Lex Icon Lexargy

Games I'm Looking Forward To In Week 14

ACC Championship Game. Virginia Tech v Boston College might be fun. VT v FSU is more likely. I'll root for the team with the most losses. The winner gets to lose a BCS game. The winner actully gets the Orange Bowl against an at-large team, and maybe a very good one in Georgia, or maybe a so-so one. A fascinating rematch. Matt Ryan's heroics did the trick the first time. This time, I think one team or the other dominates. I just don't know which. If I had to guess, I'd guess the Hokies destroy 'em.

SEC Championship Game. LSU v. Florida? Auburn v. Georgia? Arkansas v. Tennessee? Whichever way, worth paying close attention. This is really interesting. The winner gets the Sugar Bowl. The loser gets the Capital One Bowl, maybe worse. LSU fans, would you even watch the Tigers in a Chick-fil-A Bowl? Tennessee has had three very close wins in their last five games, and LSU has had five tight games since October. So will this be a close one, or will LSU beat the Vols like a rag doll?

UCLA @ USC. We're talking about it all week. Last year, the Bruins cost USC a trip to the BCS title game, and in hindsight, a likely national championship, with a shocking 13-9 win that ended USC's streak of 63 games scoring 20 or more points. The Bruins return 10 starters on defense, but their offense is quite unproven. UCLA's offense is terrible. Their defense is solid, but a bit banged up. The winner of this game goes to the Rose Bowl if Arizona beats Arizona State. Actually, if USC wins, it goes to Pasadena regardless of what happens in the desert. USC is healthy and still pissed off about last year. I predict USC over 40, and UCLA under 20.

Big XII Championship Game. I'm guessing this will be Oklahoma against Nebraska, and I'll be quite surprised if any team other than those two, Missouri or Texas are in it. Well, I almost called this one right. The Sooners have a chance to play spoiler for a change. More interestingly, if Oklahoma wins, you could actually see Missouri fall from No. 1 to a non-BCS bowl with a single loss. How? Missouri would have to secure one of the four at-large bids. One goes to Georgia. If Hawaii wins, one goes to them. The Fiesta Bowl will not choose Missouri as an at-large selection, because that would mean a third matchup with the Sooners. Not a chance that happens. If the Rose Bowl picks Illinois with its at-large selection, and the Orange Bowl takes Georgia, then unless the Fiesta Bowl chooses Hawaii, which they won't, Missouri can't be picked by the Sugar Bowl. They're out. That makes this a must-win for the Tigers.

Pitt @ West Virginia. Pitt has little chance of winning, but in this crazy season anything can happen. If West Virginia doesn't stumble, they get to play for the national championship. They wouldn't blow this, would they?

Arizona @ Arizona State. If UCLA beats USC, this game is really interesting. If not, it's mildly interesting. The Sun Devils should get to the Fiesta Bowl if they win this. If they do not, it's the Holiday or Sun Bowl for them.

Washington @ Hawaii. The Huskies could play spoiler here in a big way. If Hawaii wins, they should finish high enough to earn an automatic BCS bid. If they lose, another at-large spot opens up for some BCS conference runner-up. Washington beat Boise State to begin the season, but their defense is suspect. I'm rooting for the Huskies so I don't have to mail Bolo ten bucks, since we bet a tenner on whether USC or Hawaii would finish unbeaten. If the Huskies win, it's a push.

From #1 to a Second Tier Bowl in One Game?

or, how to really mess up the BCS in 8 days:

If a team finishes the regular season at #1, if they lose their conference championship game, they could (but wouldn't necessarily, right Sooner fans?) fall out of the BCS Championship Game, but surely they would deserve one of the at-large bids to a BCS bowl like the Orange Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl, right? Not so fast, my friend.

Yes, a week ago, LSU was #1. Kansas was #2 and 11-0. Missouri was 10-1 and ranked #4. This week, Missouri is #1, LSU is in the SEC title game, and Kansas finished with the second-best record in college football at 11-1. Eight days later, all three of them could get dumped from the BCS. Absolutely, they could.

With a loss in tomorrow's SEC title game, LSU is out. And with a loss on Saturday in the Big 12 title game, Missouri could doom not only its own BCS chances, but also those of Kansas, which is done at 11-1. How could #1 Missouri drop from the BCS title game to a non-BCS game like the Holiday Bowl so fast? Here comes the science:

If Oklahoma wins, to remain in the BCS, Missouri would have to secure one of the four at-large bids. If LSU loses to Tennessee, LSU would have to secure one of the four at-large bids. There can be only four.

One goes to Georgia. They would end up #3 unless West Virginia loses, in which case they are #2. Either way, they are automatic. They are in. That leaves only three at-large slots. That also means that the loser of LSU/Tennessee is out. Georgia is already ranked ahead of them both, and that means the winner goes to the Sugar Bowl, and the loser is out because the winner and Georgia makes two SEC teams in the BCS, and no conference may place more than two teams in the BCS in any given season.

How Missouri and Kansas get left out is more complicated. If Missouri beats Oklahoma tomorrow, Missouri goes to the BCS title game and the Fiesta Bowl uses its first pick to select Kansas, and the Big XII is happy. If the Sooners win, however, the Rose Bowl would lose Ohio State to the BCS title game, and that could ruin everything for Big XII fans. The only other thing that needs to happen to ruin the party is a win by Hawaii over Washington.

If Hawaii wins, one of those three remaining at-large bids goes to them. They beat Washington, and Hawaii will finish in the top 12 as a conference champion. That means they are in. That leaves only two slots. Worse, for Missouri and Kansas fans, it guarantees the inclusion of a team that the bowls will probably select dead last. In other words, the Sugar Bowl, which picks last, is going to get stuck with Hawaii, to be matched against Tennessee or LSU.

We also know that it is exceptionally unlikely that the Fiesta Bowl would choose Missouri or Kansas as an at-large selection, because their opponent would be Oklahoma. Would the bowl want to host a third 2007 matchup between the Sooners and the Tigers? Not a chance that happens. Would they want to match Kansas and Oklahoma? Probably not, especially not picking them over a Missouri team that just beat Kansas, and was ranked #1 until literally moments before the BCS pairings are announced. For forget Kansas if Oklahoma wins. And Missouri's only chance at a BCS bid is if the Rose Bowl or the Orange Bowl want them. So, will the Rose Bowl or the Orange Bowl want Missouri?

Due to losing Ohio State to the title game, The Rose Bowl would pick first. The Rose Bowl could take Georgia, which would be an interesting pick, and which would probably prompt the Orange Bowl to take Missouri. Unfortunately, the Rose Bowl selection committee is suspected to be leaning toward picking Big Ten runnerup Illinois with its at-large selection if Ohio State plays for the title. If the Illini are ranked #14 or higher, which is likely to happen, they are eligible. Taking Illinois leaves only one at-large spot available.

The Orange Bowl picks next, and if they take Missouri, that would give the Fiesta Bowl no choice but to take Georgia or Hawaii, and the Sugar Bowl would take whichever team the Fiesta Bowl didn't take. But why would the Orange Bowl take Missouri when #3 Georgia is available? If they take the Bulldogs, they'd get a great game between Georgia and Boston College or Virginia Tech. So count on the Orange Bowl taking Georgia.

The Fiesta Bowl picks next. If they choose Hawaii, Missouri could end up in the Sugar Bowl against LSU or Tennessee, but if the Fiesta Bowl takes another team, i.e., Arizona State, then Missouri cannot be picked by the Sugar Bowl because the Sugar Bowl must take Hawaii. As between Hawaii and a 10-2 Arizona State team, which selection would you expect the Fiesta Bowl to take? Not Hawaii, is my guess.

That would mean Kansas and Missouri would both be out of the BCS. One of them gets the Cotton Bowl. They other goes to the Holiday. Ouch.

UCLA Week, Friday 2007, Talking Points and Memories

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

• 2006: UCLA was unranked; USC was ranked and coming in fresh off a 44-24 victory over a top ten opponent (Notre Dame).
• 2007: UCLA is unranked; USC is ranked and coming in fresh off a 44-24 victory over a top ten opponent (Arizona State).
• Until 1982, the Bruins shared the Coliseum with USC.
• The name of USC's kicker, David Buehler, rhymes with "Steeler." It is not pronounced like Ferris Bueller's last name.
• UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker was the first assistant coach hired by Pete Carroll at USC.
• Hot candidates to replace Karl Dorrell if UCLA loses and the Bruins fire him: Walker or former USC OC Norm Chow.
• Former Bruin great Ken Norton, Jr. is an assistant coach for the Trojans.
• UCLA redshirt junior QB Ben Olson graduated from high school in 2002. Other big names from that class: Vince Young and Maurice Clarett.
• 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 duct tape this week. To thwart would-be vandals.
• Both Tommy Trojan and the Bruin Bear have been covered all week, too.
• The cheapest seats in the house have a face-value of $70. Those are selling for $200-to-$300. Good midfield seats are selling for as much as $800 per seat.
• The Coliseum has hosted this game 63 times. USC and UCLA used to share a home stadium, so each team would play in their home jerseys. Karl Dorrell would like the Bruins in their home jerseys today, but showing up in colored jerseys would be a penalty at the start of each half, resulting in 15 yards and a loss of time out.
• No team has beaten UCLA more times than USC.
• USC leads the series 41-28-7. Last year, the Bruins defeated USC LB Kaluka Maiava is the nephew of wrestler Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock").
• A USC win would give them an unprecedented sixth consecutive Pac-10 title.
• A USC win would earn Troy its 32nd Rose Bowl berth.
• No other team has been to any other bowl as many times.
• This will be the 36th Trojan-Bruin game in which the Rose Bowl has been on the line for at least one school.
• USC head coach Pete Carroll is going after his 75th Trojan victory.
• This is USC's 77th consecutive game as a ranked (top 25) team.
• USC tight end Fred Davis is one of three Mackey Award finalists.
• He leads the nation’s tight ends in yards per catch.
• USC DT Sedrick Ellis was named a semifinalist for the 2007 Bednarik Award and the Lott Trophy.
• UCLA safety Matthew Slater has returned 3 kickoffs for TDs this season.
• That's a UCLA season and career record.
• It ties the career Pac-10 mark set by Anthony Davis (USC) in 1974.
• Matthew Slater is the son of Jackie Slater.
• USC is 4-2-2 against UCLA in December games. Troy’s wins came in 1937-45-2004- 05, the losses were in 1942 and 2006 and the ties were in 1939 and 1941.
• When a ranked USC team has played an unranked UCLA squad, the Trojans are 10-6-2.
• USC TE Jimmy Miller’s brother is UCLA DT Jeff Miller.
• USC LB Michael Morgan’s brother, Steve Morgan, was a defensive tackle at UCLA from 1999 to 2002.
• USC TB Marc Tyler’s father, Wendell Tyler, is fifth on UCLA's career rushing list.
• USC linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. was an All-American linebacker at UCLA.
• USC OT Butch Lewis celebrates his 20th birthday on Saturday.
• At the Coliseum, USC holds a 36-20-7 edge, with wins in the last 4 Coliseum games.
• Last year, UCLA became the first team to hold USC scoreless in the second half since Paul Hackett was the Trojan coach.
• Former UCLA head coach Tommy Prothro used to carry a briefcase to the sidelines every game.
• UCLA DE Bruce Davis Defensive is a semifinalist for Bednarik Award.
• UCLA has defeated three of its last four top ten opponents (Oregon 2007, Cal 2007, USC 2006). The loss came this season to Arizona State.
• This will be the third consecutive game for UCLA against a top ten team.
• UCLA's roster features four sets of brothers -- the Bosworths (Kyle and Korey), the Cowans (Joe and Patrick), the Molines (Chase, Chad and Chane) and the Tevagas (Shannon and Sonny).
• UCLA’s 16-0 shutout of Oregon last week was the first time the Ducks had been shut out in 267 games (1985, Nebraska 63-0).

• In the past 40 years, their have been 11 contests in which both UCLA and USC had Rose Bowl berths at stake. USC has won 10 of those, but the Bruins won the last one (1993).

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 year's games:

Memorable Anniversaries - 15 years (1992, UCLA 38 USC 37): The Bruins had lost quarterbacks Wayne Cook, Rob Walker and Ryan Fien to injury. They turned to John Barnes, a walk-on senior. He threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns. UCLA won when 15th-ranked USC failed on a two-point conversion with less than a minute to play. My brother and I also remember it as the game we got kicked out of at halftime before talking our way back into the gate.

Memorable Anniversaries - 20 years (1987, USC 17 UCLA 13): A fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Rodney Peete to Eric Affholter, a wide receiver USC had recruited as a kicker, gave unranked USC a 17-13 USC upset at the Coliseum against Troy Aikman and the fifth-ranked Bruins. "The Catch" drives Bruin fans crazy to this day. Any UCLA man will tell you that Affholter had not secured possession of the ball before sliding out of bounds. Replays were inconclusive and irrelevant. The officials called it a touchdown, and USC went to the Rose Bowl instead of UCLA.

