford isn't among them.

My 2011 College Football Top 25, Week 8

If I had an AP vote, here is what my ballot would look like after week 8, with last week's picks in brackets. With some surprising losses, it was harder to decide where to sort a few of these teams out:

1. LSU [1]
2. Alabama [2]
3. Stanford [4]
4. Oklahoma State [7]
5. Boise State [6]
6. Clemson [9]
7. Oregon [8]
8. Arkansas [10]
9. Michigan State [15]
10. Wisconsin [5]
11. Nebraska [12]
12. Virginia Tech [13]
13. Kansas State [14]
14. Oklahoma [3]
15. South Carolina [16]
16. Texas A&M [17]
17. Houston [18]
18. Michigan [19]
19. Arizona State [24]
20. USC [25]
21. Penn State [22]
22. Texas Tech [NR]
23. Georgia [NR]
24. Baylor [NR]
25. Syracuse [NR]

Dropped out: West Virginia [11], Georgia Tech [20], Washington [21], Illinois [23]

I almost went with: Cincinnati, Texas, West Virginia

I knew it! Auburn (and that Oklahoma was not #1)

I blew it! West Virginia

I think the AP is overrating these: Southern Miss (in others receiving votes)

I can't believe anyone gave votes this week to: BYU, Illinois

My College Football Picks, 2011 Week 8

I am 20-9-1 on the season with my money picks, and 57-52-4 on the season overall. Here are my picks for this weekend in the top 25 against the spread, as shown in bold. The five bets I like are marked by an asterisk. See if your picks can beat mine:

Friday, Oct 21:
#11 West Virginia @ Syracuse +14

Saturday, Oct 22:
North Carolina @ #8 Clemson -10½
* #23 Illinois @ Purdue -3½
#12 Kansas St. @ Kansas +10½
#6 Oklahoma St. @ Missouri +7
#10 Arkansas @ Mississippi +15
* Boston College @ #16 Virginia Tech -21
#13 Nebraska @ Minnesota +24½
#20 Georgia Tech @ Miami (FL) -2½
* #9 Oregon @ Colorado +31
#17 Texas A&M @ Iowa St. +20½
* Air Force @ #5 Boise St. -29
#19 Auburn @ #1 LSU -21
Marshall @ #21 Houston -23½
Tennessee @ #2 Alabama -20½
#4 Wisconsin @ #15 Michigan St. +7½
Texas Tech @ #3 Oklahoma -28½
* #22 Washington @ #7 Stanford -20

In unranked Pac-12 and USC opponent play, I like:
Utah @ Cal -2
USC @ Notre Dame -9½
Oregon State @ Washington State -3

I'm surprised by the big 9½ point spread in South Bend. I'm also a little surprised by the huge spread between LSU and Auburn. Not surprised enough to bet, though. The North Carolina/Clemson game is for the College Football Belt, which Clemson took from Auburn a few weeks back. Ten teams I'm rooting for this weekend: USC, Stanford, Michigan State, Purdue, Boston College, Miami, Iowa State, LSU, Marshall and Missouri.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/odds

USC @ Notre Dame 2011: Visiting South Bend

The last Notre Dame game I missed was 8 years ago. I wanted to go to this year's game, but I have kids who can't miss school, and with such a late start in South Bend, it just wasn't going to work out. To stay in Chicago, I'd be looking at a drive back to the city that would last until about 2 a.m., leaving everyone exhausted. To stay in South Bend, we would need to take a very inconvenient set of flights, or fly into Chicago on Friday night and drive into town very, very late or else fly in on Saturday and risk a flight delay that could cause us to miss the game completely. So I'm going to watch it at home on TV. If you're going, here's the situation:

Weather: Today, the weather forecast for Saturday in South Bend is mostly clear with a high of 62° and an overnight low of 42°. There's rain expected today and on Sunday.

Webcams: USC has Tommy Trojan on a webcam. Notre Dame has the golden dome on a webcam, too. Actually, Notre Dame is full of webcams, including the Clark Memorial Fountain, the South Quad, and others.

Tickets: Ducats are more expensive this year. The cheapest seat on Stubhub is $319, and it's a bad seat. The cheapest lower level pair between the goal lines - $1,000.

USC Activities in Chicago and South Bend: The 2011 USC vs. Notre Dame Weekender is headquartered at The Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, 301 East North Water Street, Chicago, IL 60611, (877) 242-2558. The Weekender festivities include a Pep Rally on Friday night and a tailgater on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. on campus.