Memorable Anniversaries - 25 years (1982, UCLA 20 USC 19): In UCLA's first season at the Rose Bowl, USC scored a touchdown on the final play of the game and went for two. On the conversion try, the Bruins sacked QB Scott Tinsley to seal the victory. UCLA went on to win the Rose Bowl.

Memorable Anniversaries - 30 years (1977, USC 29 UCLA 27): Thirty years ago, the Bruins had a shot at the Rose Bowl but lost to USC, 29-27, on a field goal by Frank Jordan with two seconds remaining. Washington got the Rose Bowl berth; the Trojans went to the Bluebonnet Bowl, where they defeated Texas A&M; and the Bruins went to no bowl at all.

Memorable Anniversaries - 40 years (1967, USC 21 UCLA 20): Forty years ago, USC won 21-20 in arguably the greatest game in the series. At stake: the #1 ranking, the national championship, the Rose Bowl, the Heisman Trophy. USC won on OJ Simpson's 64 yard touchdown run on 3rd and 1, and went on to win the national title, but the Bruins' Gary Beban took the Heisman Trophy a few weeks later.

The Latest on USC Leaving the Rose Bowl

FROM USC:

Help Us Keep the Trojans in the Coliseum
An Open Letter from Mike Garrett to the Trojan Family

November 28, 2007

Dear Fellow Trojans:

It gives me no pleasure to write a letter of this kind, but there are issues facing our university that you need to understand. The University of Southern California has been negotiating diligently for months, trying to renew USC’s lease with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and trying to get guarantees that USC’s football team and fans can enjoy home games in a completely renovated and improved stadium.

Unfortunately, talks are at an impasse, and right now we have no lease for the Coliseum next year. As a precaution, USC has negotiated a lease with the Rose Bowl to ensure that we have an acceptable stadium in which to play our home football games for the foreseeable future.

But this arrangement is not what we want. We want our football program to remain at the Coliseum. And we want the Coliseum Commission – our “landlords” who manage the stadium – to begin the long overdue rehabilitation of the Coliseum.

You all know the many things that need attention:

• Complete replacement of concession facilities to afford modern food and beverage services like those offered at all major stadiums.
• Replacement of, and additions to, the currently inadequate restroom facilities.
• All new, state-of-the-art video and score boards.
• Replacement of the grossly inadequate sound system.
• Improved access through renovated and replaced stairs, elevators and escalators.
• Repair of crumbling concrete stairs, walkways and infrastructure.
• Replacement of all seats.
• Reconfiguration of entry gates in order to move fans in and out of the stadium safely and efficiently.

This isn’t just about people’s comfort and enjoyment; it’s about the long-term viability of the structure. It’s old and worn out. And it is not being used to its fullest potential by the wider community.

USC has been waiting – I believe patiently – ten years for the Commission to do this, but they have not taken the necessary steps, and they will not promise to do so anytime soon. For a decade the nine-member Coliseum Commission has hoped to attract an NFL franchise to the stadium. Their plan has been that the NFL would pay for renovations. There was a clear message from the NFL last summer stating that “notwithstanding all of our best efforts to identify a mutually acceptable solution, we have determined that the Coliseum renovation project, as currently contemplated, would create significant economic risks for the NFL such that we are not prepared to move forward with the project at this time.”

The Coliseum Commission asked USC to submit a proposal. So we did. We made them what I think is an amazing offer. USC offered to spend $100 million to repair and improve the stadium on a ten-year plan, phasing in renovations each year. In return, we requested a master lease that would allow us to play football in the Coliseum for many years. We asked to participate in making decisions regarding the Coliseum and to be given opportunities that would allow us to offset our outlay of money by controlling more of the stadium’s revenues. And we’d help make sure the Coliseum has a full life all year round, with entertainment and sporting events, both large and small, not just the six home games for the USC football team.

But the Coliseum Commission rejected our offer.

Our team deserves a great stadium. So do our fans. So do the people of Los Angeles.

The Coliseum Commission is made up of representatives from the city, the county and the state. They need to know how you feel about this. I believe that our voices will be heard if we work through our elected officials. I urge you to e-mail, fax or phone the appropriate official asking them to:

Let USC direct and fund the Coliseum’s refurbishment in partnership with the city, the county and the state.
Let USC, in collaboration with the Coliseum Commission, determine and perform vital repairs while ensuring steady income to offset expenses and upkeep.

Let USC be more than a tenant – USC already brings in 60 percent of the Commission’s revenue and has been the only steady tenant for 80 years! We seek to be a key player in the preservation and enhancement of this great civic treasure and historic landmark. Remind them that for 80 years USC has stayed while other teams have gone, and that our home games spark spending in the neighborhood each fall to the tune of approximately $5 million. And that, in total, USC contributes $4 billion to the local economy each year. If you would like to join the University in its efforts to improve the Coliseum, please click here for the names of the people to contact. Showing your support will help keep the momentum growing to maintain USC’s great tradition of playing at the Coliseum.

Your support of and commitment to the University of Southern California are invaluable. Together, let’s continue to work hard to keep the USC football program in our beloved Coliseum.

Thank you for caring about this issue and for expressing your concerns.

Yours truly,

Michael L. Garrett
Director of Athletics
University of Southern California

FROM UCLA:

This statement is to clarify UCLA's position regarding the possibility of USC becoming a temporary secondary tenant at the Rose Bowl. First, there is no agreement in place. At the request of USC, UCLA permitted USC to have preliminary discussions with the Rose Bowl regarding the possibility of temporary usage while it continues to negotiate with the Coliseum Commission. This is where the matter presently stands. Any possible agreement would be for one year and subject to approval by UCLA. No long-term arrangement between USC and the Rose Bowl would even be considered by UCLA. Our position as the primary tenant is protected by our long-term lease, which runs through 2023. Any temporary usage by USC at the Rose Bowl would have to be non-impactful on UCLA, our football program and our fans. Any such arrangement would have to ensure that the integrity of the UCLA football experience for our team and fans would not be compromised in any way. The Rose Bowl is UCLA's home venue and the occupancy of any additional tenant on a temporary basis, if approved by UCLA, must be clearly secondary to that concept. I feel that it is in the best interest of college football in Southern California for each institution to have its own home stadium and I remain hopeful that USC and the Coliseum Commission can reach a satisfactory accord.

UCLA Week - Thursday 2007

More stuff about the big game:

Webcams: USC has Tommy Trojan on a webcam. UCLA has Royce Hall on a webcam. UCLA also has a countdown to kickoff on their website.

Recruiting: Last time, the recruits visiting USC for this game included David Ausberry, Allen Bradford, Butch Lewis and Joshua Tatum, as well as some big fish that got away: Demarco Murray, Tim Tebow, and Andre Smith. Last year, the Bruins hosted several fine players, a couple of whom (Kristofer O'Dowd and Everson Griffen) ended up at USC. This weekend, there will probably be close to a dozen good recruits on unofficial visits. At least four top high school players are making their official visits this weekend:

Top-rated SLB Arthur Brown, (East HS) Wichita, KS
Top-rated CB Patrick Johnson, (Blanche Ely HS) Pompano Beach, FL
Top-ten OT 7 Matt Meyer, (Lincoln HS) Stockton, CA 6-8/285
Top-three WLB Marcus Robinson (Homestead Senior HS) Homestead, FL

USC Injuries this season:  12 starters or projected starters have missed games with injuries: SCB Josh Pinkard (11 games), TB C.J. Gable (8 games), C Kristofer O’Dowd (4 games), C Matt Spanos (3 games), LB Brian Cushing (3 games), OG Chilo Rachal (3 games), QB John David Booty (3 games), OT Sam Baker (3 games), CB Shareece Wright (2 games), CB Cary Harris (1 game), WR Patrick Turner (1 game) and TB Chauncey Washington (1 game). Also, a number of key backups have missed games due to injuries: TB Broderick Green (11 games), CB Kevin Thomas (11 games), TE Jimmy Miller (10 games), LB Chris Galippo (8 games), WR Travon Patterson (7 games), OG-C Nick Howell (6 games), OT Charles Brown (3 games), TB Stafon Johnson (2 games), OT Butch Lewis (2 games), WR Brad Walker (1 game), QB Mark Sanchez (1 game), S Will Harris (1 game) and CB Vincent Joseph (1 game).

Weather: Today's weather forecast for Saturday is morning showers, then sunny, with a high of 76° and a low of 50°. Let's hope that improves.

Websites Devoted to the Trojans or the Bruins:

USCTrojans — USC athletic department site

Inside SoCal — beat writer Scott Wolf's blog

TributeToTroy — Trojan football news and information

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

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

Conquest Chronicles — another 'SC blog 

ValleyTrojan usually has a bunch of photos

FightOn — More Trojan football links

The Irish Trojan — A Notre Dame law student who did an 'SC undergraduate program

Trojan Wire — a good free site with recruiting and other news

SC Football — a blogspot blog

Boi From Troy — who brings the not heterosexual point of view

USC Trojan 98 — another 'SC blog

82Sluggo blog — another 'SC blog

Student Body Right — another 'SC blog

I'm told there are UCLA fan sites, too, but why would I want to direct traffic there? Okay, fine. Here's one:

DumpDorrell.com

Awesome stuff.

College Football Picks, 2007 Championship Saturday

If you've followed my college football picks this season, you are barely ahead of your bookie, but you are ahead. Here are my picks for the last weekend of the regular season. The only one I theoretically wouldn't put action on with my theoretical bookie is the BYU game.

Saturday, December 1
**#6 Virginia Tech at #11 Boston College +4½   VTech-
**#14 Tennessee at #7 LSU -7   Tenn+
**UCLA at #8 USC -20   USC-
#19 Brigham Young at San Diego State +15   BYU-
**Pittsburgh at #2 West Virginia -28   Pitt+
**#9 Oklahoma at #1 Missouri +3   Oklahoma-
**Arizona at #13 Arizona State -7   ASU-
**Washington at #12 Hawaii -14   UW+

There is no line on Oregon State at #17 Oregon. Curiously, #1 Missouri is an underdog to Oklahoma, which beat them earlier this season. Boston College is a slightly bigger underdog to a team they beat earlier this season. USC and West Virginia are the biggest favorites of the day.

My Dad's Brother

My uncle Roger died yesterday at his office of a massive heart attack. I'll be busy with other things for a while and won't be posting anything new, other than about a half dozen posts I wrote earlier this week about college football. If you see a new post between now and Sunday, I probably wrote it on Monday, if not sooner. We were very excitedly looking forward to today, because some great things are happening right now, but at the moment, we aren't enjoying any of it. We're just missing Roger.

My dad's older brother was pretty cool. He was the first college graduate on my dad's side of the family. He was very successful, and retired at age 33, before he got bored and went back to work. I used him as an expert witness in a bunch of my cases, but never needed to call him at trial because the cases all settled. He knew about all sorts of cool stuff, from panning for gold to investing in real estate to all the strange and interesting stuff they teach autodidacts on the history and discovery channels. Conversations with him were always interesting. He and my dad talked just about every day, and he's going to be sorely missed.

The Entire History of Cal State Fullerton Football

Not long ago, a fundraising call came in:

"Sir, I'm so-and-so calling on behalf of the Cal State Fullerton something or other. "

"Let me save us both some time," I interrupt. "Is this a fundraising call?"

"Yes."

"Are we going to have a football team next year?"

"I don't really know. I don't think we have one."

"Then put me on the list of people who will donate thousands of dollars, but not until we bring back football."

"Ok, thank you."

Fifteen years ago, today, Cal State Fullerton played its last college football game, a 33-16 loss at UNLV. The Titans still play Division I basketball and baseball, often making the College World Series (and winning it four times), and advancing as far as the Elite 8 in the NCAA basketball tournament. CSUF played Division I football** from 1975 to 1992 in the PCAA (Pacific Coast Athletic Association), which is now known as the Big West Conference. The program was shut down after the 1992 season. Here's our complete Titan football history, 206 games, 76 wins, 127 losses, 3 ties (.376):

Cal St. Fullerton 1975  2-9     .182  6th PCAA  0-5  .000 
Cal St. Fullerton 1976  3-7-1  .318  4th PCAA  1-3  .250 
Cal St. Fullerton 1977  4-7     .364  5th PCAA  0-4  .000 
Cal St. Fullerton 1978  5-7     .417  4th PCAA  2-2  .500 
Cal St. Fullerton 1979  3-8    .273  5th PCAA  1-4  .200 
Cal St. Fullerton 1980  4-7    .364  4th* PCAA  1-4  .200 
Cal St. Fullerton 1981  3-8     .273  5th* PCAA  1-4  .200 
Cal St. Fullerton 1982  3-9     .250  7th PCAA  0-6  .000 
Cal St. Fullerton 1983  7-5    .583  1st+ PCAA  5-1  .833 
Cal St. Fullerton 1984  11-1   .917  2nd++ PCAA  6-1  .857 
Cal St. Fullerton 1985  6-5    .545  2nd PCAA  5-2  .714 
Cal St. Fullerton 1986  3-9    .250  6th* PCAA  2-5  .286 
Cal St. Fullerton 1987  6-6    .500  2nd* PCAA  4-3  .571 
Cal St. Fullerton 1988  5-6    .455  2nd Big West  5-2  .714 
Cal St. Fullerton 1989  6-4-1  .591  2nd* Big West  5-2  .714 
Cal St. Fullerton 1990  1-11  .083  8th Big West  0-7  .000 
Cal St. Fullerton 1991  2-9     .182  8th Big West  1-6  .143 
Cal St. Fullerton 1992  2-9    .182  7th Big West  0-6  .000

* Tied.
+ Earned bid to California Bowl (now known as the Vegas Bowl)
++ Spent one week ranked #20 in UPI poll.
     Won league after UNLV was forced to retroactively forfeit its games.

Here are the yearly records:

1975 Cal. State Fullerton (2-9)
Sat 6 Sep  L  Fresno St  7-49     (0-1)
Sat 20 Sep  L  at Long Beach St  6-32     (0-2)
Sat 27 Sep  L  at Cal Poly-SLO  10-23     (0-3)
Sat 4 Oct  L  at San Diego St  14-59     (0-4)
Sat 11 Oct  L  at Pacific  20-31     (0-5)
Sat 18 Oct  W  California-Riverside  32-31     (1-5)
Sat 25 Oct  L  at San Jose St  7-41     (1-6)
Sat 1 Nov  L  at Hawaii  7-16     (1-7)
Sat 15 Nov  L  Cal Poly-Pomona  21-33     (1-8)
Sat 22 Nov  L  vs Southern Miss  0-70     (1-9)
Sat 29 Nov  W  Northridge St  14-0     (2-9)

1976 Cal. State Fullerton  (3-7-1)
Sat 11 Sep  T  at Cal Poly-Pomona  10-10   (0-0-1)
Sat 18 Sep  L  San Jose St  0-20     (0-1-1)
Sat 2 Oct  L  at Fresno St  12-31     (0-2-1)
Sat 9 Oct  W  San Francisco St  31-13     (1-2-1)
Sat 16 Oct  W  at Santa Clara  58-14     (2-2-1)
Sat 23 Oct  L  San Diego St  14-27     (2-3-1)
Sat 30 Oct  L  at Hawaii  7-27     (2-4-1)
Sat 6 Nov  W  Pacific  17-7     (3-4-1)
Sat 13 Nov  L  Long Beach St  8-28     (3-5-1)
Sat 20 Nov  L  at Northridge St  10-16     (3-6-1)
Sat 27 Nov  L  Northern Arizona  17-20     (3-7-1)

1977 Cal. State Fullerton  (4-7)
Sat 10 Sep  L  at San Diego St  17-34     (0-1)
Sat 17 Sep  L  at Long Beach St  31-50     (0-2)
Sat 24 Sep  L  at San Jose St  12-23     (0-3)
Sat 1 Oct  W  Northridge St  45-14     (1-3)
Sat 8 Oct  W  at LA-Monroe  31-10     (2-3)
Sat 15 Oct  L  at Northern Arizona  9-24     (2-4)
Sat 22 Oct  W  Cal Poly-SLO  45-18     (3-4)
Sat 29 Oct  L  UNLV  21-24     (3-5)
Sat 5 Nov  W  at Cal Poly-Pomona  48-0     (4-5)
Sat 12 Nov  L  Fresno St  19-44     (4-6)
Sat 19 Nov  L  at Pacific  7-49     (4-7)

1978 Cal. State Fullerton (5-7)
Sat 9 Sep  L  at Boise St  12-42     (0-1)
Sat 16 Sep  W  Santa Clara  35-20     (1-1)
Sat 23 Sep  L  at Cal Poly-SLO  27-41     (1-2)
Sat 30 Sep  L  at Hawaii  33-42     (1-3)
Sat 7 Oct  L  at Pacific  17-35     (1-4)
Sat 14 Oct  L  Nevada  14-37     (1-5)
Sat 21 Oct  W  at Long Beach St  34-9     (2-5)
Sat 28 Oct  W  at Fresno St  37-8     (3-5)
Sat 4 Nov  L  at San Jose St  21-30     (3-6)
Sat 11 Nov  W  at Northridge St  31-20     (4-6)
Sat 18 Nov  W  at Cal Poly-Pomona  30-22     (5-6)
Fri 24 Nov  L  at UNLV  7-24     (5-7)

1979 Cal. State Fullerton (3-8)
Sat 8 Sep  L  UNLV  14-35     (0-1)
Sat 22 Sep  L  at Boise St  3-22     (0-2)
Sat 29 Sep  W  at Pacific  17-7     (1-2)
Sat 6 Oct  L  at San Jose St  0-23     (1-3)
Sat 13 Oct  L  Eastern Kentucky  7-33     (1-4)
Sat 20 Oct  L  at LA-Monroe  17-28     (1-5)
Sat 27 Oct  W  Northridge St  49-3     (2-5)
Sat 3 Nov  L  at Utah St  7-35     (2-6)
Sat 10 Nov  L  Fresno St  24-28     (2-7)
Sat 17 Nov  W  at Idaho St  42-7     (3-7)
Sat 24 Nov  L  at Long Beach St  13-16     (3-8)

1980 Cal. State Fullerton  (4-7)
Sat 6 Sep  W  at Fresno St  39-25     (1-0)
Sat 13 Sep  W  Cal Poly-SLO  30-23     (2-0)
Sat 20 Sep  W  Northern Arizona  21-13     (3-0)
Sat 4 Oct  L  at UNLV  17-36     (3-1)
Sat 11 Oct  L  Utah St  17-28     (3-2)
Sat 18 Oct  L  at Boise St  11-26     (3-3)
Sat 25 Oct  W  at Nevada  17-16     (4-3)
Sat 1 Nov  L  at Hawaii  21-31     (4-4)
Sat 8 Nov  L  Long Beach St  10-20     (4-5)
Sat 15 Nov  L  at San Jose St  21-33     (4-6)
Sat 22 Nov  L  at Pacific  26-32     (4-7)

1981 Cal. State Fullerton (3-8)
Sat 5 Sep  L  at Wyoming  13-38     (0-1)
Sat 12 Sep  L  at Utah St  9-14     (0-2)
Sat 19 Sep  L  at Hawaii  12-38     (0-3)
Sat 26 Sep  L  at Arizona  16-37     (0-4)
Sat 3 Oct  W  Cal Poly-SLO  34-10     (1-4)
Sat 10 Oct  W  Fresno St  13-10     (2-4)
Sat 17 Oct  L  at San Jose St  23-45     (2-5)
Sat 24 Oct  L  at Long Beach St  9-10     (2-6)
Sat 31 Oct  L  at Pacific  16-17     (2-7)
Sat 7 Nov  W  Boise St  20-17     (3-7)
Sat 21 Nov  L  Nevada  34-36     (3-8)

1982 Cal. State Fullerton  (3-9)
Sat 4 Sep  W  Northern Arizona  19-15     (1-0)
Sat 11 Sep  L  at Boise St  9-20     (1-1)
Sat 18 Sep  W  at Cal Poly-SLO  14-10     (2-1)
Sat 25 Sep  L  Utah St  0-19     (2-2)
Fri 1 Oct  L  Long Beach St  3-7     (2-3)
Sat 9 Oct  L  San Jose St  15-38     (2-4)
Sat 16 Oct  W  at Wyoming  20-16     (3-4)
Sat 23 Oct  L  Nevada  7-17     (3-5)
Sat 30 Oct  L  at Hawaii  3-9     (3-6)
Sat 6 Nov  L  at Fresno St  14-31     (3-7)
Sat 20 Nov  L  at Pacific  0-31     (3-8)
Sat 27 Nov  L  at UNLV  23-42     (3-9)

1983 Cal. State Fullerton  (7-5)
Sat 3 Sep  W  Boise St  13-10     (1-0)
Sat 10 Sep  W  at Long Beach St  25-19     (2-0)
Sat 17 Sep  W  at Utah St  25-24     (3-0)
Sat 24 Sep  L  at Arizona  10-27     (3-1)
Sat 1 Oct  W  at Pacific  31-14     (4-1)
Sat 8 Oct  W  at Nevada  14-6     (5-1)
Sat 15 Oct  W  at San Jose St  20-11     (6-1)
Sat 22 Oct  W  Fresno St  18-17     (7-1)
Sat 29 Oct  L  at Idaho St  10-43     (7-2)
Sat 5 Nov  L  at Utah  20-47     (7-3)
Sat 12 Nov  L  UNLV  0-13     (7-4)
Sat 17 Dec  L  Northern Illinois  13-20    (7-5) California Bowl

1984 Cal. State Fullerton (11-1)
Sat 1 Sep  W  at Boise St  27-25     (1-0)
Sat 8 Sep  W  at Hawaii  21-13     (2-0)
Sat 15 Sep  W  Idaho  28-7     (3-0)
Sat 22 Sep  W  at Colorado St  34-22     (4-0)
Sat 29 Sep  W  Utah St  27-16     (5-0)
Sat 6 Oct  W  at Pacific  41-31     (6-0)
Sat 13 Oct  W  San Jose St  21-12     (7-0)
Sat 20 Oct  W  at Nevada  36-14     (8-0)
Sat 27 Oct  W  Long Beach St  42-28     (9-0)
Sat 3 Nov  W  at Fresno St  20-17     (10-0)
Sat 10 Nov  L  at UNLV  20-26     (10-1)
Sat 17 Nov  W  at New Mexico St  20-0     (11-1)

1985 Cal. State Fullerton (6-5)
Sat 7 Sep  L  Montana  30-31     (0-1)
Sat 14 Sep  L  Nevada  3-30     (0-2)
Sat 21 Sep  L  at Wyoming  8-31     (0-3)
Thu 3 Oct  W  at San Jose St  20-18     (1-3)
Sat 12 Oct  W  at Utah St  32-30     (2-3)
Sat 19 Oct  L  UNLV  6-10     (2-4)
Sat 2 Nov  L  Fresno St  7-42     (2-5)
Sat 9 Nov  W  New Mexico St  21-17     (3-5)
Sat 16 Nov  W  at Northern Arizona  22-8     (4-5)
Sat 23 Nov  W  at Long Beach St  38-27     (5-5)
Sat 30 Nov  W  at Pacific  43-37     (6-5)

1986 Cal. State Fullerton (3-9)
Sat 30 Aug  L  at Nevada  3-49     (0-1)
Sat 6 Sep  L  at New Mexico St  21-24     (0-2)
Sat 13 Sep  W  Idaho St  35-25     (1-2)
Sat 20 Sep  L  at Idaho  17-25     (1-3)
Sat 27 Sep  L  at UNLV  23-40     (1-4)
Thu 2 Oct  L  at Tulsa  10-20     (1-5)
Sat 11 Oct  L  Long Beach St  20-30     (1-6)
Sat 18 Oct  W  Utah St  33-0     (2-6)
Sat 25 Oct  L  at Hawaii  15-26     (2-7)
Sat 1 Nov  L  at Fresno St  20-30     (2-8)
Sat 8 Nov  L  San Jose St  24-48     (2-9)
Sat 15 Nov  W  at Pacific  39-38     (3-9)

1987 Cal. State Fullerton (6-6)
Sat 5 Sep  L  at Hawaii  0-44     (0-1)
Sat 12 Sep  L  at LSU  12-56     (0-2)
Sat 19 Sep  W  Long Beach St  31-12     (1-2)
Sat 26 Sep  W  at Utah St  30-11     (2-2)
Sat 3 Oct  L  at San Jose St  19-46     (2-3)
Sat 10 Oct  L  at Florida  0-65     (2-4)
Sat 17 Oct  W  at UNLV  28-14     (3-4)
Sat 24 Oct  W  at Northern Illinois  21-20     (4-4)
Sat 31 Oct  W  New Mexico St  48-14     (5-4)
Sat 7 Nov  L  at Fresno St  17-21     (5-5)
Sat 14 Nov  L  Pacific  14-22     (5-6)
Sat 21 Nov  W  at Montana  43-26     (6-6)

1988 Cal. State Fullerton (5-6)
Sat 3 Sep  L  at LA-Lafayette  9-24     (0-1)
Sat 10 Sep  L  at West Virginia  10-45     (0-2)
Sat 17 Sep  W  at UNLV  20-10     (1-2)
Sat 24 Sep  W  Pacific  13-10     (2-2)
Sat 1 Oct  L  at Wyoming  16-35     (2-3)
Sat 8 Oct  L  Fresno St  10-23     (2-4)
Sat 15 Oct  L  at Long Beach St  22-24     (2-5)
Sat 22 Oct  W  at New Mexico St  24-3     (3-5)
Sat 29 Oct  L  at Akron  14-15     (3-6)
Sat 12 Nov  W  San Jose St  58-13     (4-6)
Sat 19 Nov  W  Utah St  23-13     (5-6)