What to Do On Campus: I've now been to South Bend three times. I read a couple of lists of stuff to do at a Notre Dame home game, and, being a Trojan, I won't want to do them all, but here is a slightly modified list of 25 things visiting fans can do for fun at a Notre Dame game.

1. Go inside the administration building and check out the mural on the inside of the golden dome.
2. Light a candle and say a prayer at the Grotto for Notre Dame to get shut out. It worked last time.
3. Go to Mass in the Sacred Heart Basilica; or at least stop in and reiterate your prayer for a shutout.
4. Buy some stuff at the campus bookstore for your Irish friends and relatives back home.
5. Don a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" button but expect nothing because you're wearin' the Cardinal & Gold.
6. Watch the team come out after the pregame Mass in the Basilica.
7. Follow the ND band at least part of the way to Notre Dame Stadium.
8. Greet USC coaches and players as their bus rolls in.
9. Take a photo with Touchdown Jesus. For bonus points, use forced perspective and post what you got,.
10. Jump up and give Fair-Catch Corby a high five.
11. Visit the Sports Heritage Hall at the Joyce Center.
12. Sit with Moose Krause outside the Joyce Center.
13. Flash a Victory sign at "No. 1 Moses".
14. Visit Rockne's grave in Highland Cemetery on Portage Avenue. Thank him for a great series.
15. Spend at least an hour at the College Football Hall of Fame. See Knute Rockne's statue. Next time USC comes to South Bend, the Hall will be in Atlanta.
16. Splash your hands in the Stonehenge Fountain (Clarke Memorial).
17. Pose for a photograph with somebody dressed like a leprechaun.
18. Purchase a bootleg t-shirt that has the date of the game printed on it.
19. Greet the statues of Leahy, Parseghian and Holtz outside the stadium.
20. Walk up to the anti-Catholic protesters and ask "You need a ticket? How much you got?"
21. Buy a game program and immediately wrap it in plastic in case it rains or someone dumps their cup on it.
22. Before going to your own seat, walk all the way to the top and take a picture of the stadium.
23. Smuggle in some hard liquor, but not whiskey. Let them Irish drink the whiskey.
24. Snag about 20 souvenir soda cups after the game. They'll clean up just fine.
25. Snap a photo of the final score on the scoreboard, win, lose or draw.

Where to Go, What to Do: If you are here from out of town, here's a little help, from Notre Dame Stadium's website (if you know of one more up-to-date than 2006, let me know):

TICKETS -- Safeguard your tickets, keep them in a secure location - and treat them like cash! Everyone needs a ticket for admission, regardless of age.

TICKET RESALE -- Adhere to the Athletic Ticket Resale Policy. The ticket office actively monitors secondary market sales and enforces this policy. So far this year more than 600 tickets have been revoked and privileges of the owners have been suspended. In fact, 400 of those tickets were caught prior to being sent to the customer. Those tickets were resold to alumni who lost in the lottery. A Ticket Office Resale Violator Tipline is available via email: seller1@nd.edu. Please send any suspected violators or information to this address.

TICKET FRAUD -- With high demand for this year's tickets, scams and ticket fraud are on the rise. Be very cautious when buying tickets from any entity other than the University. For more information, refer to the July Ticket Office Fraud and Scam Alert.

PRIDE -- Protect the Notre Dame home-field advantage! Wear Notre Dame colors and do not provide tickets to visiting team fans!

CAMPUS PARKING -- In the last few years there have been significant changes in the campus and surrounding roadway infrastructure due to campus improvements. Arrive early to be assured of a spot so you can gain entrance to the Stadium by kickoff. Many roadways that you may have been accustomed to utilizing are no longer available: Parking Map.

GAMEDAY PARKING - All gameday drive-up parking is located in the White Field (north of campus) which is accessed from Juniper Road via Cleveland road. Do not approach from the south. Do not approach from internal campus.

BUS PARKING -- Bus parking has also been relocated from directly south of Joyce Center to Old Edison Road due to road changes. ALL busses should approach from the south.

JUNIPER ROAD -- Juniper Road between Douglas Road and Angela Blvd./Edison Road is closed permanently to traffic.

RESERVED PARKING -- If you have a reserved parking pass please be sure to follow the directions on the reverse of the pass and follow the directions of parking attendants. Limited reserved parking is still on sale. Please contact the Ticket Office for more information by calling 574-631-7356 Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EDT. Restrictions apply. You must have purchased tickets directly through the Notre Dame Ticket Office to be eligible to purchase parking. Please call for details. Lots and availability are subject to change.