1989 Cal. State Fullerton (6-4-1)
Sat 2 Sep  L  at Northern Illinois  17-26     (0-1)
Sat 9 Sep  W  Northridge St  27-20     (1-1)
Sat 16 Sep  L  at Colorado St  14-42     (1-2)
Sat 23 Sep  T  at San Diego St  41-41   (1-2-1)
Sat 30 Sep  W  UNLV  34-20     (2-2-1)
Sat 7 Oct  L  at Utah St  23-34     (2-3-1)
Sat 14 Oct  W  at Pacific  35-26     (3-3-1)
Sat 21 Oct  L  at Fresno St  19-33     (3-4-1)
Sat 4 Nov  W  New Mexico St  45-10     (4-4-1)
Sat 11 Nov  W  Long Beach St  31-13     (5-4-1)
Sat 18 Nov  W  at San Jose St  28-14     (6-4-1)

1990 Cal. State Fullerton (1-11)
Sat 1 Sep  W  Sonoma St  38-24     (1-0)
Sat 8 Sep  L  at Auburn  17-38     (1-1)
Sat 15 Sep  L  at Mississippi St.  13-27     (1-2)
Sat 22 Sep  L  at Akron  17-48     (1-3)
Sat 29 Sep  L  Fresno St  3-38     (1-4)
Sat 6 Oct  L  at UNLV  10-29     (1-5)
Sat 13 Oct  L  Pacific  37-67     (1-6)
Sat 20 Oct  L  at Hawaii  21-45     (1-7)
Sat 27 Oct  L  at Long Beach St  35-37     (1-8)
Sat 3 Nov  L  San Jose St  6-44     (1-9)
Sat 10 Nov  L  Utah St  17-45     (1-10)
Sat 17 Nov  L  at New Mexico St  9-43     (1-11)

1991 Cal. State Fullerton (2-9)
Sat 31 Aug  L  at Mississippi St  3-47     (0-1)
Sat 7 Sep  L  at Texas Tech  7-41     (0-2)
Sat 21 Sep  W  Northridge St  17-10     (1-2)
Sat 28 Sep  L  at Georgia  14-27     (1-3)
Sat 5 Oct  L  at Pacific  28-56     (1-4)
Sat 12 Oct  L  UNLV  3-25     (1-5)
Sat 19 Oct  L  at Utah St  3-26     (1-6)
Sat 2 Nov  L  New Mexico St  12-35     (1-7)
Sat 9 Nov  L  at San Jose St  7-35     (1-8)
Sat 16 Nov  L  at Fresno St  7-38     (1-9)
Sat 23 Nov  W  Long Beach St  37-36     (2-9)

1992 Cal. State Fullerton (2-9)
Sat 5 Sep  W  Northridge St  28-7     (1-0)
Sat 12 Sep  L  at UCLA  14-37     (1-1)
Sat 19 Sep  L  at Georgia  0-56     (1-2)
Sat 26 Sep  L  Sacramento St  3-29     (1-3)
Sat 3 Oct  L  Nevada  0-19     (1-4)
Sat 10 Oct  L  at San Jose St  3-49     (1-5)
Sat 17 Oct  W  at LA-Lafayette  14-10     (2-5)
Sat 31 Oct  L  Utah St  7-26     (2-6)
Sat 7 Nov  L  at Pacific  20-23     (2-7)
Sat 14 Nov  L  at New Mexico St  31-44     (2-8)
Sat 28 Nov  L  at UNLV  16-33     (2-9)

The Big West dropped sponsorship of football after the 2000 season, but by then Long Beach State (1991), Fullerton (1992) and Pete Carroll's alma mater, Pacific (1995) had already ceased fielding a football team. Four of the seven remaining football-playing members left the conference in 2001: Boise State joined the WAC; Arkansas State, New Mexico State, and North Texas joined the Sun Belt conference. Idaho and Utah State remained in the Big West until 1995, continuing their Division I-A football programs as a Sun Belt "football only" member (Idaho) and an independent (Utah State). Both schools joined the WAC in 2005. The seventh football-playing member, Cal Poly SLO, was never a Division I-A football program, and was a member of the Big West Conference for other sports only. It joined the Division I-AA Great West Football Conference in 2004.

Cal State Fullerton was a perennial favorite non-conference opponent of SEC powerhouses, and our last season included the indignity of suffering a loss to Sacramento State, but at least we won our last intersectional road game, at Louisiana Lafayette.

** The Titans also played Division II football from 1970-1974.

UCLA Week - Wednesday, YouTube Highlights

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

...

UCLA fans still enjoy obsess over highlights from 2006: UCLA 13 USC 9

USC fans savor the Reggie Bush moments from the 2004 and 2005 games:

The 2003 game was pretty good, too: USC 47 UCLA 22

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:

How badly do the Bruins hate USC? Check out how happy they are in this clip. The situation: It's just been announced that #2 USC lost to Stanford. Make sure you look carefully at the scoreboard. Notre Dame has first and goal at the UCLA one-yard line. UCLA is about to go down to 0-5 Notre Dame, but the Bruin fans are ecstatic:

And for old time's sake: 40 years ago was the big OJ Simpson game:

Back when we were proud of him.

Lex TV 148

Here are another dozen interesting or amusing videos:

Congressman Kucinich has a hot wife with an English accent and a tongue ring. Who knew?

The original Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Squirrel performance art.

The Lockheed Martin Turbo Super Blimp. This should be Rosie O'Donnell's ride.

Why combination locks are completely useless.

Gwen Stefani pimps perfume.

Steve Beuerlein calls LenDale White one of those "USC thugs."

Save the Internets! or not.

Japanese potty training video.

Creepy talent show entry. Stay with it.

The thrill of history, and the agony of a stupid guess on Wheel of Fortune.

Revenge of the Nerd with superior technology.

UCLA Week 2007 - 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?

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 thisgame (although USC rang the bell during the Cal game two weeks ago). This year, the Victory Bell is painted baby blue and yellow. The winner of the game also gets 10 points toward winning the Lexus Gauntlet.

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. For eight long years, we were up to our necks in Bruin shit, for seven years, the Bruin fans have had to put up with the same from the Trojans. Last year, even though USC won the Rose Bowl and finished ranked 4th, and even though USC has been ranked all season, get cardinal and baby blue in the same room, and the baby blue guy will figure out a way to work "13-9" into the conversation. 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.

The Glory of Pac-10 Titles and Bowl Berths: Win this game, and USC is the Pac-10 Champion, qualified for the BCS and headed to the Rose Bowl. UCLA can do the same if they get help from Arizona. As a result, this game has BCS bowl implications for the fourth straight year. This game decides whether USC gets to the Rose Bowl, the Holiday Bowl, or the Sun Bowl, and whether UCLA goes to the Rose Bowl or any other bowl. One set of projections says UCLA could stay home with a loss, assuming some an Arizona and an Oregon State victory.

The BCS Implications: When UCLA last beat the Trojans in 1998, they were 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. Last year, UCLA dropped the Trojans from the BCS championship game to the Rose Bowl.

The Coaches' Hot Seats: USC head coach Pete Carroll, a former defensive back for the University of the Pacific, is in his seventh season with the Trojans. His record at USC is 74-14. His record against UCLA is 5-1. His teams have been to six bowls in six seasons, winning four. Five of the six bowls were BCS Bowls (3 Rose, 2 Orange). He has two national championships and his teams are 23-0 in November games. However, losses to Stanford and UCLA in the same season could generate the most negative buzz about him since his debut season. UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell, a former Bruin receiver, is in his fifth season with the Bruins. In Dorrell’s 5 seasons at UCLA he is 35-26 (.574). In the previous 5 seasons before Dorrell was hired, Bob Toledo was 34-24 (.586). www.dumpdorrell.com declares that Dorrell's firing is a done deal, and DeWayne Walker is going to be coaching UCLA in its bowl game, which could be anything from the Rose Bowl to the Vegas Bowl. www.firekarldorrell.com makes a somewhat less passionate and less persuasive argument to keep him.

Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 154)

Behold Carraig Phadraig, also known as The Rock of Cashel, in County Tipperary, Ireland. This was the traditional seat of the Kings of Munster before the Norman invasion, and it is said to be the place where the King of Munster was converted by St. Patrick in the 5th century. An impressive sight from town, it is a large castle on top of a rocky hill, surrounded by a large stone wall. After a wonderful Saturday in Dublin, we headed south to County Cork on the eve of Easter, and we took a slight detour to visit the Rock. Unfortunately, we got there about 15 minutes after they closed. The place was abandoned. So instead of walking through it, we decided to walk around it. The views from around the wall were great. The setting sun, the pastures and an abandoned monastery all made for interesting views which I will probably post some Tuesday. The most curious sight that afternoon, however, was this collection of drinking young men. The Rock is apparently a great place to party on a Saturday night.

I would imagine that the place probably could be easily defended if you had a bunch of soldiers on those walls, but once the joint clears out, it's no match for a hook, a rope and a determined climber with a beer or two in his pockets.

UCLA Week 2007 - Monday (Records, Rankings, Odds, Streaks, Upsets and Heroes)

Once again, it's UCLA week aka "Troy Week". It's time for our annual cross-town rivalry game against the Bruins. As usual, much is on the line in this game, including, of course, the Rose Bowl. Here are a few details about the game.

Starting Time: The game Saturday at the Coliseum will be broadcast live nationally at 1:30 p.m. PST on ABC. The kickoff will follow the conclusion of the ACC Championship Game. The Big XII Championship Game will follow at 5:00 p.m. The SEC title game will be on CBS starting at 1:00 p.m.

Records: USC is 9-2. UCLA is 6-5. USC's 6-2 conference record is best in the Pac-10, tied with Arizona State. UCLA's 5-3 conference record has them in a three-way tie for 3rd place. USC just defeated Arizona State, 44-24. UCLA comes in having beaten Oregon 16-0. Upsets by UCLA and Arizona on Saturday would result in a four-way tie for the conference title, with USC, UCLA, Arizona State and the winner of Oregon/Oregon State all finishing 6-3.

Rankings: USC is ranked 8th in the AP Poll, the Harris Interactive Poll, and the BCS rankings, and 9th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. UCLA is not ranked.

Odds: USC opened as an 18½ point favorite. The line has moved to 20 already.

Coliseum Streak: The last four 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

Historic Upsets: In the past 20 years, there have been several huge surprises:
• 1987: USC, 7-3 but unranked, beats 5th ranked UCLA, 17-13, and goes to the Rose Bowl.
• 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.

Odd Losses: The Trojans lost a home game earlier this year to Stanford. The Bruins dropped a home game to Notre Dame and lost at Arizona.

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, lined up for a a 36-yard field goal with nine seconds to go. It barely cleared the crossbar.

As We Await the New BCS Standings

I haven't seen any updated bowl projections yet, but none will have USC in the championship game. To keep USC's extremely dim hope of playing for the national title, we really could have used wins by Connecticut, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Oklahoma State. It would have been nice to see Missouri win a bit bigger, too. When the score was 21-0, I could have foreseen a Kansas poll plummet. At 36-28, not so much. At this point, the chances of USC getting to the #2 spot in the BCS are more than slim. To get there, the Trojans need to move past 9 of the 10 teams ahead of them in last week's BCS rankings:

1. LSU - lost; ends the season ahead of USC with a win next week;
2. Kansas - lost; maybe ends the season below USC if USC wins next week;
3. West Virginia - won; will finish ahead of USC unless they lose to Pitt next week;
4. Missouri - won; will finish ahead of USC unless they get clobbered by Oklahoma next week;
5. Ohio St. - done for the season; will finish ahead of USC;
6. Arizona St. - lost; will drop below USC;
7. Georgia - done for the season; probably will finish ahead of USC;
8. Virginia Tech - won; will finish ahead of USC with a win next week;
9. Oregon - lost; will drop below USC;
10. Oklahoma - won; might stay ahead of USC.

I don't think Pitt can beat West Virginia. I think that even if they beat UCLA handily, the Trojans end up behind West Virginia, Ohio State, Georgia and the Big XII champion. Best plausible scenario: Tennessee, Oklahoma and Boston College win their conference title games. If so, the BCS final standings would be something like: (1) West Virginia; (2) Ohio State; (3) Georgia; (4) Oklahoma; (5) USC; (6) Missouri; (7) Kansas.