Please review the links below for more information on football parking, directions and additional information:

Football Parking Information

Directions to Notre Dame

Other:

TIME ZONE -- As of April 2, 2006, the state of Indiana began observing daylight savings. As such, Notre Dame is in the Eastern Time Zone (EDT through last weekend in October, then EST) and will be aligned with the east coast year-round.

SMOKING -- In accordance with a new St. Joseph County ordinance, there will be no smoking in any part of Notre Dame Stadium. Passouts will not be permitted.

POLICIES -- For more information on gameday and stadium policies: click here.

ALCOHOL -- As a reminder, alcohol is prohibited in Notre Dame Stadium.

TAILGATING -- There is no tailgating permitted in parking lots during the football games.

There you have it, your Game Day Guide. Enjoy the festivities.

USC @ Notre Dame: The 411 on This Year's Game

It's USC v. Notre Dame week, the 83rd game in the greatest cross-sectional rivalry in college football. Last time USC came to South Bend, I was there and USC was still in the hunt for a national title. This time, I'm watching from home because the late start time and my kid's school schedules make it all but impossible to make the weekender, and neither team is ranked in the top 25 - both teams were among the top three "others getting votes" last week. Last time USC came to South Bend, Pat Haden was on the Irish broadcast team. This time, he comes to the press box as USC's athletic director. Here is the basic who, what, when, where of the game

Starting Time: Kickoff is officially scheduled for 7:40 p.m. EDT (4:40 p.m. PDT)

Broadcast: NBC will be broadcasting the game nationally at 7:30 p.m. with Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock, Alex Flanagan. 

Records: USC is 5-1 (3-1, tied for first in the Pac-12 South). Notre Dame is 4-2.

Rankings: Neither team is ranked. Among others receiving votes, Notre Dame is 2nd and USC 3rd in the AP Poll. Notre Dame is also second among the others receiving votes in the coaches poll, for which USC is ineligible.

Odds: Notre Dame is a 9½ point favorite.

Streaks: USC has won two straight since a loss at Arizona State. The Irish have won four straight since losing their first two. In the series, USC had won eight straight until Notre Dame beat the Trojans last season in the Coliseum.

Schedules: The Trojans have the nation's 59th most difficult schedule so far this season. Notre Dame has had the 26th toughest. Notre Dame has beaten Michigan State and lost to Michigan. USC lost to Arizona State

Coaches: USC's Lane Kiffin is 13-6 at USC, but has lost his only game against Notre Dame. Notre Dame's Brian Kelly is 12-7 at Notre Dame, and is 1-0 against USC.

The History: No other intersectional rivalry is as old, as intense or as meaningful as this one. This year marks 86 seasons of tradition between the two schools, broken only by a few seasons during World War II. In almost one-fourth of those years, the winner of this game has won the national championship. The series began in 1926, when Knute Rockne took his team to the West Coast, reportedly because his wife wanted a warm-weather holiday. Though they had just one national title between them then, USC and Notre Dame were becoming national football powerhouses, and in the first seven seasons of the rivalry, the winner of the game ended up as national champions five times! Notre Dame hosts the games in odd-numbered years, since 1931, those have all been played at Notre Dame Stadium. USC hosts games in even-numbered years, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The Prize: The winner of the game keeps the Shillelagh, a club made of Irish wood, for a year. This Shillelagh adds an emerald-studded shamrock for each Notre Dame win, and a ruby-studded Trojan head for each USC win, right next to the engraved score of each game. For tie games, a combined Trojan head/shamrock medallion was used. The original Shillelagh was filled up after the 1989 game and is on display at Notre Dame. This year's game is a battle for the current, second, Shillelagh.

Head-to-Head Record: No team has beaten USC more times than Notre Dame. No team has beaten Notre Dame more times than USC. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 43-34-5. The series is streaky. Before Notre Dame's win last season, USC had won 8 straight games. The Irish won the 3 before that. USC won the 3 before that. Notre Dame won 12 of the 13 before that. USC won 11 of 13 before that. In the past 10 games, USC holds a 8-2 lead. Since 1967, USC leads 23-18-3. At the Coliseum, USC leads 21-18-4, but in South Bend, where this year's game is played, Notre Dame holds a 25-13-1 advantage

Great Players: USC has had 156 All-Americans, 28 College Football Hall of Famers, 10 Pro Football Hall of Famers, 5 NFL #1 overall draft picks and 6 Heisman Trophy winners (plus the vacated one given to Reggie Bush) Notre Dame has 181 All-Americans, 41 College Football Hall of Famers, 10 Pro Football Hall of Famers, 5 NFL #1 overall draft picks and 7 Heisman Trophy winners, most recently, Tim Brown, 1987.