Kansas, with an 11-1 record and the last BCS conference team to lose, might not get a BCS bowl bid if Oklahoma beats Missouri. The loser of the SEC title game is out, too. If that's Tennessee, no tears will be shed outside of Knoxville. If it's LSU, the Bayou will absolutely freak out. More potential weirdness: if Tennessee wins the SEC and if the Rose Bowl selects Illinois, it could leave Missouri out of the BCS mix entirely, making the last two #1 teams (assuming that Mizzou is ahead of West Virginia today) out of the BCS bowls. How? If Georgia finishes #3 or #4, and Hawaii ends up in the top 12 (or the top 16 and ahead of Boston College or Tennessee as ACC or SEC champs), then there will be only two at-large bids to give. If one goes to Illinois, and the other goes to Oklahoma's opponent in the Fiesta Bowl, that spot won't go to Missouri.

How would Illinois get a bid? Ohio State in the title game would give the Rose Bowl the first at-large pick. They could take Illinois and keep the Pac-10/Big 10 tradition alive. They can only take 9-3 Illinois if the Illini finish in the top 14. They should move up to #14 today, up from #17 by passing Oregon, Texas and Virginia. Maybe just #15 if Tennessee moves ahead of them. Next week, they stand a good chance of moving up another spot or two. In addition to keeping the traditional conference alignment, an Illinois bid would bring fans to Pasadena. Illinois fans last got to the Rose Bowl 24 years ago.

But Georgia v. USC would be intriguing. In addition to being an SEC/Pac-10 matchup, it would feature the two hottest teams in college football right now, according to most of the analysts. The two teams that make #1 and #2 glad we don't have a playoff. Personally, I'd love to see it, except that it will make good tickets more expensive. Not that USC-Illinois ducats would be cheap.

Here's my latest guess projections about the BCS matchups:

BCS Title: West Virginia (Big East) v. Ohio State (Big Ten)
Rose Bowl: USC (Pac-10) v. Georgia (automatic)
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech (ACC) v. Missouri (at-large)
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma (Big XII) v. Arizona State (at-large)
Sugar Bowl: LSU (SEC) v. Hawaii (automatic)

But this would not shock me:

BCS Title: West Virginia (Big East) v. Ohio State (Big Ten)
Rose Bowl: USC (Pac-10) v. Illinois (at-large)
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech (ACC) v. Georgia (automatic)
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma (Big XII) v. Arizona State (at-large)
Sugar Bowl: LSU (SEC) v. Hawaii (automatic)

College Football Results, 2007 Week 13

I got off to a good start in the only game that really, really mattered: USC -3 at Arizona State. USC started all 11 starters on offense for the first time this season, and the result was a dominant offense, even on the road against a top ten team. I got my second-best wish on Friday when LSU's luck ran out against unranked Arkansas. My third wish, an Oregon loss at UCLA, was granted today. After that, nothing really mattered, but I did post a winning record. Overall, I won 9, lost 7 and pushed once. On my money picks, I went 5-4.

W **#11 USC at #6 Arizona State +3½   (USC-) so enjoyable
W **Arkansas at #1 LSU -12½   (Arkansas+) so enjoyable
L **#13 Texas at Texas A&M +6   (Texas-) a loss, but so enjoyable
L **#19 Boise State at #15 Hawaii -4½   (Boise+)
W **#8 Virginia Tech at #16 Virginia +3½   (Tech-)
L Miami (FL) at #14 Boston College -14½   (BC-) barely, eh?
P #23 South Florida at Pittsburgh +11   (USF-)
W #18 Tennessee at Kentucky -2½   (Tenn+)
W Utah at #25 Brigham Young -4   (BYU-)
L **#20 Connecticut at #3 West Virginia -17   (Conn+)
L #7 Georgia at Georgia Tech +3½   (GT+)
W **#9 Oregon at UCLA +2½   (UCLA+)
L **Oklahoma State at #10 Oklahoma -14   (OSU+)
W Florida State at #12 Florida -13½    (Fla-)
L #22 Clemson at South Carolina +3   (Clemson-)
W #24 Cincinnati at Syracuse +20   (Cincy-)
W **#4 Missouri at #2 Kansas -2   (Mizzou+)

Why Karl Dorrell Is So Damn Fired

Taking a victory lap for having met his own low expectations this season, Karl Dorrell was quoted after the Bruins' win over the hapless injury-wracked Ducks:

"Our goal was to be in a position for this opportunity. I can't tell you I thought we'd be 6-5 with this opportunity," Bruins coach Karl Dorrell said. "But it is what it is."

If a USC coach said that while the Trojans were 6-5, he wouldn't even be permitted to finish out the season.

Southern California on Fire Again

The winds are back. More importantly, the fires are back. Right now, only Malibu is burning, but it looks pretty bad. More than 35 homes are already gone. Last night, we thought we saw smoke in the hills behind us, but whatever it was, nothing came of it.  I just got my spa clean and working again, and the cover is on it. The waterfall is full of leaves again, but the hills behind us are all burned out, so we should be fine. Malibu will not be fine. Every local channel is running fire coverage and preempting everything else, including college football.

Off Season Thoughts

There is no completely relevant season during college football season other than college football season, but we have a little bit of chatter about other leagues this week.

I was reviewing an old Sports Illustrated from earlier this year and saw a letter to the editor about Michael Vick. "Let me, with just five words, caution everyone running in all directions because a sports star has apparently done something that is revolting: Remember the Duke lacrosse team." heh. I remain uncautioned.

I remember race being a big issue in that case until Vick admitted everything was true. I suppose there are some people for whom race plays a large part of their opinions about criminal accusations. I like to think it isn't true with me. For example, I believed the Duke boys, and not their accuser, but I also believed Kobe, and not his accuser. I believed Mike Tyson's accuser. I do not believe OJ Simpson's accuser.

Ok, I was lying about the OJ part. I do believe those dirtbags.

My favorite baseball story of the year was that of Rick Ankiel, who failed as a pitcher in the Cardinals' organization, but made it back in the bigs as an outfielder. How unusual is that?

Of course, the best hitter of all-time was a pretty good pitcher for the Boston Red Sox back in the day.

Actually, the converse is probably more unusual. Troy Hoffman, baseball's all-time save leader, went into the bullpen to avoid being cut as a shortstop.

Barry Bonds and his 756th home run was the most uninteresting story of the year. If the Sports Illustrated issue covering it hadn't come wrapped in a cover with USC football players on it, I wouldn't have kept it.

There is a bunch of talk about New England going 16-0 in NFL play this year. My favorite team also started 8-0 and looked to be in great shape to put together an unbeaten season, but they blew it a week ago. My favorite team is the team playing St. Louis each week.

Kobe Bryant has the only full no-trade clause in the NBA, and he was fully prepared to waive it to go to the Bulls, who are possibly the worst team in the league right now, and would have needed to surrender several of their best players to get him. Go figure.

I'm not sure why Dodger fans are so excited about Joe Torre's hire. In 14 years as a National League skipper, he got one division title (1982 Braves) and won no playoff games.

Apple season is about over. I saw a couple of ads, for boxing and produce, that got me wondering: If you eat strawberries at the Strawberry Fest, and you eat apples at the Applefest, what should you expect to be served at a slugfest?

Way to go Reed Doucette. The former USC basketball player just earned a Rhodes Scholarship.

USC's basketball team beat South Carolina this week. I'm sure there were plenty of funny signs about Trojans and Cocks, but I couldn't see them because the game wasn't on TV.

After USC lost to Mercer, I thought maybe they had overscheduled their nonconference matchups. After reaching the finals of the ESPN Anaheim Classic against Southern Illinois tomorrow, USC plays Oklahoma, Kansas and Memphis over a short stretch from November 29 to December 4, before prepping to start play in the the toughest conference in the land.

I'm less worried now; with Daniel Hackett back, they look pretty good. Not Final Four good, but pretty good.

I might actually hit a few games this year other than UCLA and the Pac-10 tournament.

Barely Legal Lawyers

Kathleen Holtz, an 18 year old law graduate from UCLA passed the bar on her first try. In a few days, if she isn't already sworn in, she'll be California's youngest lawyer and one of the youngest, if not the youngest, in the country. She started college at Cal State L.A. at the age of 10, and entered UCLA law school at 15. She undoubtedly found out last Friday night at 6:00 p.m., when results were available to exam takers only.

Back in the day, we used to all have to wait for the mailman on the day after Thanksgiving to get our bar results by mail. The new system is so much better.

College Football Picks 2007, Week 13

Here are the matchups among the BCS top 25 teams this week. I seem to think I **like a lot of these spreads. For the first time this season, I'm taking nine games:

Thursday, November 22
**#11 USC at #6 Arizona State +3½   (USC-)

Friday, November 23
**Arkansas at #1 LSU -12½   (Arkansas+)
**#13 Texas at Texas A&M +6   (Texas-)
**#19 Boise State at #15 Hawaii -4½   (Boise+)

Saturday, November 24
**#8 Virginia Tech at #16 Virginia +3½   (Tech-)
Miami (FL) at #14 Boston College -14½   (BC-)
#23 South Florida at Pittsburgh +11   (USF-)
#18 Tennessee at Kentucky -2½   (Tenn+)
Utah at #25 Brigham Young -4   (BYU-)
**#20 Connecticut at #3 West Virginia -17   (Conn+)
#7 Georgia at Georgia Tech +3½   (GT+)
**#9 Oregon at UCLA +2½   (UCLA+)
**Oklahoma State at #10 Oklahoma -14   (OSU+)
Florida State at #12 Florida -13½    (Fla-)
#22 Clemson at South Carolina +3   (Clemson-)
#24 Cincinnati at Syracuse +20   (Cincy-)
**#4 Missouri at #2 Kansas -2   (Mizzou+)

In other play, Stanford is a 3½ point favorite against Notre Dame. Washington is a 5½ point favorite against Wazzoo and Nebraska is a 6 point dog at Colorado. Idaho is a 2½ favorite against Utah State. I believe that's their first game of the year as a favorite.

Various USC Bowl Possibilities

1. If USC beats Arizona State and UCLA:

• If Oregon beats UCLA and Oregon State, USC shares the Pac-10 crown with Oregon and maybe Arizona State. Oregon will go to the Rose Bowl on the tiebreaker (head-to-head play). USC would have a strong shot at (in order of likeliness) the Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl or Orange Bowl.
• If Oregon loses to UCLA or Oregon State: USC would win the Pac-10 outright (if ASU loses to Arizona) or on the tiebreaker of head-to-head play (if ASU beats Arizona) and go to the Rose Bowl.

2. If USC loses to Arizona State, but beats UCLA:

• A BCS bid is not likely.
• If Oregon beats UCLA and Oregon State and Arizona State beats Arizona: Arizona State goes to the Rose Bowl. Oregon probably goes to the Holiday Bowl. USC goes to the Sun Bowl. Maybe Oregon gets to the Fiesta Bowl or other BCS Bowl and USC goes to the Holiday Bowl.
• If Oregon loses to both UCLA and Oregon State: Arizona State goes to the Rose Bowl. USC goes to the Holiday Bowl, and Oregon goes to the Sun Bowl.

3. If USC beats Arizona State and loses to UCLA:

• The possibilities are so endless that I'm not going to even try to figure it out and explain it. Scenarios include the chance of a four-way tie for the Pac-10 title, with USC at 6-3, Arizona State (if it loses to Arizona) at 6-3, Oregon (if they beat UCLA but not Oregon State) at 6-3 and Oregon State at 6-3. Or UCLA, Oregon State, USC and Arizona State. Or UCLA, Oregon, USC and Arizona State. The tiebreakers would be mad. I'll wait and see what shakes out in Tempe and Pasadena this weekend before pondering those possibilities.
• Scott Wolf is describing a scenario in which USC and UCLA play to decide who goes to the Rose Bowl. It's pretty complex, but I think he is right. It could decide the Rose Bowl if: USC beats, ASU, Arizona beats ASU, UCLA beats Oregon and Oregon beats Oregon State. I'm less certain if Oregon State beats Oregon, because I don't know if out of conference records are considered when determining "the team occupying the highest position in the final regular season standings," but I think that means conference standarding and conference play only.

4. If USC loses to Arizona State and UCLA:

• USC finishes 5-4 in conference, which could leave them as low as tied for 5th place in the conference. The Rose Bowl, Holiday Bowl and Sun Bowl are out, and the Emerald Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl or Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl are in.

Here are the Pac-10 tiebreaker rules:

a. Two-Team Tie. The winner of the game between the two teams shall be the representative.

b. Multiple-Team Ties.

(1) When three or more teams are tied in Conference play, if one has defeated all others, it shall be the Rose Bowl representative. If that is not the case, a comparison of the tied teams' records against the other tied teams shall be made and the team having the best record against the other tied teams shall be the Rose Bowl representative. If two or more teams are still tied after this comparison, the appropriate two-team or multiple-team tie-breaking procedures shall be repeated among those teams still under consideration.

(2) If more than two teams are still tied after the process above is completed, each remaining tied team's record against the team occupying the highest position in the final regular season standings shall be compared, with the procedure continuing down through the standings until one team gains an advantage.

When arriving at another group of tied teams while comparing records, each team's collective record against the tied teams as a group shall be used.

If at any point in the process the multiple-team tie is reduced to two teams, the two-team tie-breaking procedure shall be applied.

If more than two teams are still tied after comparing their records all the way through the Conference standings, the team among the tied teams with the highest ranking in the final BCS standings shall be the Rose Bowl representative. If a tie remains, the teams most recently earning Rose Bowl or Bowl Championship Series automatic selection shall be eliminated.

Source: http://www.pac-10.org/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/111605aac.html

USC - Arizona State Pregame Notes

Here are some fun details about the USC Trojans and Arizona State Sun Devils going into the Thanksgiving Day game in Tempe:

• The game at Frank Kush Field/Sun Devil Stadium will be shown live nationally on ESPN (Chris Fowler, Doug Flutie and Craig James) at 5:00 pm PDT (6:00 p.m. locally).
• The Arizona State Sun Devils (9-1, 6-1 Pac-10) are ranked 7th in the AP, 6th in the ESPN poll.
• The USC Trojans (8-2, 5-2 Pac-10) are ranked 11th in the AP and 12th in the ESPN poll.
• Stakes: If USC wins, they need only to beat UCLA to finish 10-2, no worse than tied for first in the conference.
• If Arizona State wins, they finish no worse than tied for first in the conference and can clinch a Rose Bowl berth with a win over Arizona next week.
• USC has a 14-9 edge in its series with Arizona State.
• USC has won the last 7 games between them.
• No Pac-10 team has played USC fewer times than Arizona State.
• Arizona State was the last Pac-10 school to possess a winning record against the Trojans, possessing a 9-7 advantage before USC began its current winning streak.
• USC hasn’t fared well against ranked Sun Devil teams.
• Both teams are coming off byes.
• This is the 76th consecutive game that USC has been in the AP Top 25.
• Under head coach Pete Carroll, USC has won 22 November games and lost none.
• USC QB John David Booty is 7-0 as a starter against ranked teams.
• USC’s defense—the Pac-10’s best—are statistically in the national Top 10 in every category (including third in total defense).
• In Tempe, USC leads the series, 7-5
• Arizona State leads the series 4-2 in games in which the Sun Devils came in ranked.
• ASU coach Dennis Erickson is 1-4 against the Trojans, with the losses coming while at Washington State (1987) and Oregon State (1999, 2001 and 2002) and the win in 2000 at Oregon State.
• This will be USC’s 20th game on Thanksgiving, but its first since 1938.
• All but two of those games were played in Southern California.
• USC is 10-6-3 in Thanksgiving games.
• After byes, USC is 87-43-4 in all regular season games.
• Since 1955, the Trojans are 48-14-1 following byes.
• USC is 64-6 in its last 70 games.
• USC has 2 players on its roster from Arizona. Both are true freshman: DE Everson Griffen of Agua Fria HS and C Kristofer O’Dowd of Salpointe Catholic HS.
• The Sun Devils has 40 Californians on the roster.
• USC punter Greg Woidneck and receiver Brent Yoshida both previously attended Arizona State.
• USC DE Everson Griffen’s cousin is Arizona State TB Keegan Herring.
• USC OT Drew Radovich’s father, Mark, was a linebacker at Arizona State.
• ASU LB Ryan McFoy is the brother of former USC WR Chris McFoy.
• Defensively in 2007, USC is third nationally in total defense (267.9, first in Pac-10), fourth in pass efficiency defense (95.8, first in Pac-10), sixth in scoring defense (16.0, first in Pac-10), 10th in rushing defense (92.2, second in Pac-10), fifth in pass defense (175.7, first in Pac-10) and tied for 16th in sacks (3.0, tied for second in Pac- 10).
• USC has allowed just 6 touchdown passes in 2007, best in the nation.
• ASU QB Rudy Carpenter is 11th nationally in passing efficiency (152.3, second in Pac-10).
• ASU’s defense is nationally ranked in the Top 20 in every team category: ninth in pass efficiency defense (101.7, second in Pac-10), 14th in scoring defense (18.0, second in Pac-10), 16th in rushing defense (103.4, third in Pac-10), 19th in total defense (318.9, third in Pac-10).
• Injured USC players who might be back this week include: OT Sam Baker (hamstring), LB Keith Rivers (ankle), LB Clay Matthews (hand), C Kristofer O’Dowd (kneecap), FB-S Alfred Rowe (ankle), OT-OG Thomas Herring (knee), DE Trey Henderson (knee).
• Still out: TB C.J. Gable (abdomen), WR Travon Patterson (foot), TB Broderick Green (foot), TE Jimmy Miller (back), LB Chris Galippo (back), S-CB Josh Pinkard (knee), CB Kevin Thomas (shoulder), OT Martin Coleman (shoulder), WR Damian Williams (shoulder).
• The school colors look similar, but USC wears Cardinal & Gold, while ASU dons Maroon & Gold.
• USC just won their 750th victory in program history and now hold a 750-302-54 all-time record.
• Game conditions: a clear and cool night game. After a daytime high of 77° the overnight low will get to 45°.
• Little Richard will perform at halftime with the Sun Devil Marching Band.
• Reportedly, this will be Little Richard's final public appearance ever.
• Tailgaters: ASU will be opening the parking lots at 1:30 p.m. for all tailgaters. Tailgaters are encouraged to prepare Turkey dinners in advance. Deep frying equipment will not be permitted in the parking areas.

The teams' respective weekly press releases can be read here: USC Arizona State.

Games I'm Looking Forward To In Week 13

#11 USC @ #7 Arizona State (Thursday). Who thought it was a good idea to make college boys play on Thanksgiving? Oh well, at least it gives USC fans something better to watch than the Lions game. Actually, surprise, surprise, it probably will decide the Pac-10 and the Rose Bowl. Even if it doesn't, the winner probably gets to a BCS Bowl, most likely the Fiesta. The Ducks, a game behind ASU and tied with USC, have the tiebreaker against both schools, but they are vulnerable in their last two without Dennis Dixon. Another week, another Pac-10 Game-of-the-Year. The key matchup of the week: Rudy Carpenter's injured hand throwing against USC's outstanding defense.

#17 Boise State @ #14 Hawaii. (Friday) What I said in August still holds true: "This could be one game that decides a BCS bid. I owe some brudda I met in Alaska ten bucks if the Warriors go unbeaten. If you root for teams outside the BCS conferences, this is the game of the year." This is big. If Hawaii wins this, and then defeats Washington next week in Honolulu, expect a Sugar Bowl bid for the Rainbow Warriors, and that means one less at-large bid for the Pac-10 to chase. Boise State, which lost earlier to Washington, has an outside shot at the BCS if a few teams lose and especially if Boston College wins the ACC. If Colt Brennan sits another game with concussions, Hawaii has no chance.

Arkansas @ #1 LSU. (Friday). I'll be rooting for the visitor at LSU like every week. This late in the season, it should be obvious if any of the young Hogs look ready to transfer to USC. This is huge. A loss here won't keep LSU out of the SEC title game -- they've already clinched their first-ever outright SEC West division title -- but it would put the BCS title game almost out of reach. McFadden, meanwhile, is going to try to use this game to find his Heisman moment.

Florida State @ #12 Florida. I still love this game, even if the Noles aren't what they used to be. Nobody will give them much of a shot here unless Tim Tebow turns out to be a bust. Tebow is not a bust. Florida should destroy FSU by a big score. Of course, that's what I thought about Alabama and Louisiana Monroe.

#2 Kansas @ #3 Missouri. This is perhaps the least likely matchup of top three teams in college football history. I think the curse of the duece is going to strike Kansas, sending Missouri into the Big XII title game against Oklahoma or Texas. The Fiesta Bowl committee, which might be drooling over the prospect of a USC Texas or USC Oklahoma rematch, could also end up with Kansas against Connecticut. That sounds as crazy as USC and Notre Dame in the Final Four.

#6 Virginia Tech @ #16 Virginia. This will decide the ACC Coastal Division, and because it is at UVa, it should be interesting. I still think Tech is overrated, but they've kept winning. A win here gives them a chance to avenge their earlier loss to Boston College and earn a certain BCS bowl bid with a win in the conference championship next week.

#13 Texas @ Texas A&M. Suddenly, it matters because an Oklahoma loss to Oklahoma State could put Texas into the Big XII championship game, something that seemed unfathomable a month ago.

#19 Tennessee @ Kentucky. If Tennessee wins, they play LSU for the SEC next week. If Kentucky wins, Georgia goes. Curiously, there is a wild chance that Georgia could play for the national championship with two losses and without even winning its division, and the first crazy thing that must happen for that to occur is a Tennessee victory in Lexington.

#9 Oregon @ UCLA. I am no longer rooting for the Ducks to win out. Oregon losses are good for USC. With Notre Dame traveling to Stanford and UCLA playing a top ten opponent, the prospects for a "perfect weekend" look strong, but I don't want it. This weekend, I root for USC and UCLA, and against the Irish.

Oklahoma State @ #10 Oklahoma. Suck the Fooners. If QB Sam Bradford isn't back, I think they lose this game and watch the scoreboard from Texas.

Notre Dame @ Stanford. I hate Stanford this year, but I want them to win this one.

#6 Georgia @ Georgia Tech. I'll root for the wasps, but I don't think they'll win.

#20 Connecticut @ #4 West Virginia. If the Huskies win, Connecticut is in a BCS bowl. That's enough storyline to make me pay attention. Plus, I'd love to see another top five team go down, especially one that's a 17 point favorite against a 9-2 team.

Various College Football Thoughts

Whose bright idea was it to place Louisiana Tech in the Western Athletic Conference? How is Louisiana western? Geography doesn't always make sense in college football. Is East Carolina in North Carolina or South Carolina? They never tell us during the broadcasts.

The two lines that connect your top lip to the bottom of your nose are known as the philtrum. Chris Fowler's is really long, man.

Pity Kansas. After fighting all year to get to 11-0, defeating 11 opponents who don't have so much as a single point in the "others receiving votes" categories in the polls, the Jayhawks have to play Missouri this week bearing the ominous "second-ranked" title. They're finally toast. If I was at the game, I'd bring a sign that says "Our coach can eat up your coach."

USC's last road game of the year is upon us. I'm not going. I draw the line at traveling to games on Thanksgiving or Christmas. The last bowl game I missed: the Vegas Bowl in 2001, when it was a Christmas Day bowl game. At the beginning of the year, I thought USC'S road schedule at Nebraska, Washington, Notre Dame, Oregon, Cal and Arizona State would be the toughest in the nation. So far, only one of those teams has turned out to be worth a damn.

Has any player in the country lost more relevance that Cal's DeSean Jackson?

I still think Emmanuel Moody was nuts to go to Florida, even if he becomes a "featured back" there.  The Gators have historically almost never run the ball even 20 times a game. With Tim Tebow at quarterback, most running plays would stay with him.

Emmanuel Moody claims that he doesn't mind. “For me, I don’t feel like I’m one of those backs that’s looking at what I can do,” Moody said. It’s not about what he can do, but what the team can do. But if that's the case, you have to wonder why he left the #1 team in the nation to sit out a season. Did he know something we didn't?

Speaking of crazy former USC tailbacks, I saw this quote in today's paper. "As always, I rely on the jury system," says OJ Simpson. When relying on the jury system becomes part of your personal life plan, you should start thinking about seeing a shrink.

I went through some football withdrawal last weekend, with USC getting a bye in advance of their Thanksgiving Day game. It's the closest thing to a game-of-the-year the Pac 10 has left, since this one might decide who stays in the running for the Rose Bowl or a second BCS Bowl bid. The anticipation was tougher to deal with after watching two teams ahead of USC lose to unranked opponents and then not drop below us in the polls. D'oh!

Bruin fans, are you ready for Brady Leaf to come to town to battle Osaar Rasshan? Ten bucks to anyone who predicted back in August that those would be the starting quarterbacks and that this game would have BCS bowl implications for the Ducks.

UCLA needs to beat Oregon or USC to become Emerald Bowl eligible.

Could beating Oregon and USC save Karl Dorrell's job? If you are a Bruin fan, let me know what you think. USC fans would want him fired if he put us through five years like UCLA just had. Someone pointed out that before suffering a few injuries, UCLA had 20 returning starters. That was the good news. The bad news: it was the same guys who stunk last year in all but one game.

Duke and UCLA are both expected to fire their coaches at season's end. When was the last time coaches got whacked, in large part, because of embarrassing losses to Notre Dame?

Old and busted: Notre Dame beating up service academies. New hotness: losing to service academies, but beating up on basketball schools.

UCLA fans probably felt better after Notre Dame defeated Duke. Who wants to be known as the only team to lose to lowly Notre Dame? I wouldn't have minded, but then again, I despise UCLA football. If, in August, I had been given the power to determine the outcome of every Notre Dame game this season, the Irish would finish 1-11, with a win over only UCLA.