Bowls: USC has won 32 of the 48 bowls in which it played. Notre Dame has won 15 of the 30 it played. Both teams won their last bowl games. USC is not eligible for a bowl in 2011.

Catholics v. Protestants: Notre Dame was founded as a Roman Catholic university. USC was founded as a Methodist university. When Notre Dame first came to Southern California, the Trojans were a Methodist campus. In fact, the Trojans were once known as the USC Wesleyans or the USC Methodists. Despite a reference on wikipedia, rumors that USC athletes were once referred to as the "Fighting Methodists" are unsubstantiated.

And with a series this great, that has lasted this long, ever year there is an anniversary to remember. Consider these:

Memorable Anniversaries - 15 years (1996, USC 27, Notre Dame 20): Ten years ago, the unranked Trojans beat 10th-ranked Notre Dame 27-20 in the first and only overtime game in the series. The victory ended Notre Dame's unprecedented 13 year unbeaten streak. I was at that game with my brother. Nursing a two point lead, Notre Dame scored a late TD and lined up for an extra point that would have made it a nine-point, 2 possession lead. Jim Sanson's kick was wide left, and USC went on to score a game-tying touchdown and 2-point conversion to send the game into overtime. In the extra period, played on the peristyle end, right in front of my section three seats, Brad Otton connected with Rodney Sermon for a touchdown. For the Irish, Ron Powlus had his fourth-and-nine pass swatted down by Trojan linebacker Mark Cusano, and we all rushed the field. The win improved USC to 6-6, while the loss kept Notre Dame from a Bowl Coalition bid, making this Lou Holtz's final game for the Irish. announced that he was retiring before bringing the Fighting Irish to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for one final game.

Memorable Anniversaries - 25 years (1986, Notre Dame 38, USC 37) This was my first ever USC home game. It was also Lou Holtz's first trip to the Coliseum. We had nearly the worst seats in the house, up high, dead center of the goalposts. We were wearing shorts and t-shirts, because it was clear and warm when we left for the game. By halftime, USC was up 20-9, and the weather was cold and rainy. When USC took at 30-12 lead early in the third quarter, we left, cold and wet, but happy. As warmed up on our drive home, Steve Beuerlein (a Servite grad I had hated from my days at St. Paul) warmed up on the field. After three TD passes, Notre Dame cut the lead to 37-35, and John Carney kicked the game-winning 19-yard field goal with two seconds left.

Memorable Anniversaries - 40 years (1971, USC 28, Notre Dame 14): The brawl bowl. The game was interrupted twenty minutes by an on-field fight. After the fight, USC went on to upset the 6th ranked Irish Onceby USC his  USC 28, No. 6 Notre Dame 14 Notre Dame Stadium The game was interrupted for 20 minutes as everyone on the field got involved in an on-field fight. When the game resumed, the Trojans proceeded to upset the sixth-ranked Irish 28-14.

Memorable Anniversaries - 80 years (1931, USC 16, Notre Dame 14): USC won in South Bend for the first time ever. USC scored all 16 of its points in the fourth quarter, capped by Johnny Baker's 33-yard field goal with one minute left. The win ended defending national champion Notre Dame's 26-game unbeaten streak. Afterwards, USC coach Howard Jones took his team to the grave of Knute Rockne, who was killed the previous spring in a plane crash. USC went on to win the 1931 national championship.

Notre Dame has a USC Game Week page with lots of information. I'll have more tomorrow.

2011's Perfection: And Then There Were 10

There are now just 10 unbeaten teams after seven weeks of college football:

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Wisconsin
5. Boise State
6. Oklahoma State
7. Stanford
8. Clemson
9. Kansas State
10. Houston

Michigan, Georgia Tech and Illinois fell from the list this week. Next week, K. State visits rival Kansas, Oklahoma State goes to Missouri, Wisconsin heads to Michigan State, LSU hosts Auburn, Oklahoma hosts Texas Tech and Stanford hosts Washington. Any of those games could end with someone taking their first loss. I'd be quite surprised to see Clemson, Boise State, Alabama or Houston lose their home games. My best guess: we'll be down to 8 next week.