In retrospect, perhaps the entire Pac-10 should feel good about Notre Dame defeating Duke. Imagine the conference humiliation if Notre Dame had lost to Duke before beating Stanford in its final game to go 2-1 against the Pac-10 and 0-9 against the rest of the country.

Ty Willingham's three recruiting classes at Notre Dame were ranked #32 (2004), #12 (2003) and #24 (2002). Not quite what the Irish expected, but not the cause of an 2-9 start in 2007 now, is it? Yet Notre Dame fans are not lining up to fire Charlie. Why?

My guess is that Irish fans love hype and expectation more than performance. They'd rather have a coach who can recruit talent and then disappoint them. Someone who goes 3-9 but recruits well for next year is better than some who recruits okay talent and goes 8-4 with the certain prospect of four more losses next year.

I'm not going to miss the Irish home broadcasts. They were pathetic this year. Was it too much to ask Charlie Weis to keep the snot off his face during games? If not, couldn't someone ask NBC to check Weis's face for snot rockets before cutting to a live shot of his mug? I enjoy eating and drinking during games, and it was just a matter of time before I regurgitated something during a live shot of Charlie launching a snot rocket. Every week, I had to change the channel once it started getting cold down on the field. Fortunately, I probably won't watch the Stanford - Notre Dame game.

I hate Stanford games.

Lex TV 147

Here are another dozen interesting or amusing videos:

The "real" Sparky or, why Arizona State is kind of lame.

Why I am glad I couldn't make the USC - Cal game.

The new French President loves America.

Gruesome near--fatal lion attack in Iranian zoo. Everybody stays so calm.

A cool video of an iceberg collapsing.

The Clapper version 2.0.

I want this horn for Christmas to put on my Ford Ranger.

Is your geek ripping you off?

Richard Nixon's resignation outtakes.

Car wash etiquette 101: stay in the freaking car.

Does size really matter? slightly nsfw

Curious, the fragrance ad that explains Britney Spears and her attitude toward men in 15 seconds.

Pac-10 Bowl Scenarios Ver. 3.0

With two weeks left in the season, here are the latest Pac-10 standings:

1. Arizona State (9) 6-1 9-1
2. Oregon (2) 5-2 8-2
    USC (11) 5-2 8-2
4. Oregon State 5-3 7-4
5. UCLA 4-3 5-5
6. Arizona 4-4 5-6
    California 3-5 6-5
8. Washington State 2-6 4-7
9. Stanford 2-6 3-7
10. Washington 2-6 4-7

There is now just one Pac-10 teams controlling its own destiny to get a BCS bid. It's good to be Arizona State. But the Sun Devils have to play USC and rival Arizona before the season is over. Here are the latest "if they win out" scenarios:

1. If Arizona State wins out: The Sun Devils go to the Rose Bowl. Otherwise, they probably end up in the Fiesta Bowl.

2. If Oregon wins out: They go to the Rose Bowl if USC beats ASU. They probably get to the Fiesta if ASU beats USC. The BCS Championship is out like Dixon.

3. If USC wins out: USC is in the Rose Bowl if Oregon loses one more game, and probably the Fiesta or Sugar otherwise.

What's left:

Week 13 - USC @ ASU, Oregon @ UCLA, Wazzu @ UW, Notre Dame @ Stanford
Week 14 - UCLA @ USC, OSU @ Oregon, Cal @ Stanford, Arizona @ ASU, UW @ Hawaii

I'll guess that this week, USC, UCLA, Wazzu and Stanford win, with USC, Oregon State, Cal, ASU and Washington winning next week. If so, the final standings and bowl bids should look like this (with just five bowl-eligible teams, the Pac-10's slots in the Vegas Bowl and Armed Forces Bowl would go to at-large teams):

1. USC 7-2 10-2    Rose Bowl
    Arizona State 7-2 10-2    Fiesta Bowl
3. Oregon State 6-3 8-4   Holiday Bowl
4. Oregon 5-4 8-4   Sun Bowl
     UCLA 5-4 6-6    Vegas Bowl
6. California 4-5 7-5    Emerald Bowl
     Arizona 4-5 5-7
8. Washington State 3-6 5-7
9. Stanford 2-7 5-7
10. Washington 2-7 4-9

Of course, there are a myriad of other possibilities, depending upon the outcomes of USC-ASU, ASU-UA, UCLA-Oregon, Oregon-OSU and USC-UCLA. I'll dive into those later.

Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 153)

This is a rather important looking building. It looks like a courthouse, or an important government  building. It is. It's a post office. And not just any post office. It is the Árd-Oifig an Phuist — the General Post Office in Dublin, just up from the north bank of the River Liffey, on the city's main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street. It is one of Ireland's most famous and important buildings, for it was the place where Irish patriots declared their independence from Britain with the Easter Proclamation, read by Pádraig Pearse during the Easter Uprising of 1916.

The effort at revolution was swift and unsuccessful, but the British response turned many loyalists into nationalists, and within a few years, Ireland was a free nation.

The Year of the Injured Pac-10 Quarterback

Nationally, this is going to be remembered as the year of the upset. Out west, it's going down as the year of the injured Pac-10 quarterback.

Exhibit A: UCLA, 4-1 and on the verge of a return to the Top 25, and already without Pat Cowan, lose Ben Olson in the first quarter at home against Notre Dame. With a walk-on quarterback playing his first meaningful downs, the Bruins get outscored 17-0 to become the first team to lose to the Irish in 2007.

Exhibit B: With the Trojans ranked #1 in the coaches poll and #2 in the AP poll, USC's John David Booty breaks a finger during a home game against Stanford. Booty remains in and throws 4 picks en route to a one point loss. Behind backup Mark Sanchez, the Trojans lose again three weeks later.

Exhibit C: Ranked #2 in the nation, Cal loses Nate Longshore to a sprained ankle. With word out of Lexington that the #1 LSU Tigers had lost, the Bears lose at home to unranked Oregon State as their freshman backup quarterback runs and gets tackled inbounds, causing the clock to run out with the Bears in (game-tying) field goal range. With Longshore playing hurt, the Bears go on to lose 4 of their next 5 games.

Exhibit D: With Oregon ranked #2 in both polls, the Ducks' Dennis Dixon tears a knee ligament at Arizona with the Ducks leading. Arizona wins.

Pity Arizona State's rudy Carpenter. He's due up next.

Travel in the Dark Thoughts

This morning, I had to fly to San Jose for a status conference. I had it calendared for 10:00 a.m., but everyone else put 9:00 a.m. on their status conference statements, so I decided to get there early by flying out of Ontario on one of those 6-something a.m. flights.

Last night, I discovered that the court's website lists each judge's calendar. Sure enough, we were on at 10:00, not 9:00. So I switched flights to John Wayne and "slept in" until after five.

When I got to John Wayne, the line for security for first class/premium passengers was about 100 people long. Not too bad, but the regular line was only about five people deep. I thought maybe I was not noticing something, but it was true. There was a long line for first class and premium ticketholders, and an extremely short one for just whomever. I went to the coach line, even though I had the premium ducat. I guess some people would rather spend longer in line if they know it's the line for "special" people. I'm not one of those folks. Inside the airport, I got to board early with the new boarding system on Southwest. For a change, I was near the front of the plane.

Once we landed in San Jose, I was so early that I didn't need a cab. The light rail goes right past the courthouse and unless you need to be there right away, a cab is unnecessary. As I was waiting for the Metro/Airport shuttle bus, a woman came up to me and asked if this was the bus to the light rail. I told her it was, and got on. She fumbled through her purse for her buzzing cell phone and missed the bus. I wondered if she was one of the special people.

I got to court and sat through a dreadful calendar that was short in terms of matters, but long in terms of minutes. My case wasn't called until an hour after the departure of the return flight I had booked. I was as bored as an anorexic on a Mexican cruise. Eventually, we went back to chambers, chatted for a few minutes, and left. Once it was over, I retraced my steps and did it all in reverse. I could have phoned this one in, but this particularly judge doesn't do phone appearances.

Now I'm exhausted. I hate business travel, especially since almost all my business travel is to Oakland, San Jose or Sacramento. It gets old. I also hate it when my work day runs from before sunrise until after sunset. And in general, I hate short days and early sunsets

I have now gone home "early" ten times after dark. I hate returning to standard time. But you know what I hated even more? Halloween during daylight saving time. I don't know what it's like in other parts of the country, but in Orange County, kids do not go trick-or-treating during daylight hours. Pushing the date back for standard time did not, as safety experts said it would, send kids out into the neighborhood in safer daylight hours. Like every year before, the kids waited until it was dark and then they went out.

Do kids in other parts of the country go trick-or-treating before dark? I remember watching the beginning of E.T., and all the kids were running around the neighborhood in costume, knocking on doors in broad daylight. Afterwards, we were commenting on how unrealistic the film was. Midget aliens? No problem. FBI swarming in on a kid's house and quarantining everyone? No big deal. Flying bicycles? We can see that. But trick-or-treating in broad daylight? Absurd. Maybe it's an east coast or a midwest thing. I don't know. I just know that we didn't like the late start on trick-or-treating in the dark.

And candy makers, who supposedly lobbied hard for the change, you all got screwed, too. Because the kids started later, but it being a school night, they didn't necessarily stay out later. We didn't get a single knock on the door until after 6:30. By 8:30, just like any other year, the doorbell was silent. The effect was that we gave away just a little bit over half of what we normally do.

Next year, we buy less candy. I don't need the calories or the cavities. I do, however, need the sleep.

Students Drinking In College

A recent story about students drinking beer in class at Boston College reminded me of a funny moment from my undergraduate education. We had this one professor who used to show up for our afternoon class smelling like a martini almost every time. She joked right before the final about people bringing wine or liquor to the exam so we could celebrate the end of the semester. In one of the most brazen and stupid moments of my college career, I brought a bottle a peach schnapps to the exam. I was 18.

From the back of the class, the president of the Delta Chi fraternity saw me, and bolted up to the chair next to mine. We threw back a couple of shots before the teacher declared her prior comment to be a joke. We stashed the bottle. From that moment on, I was welcomed at Delta Chi as if I was a brother. Later that year, the house lost its national charter and got kicked off campus. The president was later involved in some sort of major scandal, but he graduated and went on to a successful career.

The professor said nothing to or about us and our bottle of schnapps. I aced the test. She wasn't there anymore by the time I graduated.

College Football Results, 2007 Week 12

My picks were pretty good this week, 9-5 overall and 5-2 in the games I liked. I truly believe I'd have gone 6-1 but for Dennis Dixon's injury.

L **#2 Oregon at Arizona -12½ (Oregon-) [so unfair....]
W **Northwestern at #19 Illinois -13½ (Illinois-)
L Syracuse at #24 Connecticut -18½ (Syracuse+)
L **#23 Kentucky at #9 Georgia -8 (Kentucky+)
W #5 Missouri at Kansas State +7½ (Mizzou-)
L Vanderbilt at #20 Tennessee -11½ (Tenn-)
W Idaho at #18 Boise State -33½ (Boise-)
W **#1 LSU at Mississippi +18 (Miss-)
L Iowa State at #3 Kansas -26 (Iowa State+)
W **Miami (FL) at #10 Virginia Tech -17 (Tech-)
W **#25 Wisconsin at Minnesota +13½ (Wisconsin-)
W #6 West Virginia at #22 Cincinnati +6½ (Cincy+)
W #17 Boston College at #15 Clemson -7 (BC+)
W **#4 Oklahoma at Texas Tech +9½ (TT+)

Clever Death Row Inmate To Remain Alive Until Menopause, At Least

The challenge: prisoner Nguyen Thi Oanh was sentenced to death in 2005 for drug trafficking.

The loophole: Vietnamese law provides that pregnant women and mothers of children under 3 cannot be put to death.

The solution: sexual encounters with a male inmate, facilitated by a pair of corrupt cops.

The cost: from her perspective, $92. From the cops' perspective, three-and-a-half  to five years in prison themselves.

The new challenge: finding two more corrupt cops before 2009.

Sue One For The Gipper

Relatives of George Gipp are suing ESPN for allegedly causing the Gipper's body to be exhumed. Next on the docket: suing Charlie Weis for the 1-9 start that had the Gipper turning over in his grave.

Another Bruin Barpasser

Mike Tran, he of the UCLA undergraduate background and USC sweatshirt, has passed the California bar exam, and he'll be a litigator possible as early as November 27, when a case he is set to second chair will be starting trial. Congratulations, Mike!

On a side note, when I googled Mike to find the image in that link, I came across this website: "How Should Mike Tran Die This Week?" I didn't vote because (a) it's probably a different Mike Tran; and (b) there was no option called "from anticipation over pending bar results."

Phighting Phishing

I got this email from Paypal, and honestly, at first, I thought it was the funniest attempt at phishing I'd ever seen, but it was legit.