My 2011 College Football Top 25, Week 7

If I had an AP vote, here is what my ballot would look like after week 7, with last week's picks in brackets. It was wasn't very hard to decide where to place everyone the top ten this week, with nobody losing:

1. LSU [1]
2. Alabama [2]
3. Oklahoma [3]
4. Stanford [4]
5. Wisconsin [5]
6. Boise State [6]
7. Oklahoma State [7]
8. Oregon [8]
9. Clemson [9]
10. Arkansas [10]
11. West Virginia [13]
12. Nebraska [14]
13. Virginia Tech [15]
14. Kansas State [18]
15. Michigan State [20]
16. South Carolina [19]
17. Texas A&M [22]
18. Houston [21]
19. Michigan [11]
20. Georgia Tech [12]
21. Washington [25]
22. Penn State [NR]
23. Illinois [16]
24. Arizona State [17]
25. USC [NR]

Dropped out: Texas [23], Baylor [24]

I almost went with: Georgia, Auburn

I knew it! Baylor

I blew it! Georgia Tech

I think the AP is overrating these: Auburn, Kansas State

I can't believe anyone gave votes this week to: SMU, Cincinnati, Rutgers

My 2011 Bottom 10 After Week 7

Here is my Bottom "Ten" after seven weeks of play. I've moved the three teams that went a perfect 0-6 in their first half of the season. Lowly New Mexico holds onto the bottom spot because one of its losses were to a lower division school. Western Kentucky won a second time, but against another weaksauce opponent - Florida Atlantic. Still not enough to make up for losing to Indiana State. Here's how I see 'em this week:

1. New Mexico (0-6)* [1] Three losses by more than 40 points. Next loss: @ TCU
2. Florida Atlantic (0-6) [7] Shut out by Western Kentucky? Next loss: Middle Tennessee
3. UAB (0-6) [6] At least all their losses were to FBS teams. Next loss: UCF
4. Minnesota (1-5)* [2] Bye week won't help against Nebraska. Next loss: Nebraska
5. Oregon State (1-5)* [4] Only win was Arizona. Next loss:@ Washington St.
6. UNLV (1-5)* [5] All five losses by 25 or more. Next loss: Colorado State
7. Idaho (1-6) [9] Beat North Dakota Next loss: Hawaii
8. Akron (1-5) [9] Beat VMI. Next loss: Ohio
9. W. Kentucky (2-4)* [3] Beat MTSU and Florida Atlantic. Next loss: La-Lafayette
10. Five other teams tied with one win against the FCS and none against the FBS:

• Kent State (1-6) [9] Beat S. Alabama. Next loss: Bowling Green
• Memphis (1-6) [9] Beat Austin Peay. Next loss: @ Tulane
• Boston College (1-5) [9] Beat U.Mass. Next loss: @ VA Tech
• Indiana (1-6) [9] Beat South Carolina State. Next loss: @ Iowa
• Arizona (1-5) [9] Beat Northern Arizona. Next loss: UCLA

Dropped up and out: #9 Louisiana Monroe scored its first against a Division I, FBS team.

Not far ahead: Middle Tennessee

This week's crummy Game of the Weak: Middle Tennessee @ Florida Atlantic

This week's Blowout of the Weak: Nebraska @ Minnesota

* lost to FCS team(s)

My College Picks 2011: Week 7 Results

Again, I won three of my five money* picks this week, and I'm still in positive territory every week so far this year. On the two games I missed, one was a huge upset (Georgia Tech) and the other was a ration of crap. South Carolina gave up a late safety on purpose, turning a spread-beating 4 point victory into a spread-failing 2 point win. Still, I am now 20-9-1 on the season with my money picks. Overall, I went 9-7-1 for the second time in a row in the top 25, bringing me to 57-52-4 on the season. Here's how I did:

W * Indiana @ #4 Wisconsin -39
L #11 Michigan @ #23 Michigan St. -3
W #20 Baylor @ #21 Texas A&M -9
L * #15 South Carolina @ Miss St. +3 (Give the safety? Bastards)
W Ohio St. @ #16 Illinois -3½
L * #12 Georgia Tech @ Virginia +8
W #6 Oklahoma St. @ #22 Texas +8
L #1 LSU @ Tennessee +18½
L #2 Alabama @ Mississippi +28
W * #5 Boise St. @ Colorado St. +33
W #19 Virginia Tech @ Wake Forest +7
L #8 Clemson @ Maryland +9
W Florida @ #24 Auburn +2½
L #17 Kansas St. @ Texas Tech +3½
W * #7 Stanford @ Wash St. +21
W #3 Oklahoma @ Kansas +37
P #18 Arizona St @ #9 Oregon -14

In unranked Pac-12 and USC opponent play, I was 3 for 3:
W Utah @ Pitt -6
W Colorado @ Washington -17
W BYU @ Oregon St. -3

The easiest picks this season have been Boise State and Stanford minus the points. Those bets seem destined to win. I'll probably be going with them again next week.