Spot the Fake Dear lex icon, Don't fall for fraudulent emails. Take our Fight Phishing Challenge at https://www.paypal.com/fightphishing.	Is your site ready for the holidays? Get paid by phone, fax or mail Save up to 31% on eBay shipments

Games I'm Looking Forward To In Week 12

Oregon @ Arizona (Thursday): I'm watching this solely for its Rose Bowl / BCS Bowl implications. Oregon should kill the Wildcats, even though it's a weird Thursday schedule.

#7 Ohio State @ #23 Michigan. Always a great game. Might not matter as much this year if tOSU has two or three losses. Might be the only game worth watching all weekend. Illinois and Wisconsin ruined it. The game still decides the Big Ten title, but do we really care anymore? If Michigan loses, they finish in a two-way tie for second in the Big Ten (or alone in second if Illinois falls to Northwestern), but some bowl forecasts have them dropping to the Champs Sports Bowl, which is the Big Ten's #5 bowl deal, being passed up in favor of Illinois, Wisconsin and Penn State. If Ohio State loses, they'll drop from #1 to #15 or so in two weeks. I think the Rose Bowl committee will be rooting for the Buckeyes with all their might, as a victorious Ohio State should go into the Rose Bowl no worse than fifth-ranked.

LSU @ Ole Miss: Coach O needs a win to avoid going winless in the SEC. Last year, in the Bayou, Ole Miss almost got 'em. But that was then. Now, this would be a Stanford over USC caliber upset if it happened. An Ole Miss win here really screws everything up but good.

Miami @ Virginia Tech. The 'Canes got embarrassed last week in their last home game ever at the Orange Bowl. A bounceback win here would be quite a story. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, even with two losses, one of which (LSU) was an embarrassing beatdown, is shockingly close to playing for a national title.

West Virginia @ Cincinnati. West Virginia could still get to the national title game, and this is the last big hurdle they face on their schedule. Finishing with home games against U.Conn and Pitt. Cincy fans will be quick to point out that the Bearcats are 3-0 against ranked opponents this year.

Kentucky @ Georgia. The Bulldogs are playing well and carry the flag for the SEC East, which right now has them tied for first with Tennessee. The Vols hold the tiebreaker. Many people think Georgia has the best shot of beating LSU in the SEC title game. As for this matchup, expect a lot of offense. Kentucky's defense is soft, and Georgia has put up 42, 44 and 45 points in their last three games.

Oklahoma @ Texas Tech: Set aside for a moment the games in Norman and the non-conference win over Tulsa, and look at the Sooners' road conference record: a 24-27 loss at Colorado, a 7 point win at Texas and a 10 point win at Iowa State. Oklahoma is not as good on the road, and the Red Raiders are a good team. This could be interesting.

Missouri @ Kansas State. After what Nebraska did to the Wildcats, you have to wonder whether Mizzou will be even more vicious, or the KS boys will respond with a bounceback performance.

Iowa State @ Kansas. Interesting only because it has the potential to be a massive upset. Not that I think it will happen.

Will All The Athletes Indicted Today Please Raise Your Hands

***

*** on perjury and obstruction of justice charges.

College Football Picks, 2007 Week 12

This week, there are only 14 games with published spreads, involving the 25 BCS ranked college football teams. I like half of them:

Thursday, November 15
**#2 Oregon at Arizona -12½ (Oregon-)

Saturday, November 17
**Northwestern at #19 Illinois -13½ (Illinois-)
Syracuse at #24 Connecticut -18½ (Syracuse+)
#5 Missouri at Kansas State +7½ (Mizzou-)
**#23 Kentucky at #9 Georgia -8 (Kentucky+)
Vanderbilt at #20 Tennessee -11½ (Tenn-)
Idaho at #18 Boise State -33½ (Boise-)
**#1 LSU at Mississippi +18 (Miss-)
Iowa State at #3 Kansas -26 (Iowa State+)
**Miami (FL) at #10 Virginia Tech -17 (Tech-)
**#25 Wisconsin at Minnesota +13½ (Wisconsin-)
#6 West Virginia at #22 Cincinnati +6½ (Cincy+)
#17 Boston College at #15 Clemson -7 (BC+)
**#4 Oklahoma at Texas Tech +9½ (TT+)

Other games that interest me:

California @ Washington +7 (Cal-)
Duke @ Notre Dame -5 (Notre Dame-)
Oregon State @ Washington State -1½ (Oregon State+)

Three games this week currently have no line:

#16 Hawaii at Nevada N/L (key injury)
#7 Ohio State at #21 Michigan N/L (key injury)
Florida Atlantic at #12 Florida N/L

A Two-Loss NCAA Football Champion?

I still say there's no realistic chance, but here are some plausible scenarios: Georgia beats LSU in the SEC title game; Oregon loses @ UCLA; Kansas falls to Missouri, which then beats Oklahoma in the Big XII title game; West Virginia loses @ Cincinnati. Ohio State falls @ Michigan; USC beats Arizona State. Boise State knocks off Hawaii. The championship game could be Missouri against two-loss Georgia.

LSU ends up 11-2. Oregon ends up 10-2. Kansas drops to 11-1; Oklahoma finishes 11-2; Missouri is 12-1; West Virginia, Ohio State and Arizona State end up 10-2. The only one-loss teams are Kansas, Missouri, Boise State and Hawaii. A Kansas - Missouri rematch in the BCS title game? Probably not. More likely: a two-loss Georgia against Missouri. How about that? Final BCS standings:

1. Missouri 12-1
2. Georgia 11-2
3. Oklahoma 11-2
4. Kansas 11-1
5. LSU 11-2
6. Virginia Tech 11-2
7. Oregon 10-2
8. USC 10-2
9. West Virginia 10-2
10. Texas 10-2

But that's not the only way it could go down. For a two-loss champion to emerge, there are eight things that must happen, but there are a variety of ways they could go down. Here's the list of what would have to happen, including both plausible and implausible outcomes:

1. LSU (9-1) must lose to Ole Miss, Arkansas or the SEC East champ.
2. Oregon (8-1) must lose to UCLA or Oregon State.
3. Kansas (10-0) must lose to Iowa State, Missouri or Oklahoma, or their opponent in the BCS title game
4. Oklahoma (9-1) must lose to Texas Tech, Oklahoma State or the Big 12 North champ.
5. Missouri (9-1) must lose to K. State, Kansas or Oklahoma
6. West Virginia (9-1) must lose @ Cincy, or to Connecticut or Pitt.
7. Ohio State (10-1) must lose to Michigan
8. Arizona State (9-1) must lose to USC or Arizona.

Those eight things happen and we have our first double-loser to win a national title.** Could be Georgia, could be LSU, could be Oklahoma, could be Virginia Tech. Probably couldn't be USC or Texas. Definitely couldn't be Ohio State, Arizona State, Missouri, Kansas or Oregon, for whom a second loss would drop them too far.

**Sure, Minnesota did it in 1960, but its second loss, suffered in the Rose Bowl, came after the AP crowned them the champs.

Political Plants

Senator Clinton got busted last week for "planting" questions in a town hall type rally.

"After her speech, Clinton accepted questions. But according to Grinnell College student Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff ’10, some of the questions from the audience were planned in advance. 'They were canned,' she said. Before the event began, a Clinton staff member approached Gallo-Chasanoff to ask a specific question after Clinton’s speech. 'One of the senior staffers told me what [to ask],' she said. "Clinton called on Gallo-Chasanoff after her speech to ask a question: what Clinton would do to stop the effects of global warming. Clinton began her response by noting that young people often pose this question to her before delving into the benefits of her plan.

I should have known they were up to something when I went to a rally earlier this year and a "random" audience member was picked to ask the following question: "Senator, you are clearly the most qualified candidate in the field. Can you elaborate?"

Lex TV 146

Here are another dozen interesting or amusing videos:

Why amateurs shouldn't be allowed to juggle bowling balls.

What Brit's VMA number should have looked like.

Cal fans reveal the "real" lyrics to Sons of Westwood, the fight song UCLA stole from Cal.

A moving tribute video to the Edmund Fitzgerald, set to the tune of ... what else?

Creepy stop motion animation.

An amazing new debt-reduction system.

South Park on leprechauns.

Best of Family Guy, Season 6.

This phone prank must have sounded like a fun idea at first, but in the end, the truth comes out.

Juggling skewers is cool, until wildlife happens by.

Balls on ball action = goooooooaaaaaaallllllll!

Vote for Tancredo, before terrorists blow up your kid.

Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 152)

This is the port town of Kinsale, in County Cork, in southern Ireland, on a Saturday night. Kinsale is a neat little walled medieval town on the edge of what was once a militarily important deep water harbor, at the mouth of the River Bandon. It is known for its port, its B&Bs, its pubs and its gourmet restaurants. After dark, the streets become nearly empty, but the pubs and restaurants fill, and everyone eats and drinks to their hearts' content. Nestled a short distance from Ireland's second city, it is like the best of Napa, Chicago and San Diego all rolled into one tiny little village of barely more than 2,000 souls. It looks quiet in this photo, but it's not. Everyone is inside one of the dining or drinking establishments making noise. Smoking, however, is done outside the front doors. Aside from my party, everyone else in the street is enjoying a puff.

While the nightlife is a major highlight of any visit to Kinsale, the place is worth a visit day or night. Before the sun goes down, you can golf, take a harbor cruise or explore on a sailboat or a yacht. You can roam the town on foot, shop or visit an old fort and learn about the 1601 Battle of Kinsale, which, had it gone the other way, might have resulted in most Americans speaking Spanish rather than English. It's an interesting story, but it's told best by the locals in Kinsale.

What Level of Education Do You Need To Understand This Blog

Criticsrant.com has the answer:

Bolts 23 Colts 21

This was pretty cool. They released this bald eagle to fly around Qualcomm during the national anthem before the Charger game. It was released from right near our corner club level seats.

Darren Sproles returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown! This place is hopping. Now let's hope the Colts pull a Peyton Manning.

[Update: they did. Picked off at the one! Chargers ball!]

The photo is blurry because we were jumping up and down in disbelief as Adam Vinatieri sliced a 29 yard field goal attempt that would have beaten the Chargers. Even the fan who did the contest wher you kick field goals for a prize hit his 30-yarder. The Bolts are now 5-4 and alone in first place after beating the defending Super Bowl champs on six interceptions of Peyton Manning and a pair of missed field goals by Indianapolis. The stadium was so loud, even ten minutes after the game, you'd think we just won the Super Bowl. I was pretty underwhelmed by the Chargers' offense, however. Six interceptions brought just 10 points.

[Update: I just combined all three mobile-blogging posts into one.]

Lottery Called on Account of Stupidity

As most intelligent people know, the lottery's primary purpose is to impose a voluntary tax on society's stupidest people. Exhibit A: an English lottery scratch card game has been withdrawn from sale because too many players had such a basic misunderstanding of math that they decided that the trouble of responding to complaints by math idiots wasn't worth it.

The "Cool Cash" game was canceled because people were having trouble understanding why they won or lost. To win, player scratch off a winter temperature, which on many cards is a below-freezing negative number, and score a lower temperature than control temperature. Comparing negative numbers was just too hard for the target market, which, by definition, encompasses primarily people who don't understand the concept of mathematical odds.

The story includes a great quote from one Tina Farrell, from Levenshulme, who called Camelot after failing to win with several cards. The 23-year-old, who said she had left school without a maths GCSE, said:

"On one of my cards it said I had to find temperatures lower than -8. The numbers I uncovered were -6 and -7 so I thought I had won, and so did the woman in the shop. But when she scanned the card the machine said I hadn't. I phoned Camelot and they fobbed me off with some story that -6 is higher - not lower - than -8 but I'm not having it.
...
Six is a lower number than 8. Imagine how many people have been misled."

Rather than try to educate people about such complex math concepts as -6 not being a lower value than -8, and/or potentially facing the abuse of irate math illiterates, they canceled the game.

College Football Results, 2007 Week 11

I went 3-2 in my money games, and 13-10 overall in this week's games:

W Louisville at #7 West Virginia -15   Louisville+
L **#12 Michigan at Wisconsin +2½   Michigan-
W Wake Forest at #21 Clemson -8   Clemson-
W **#23 Penn State at Temple +24   Penn State-
W Texas A&M at #6 Missouri -18½   A&M+
W #22 Alabama at Mississippi State +4½   MSU+
L Arkansas at #24 Tennessee -1   Arkansas+
W #25 Kentucky at Vanderbilt +4   Kentucky-
W **#20 Boise State at Utah State +24   Boise-
W Illinois at #1 Ohio State -15   Illinois+
W **#9 Arizona State at UCLA +6   UCLA+
L #18 Auburn at #10 Georgia -1   Auburn+
L Florida State at #11 Virginia Tech -6½   FSU+
L #13 Connecticut at Cincinnati -5   U Conn+
W Texas Tech at #14 Texas -6½   Texas-
W Baylor at #5 Oklahoma -37½   Baylor+
L #15 Florida at South Carolina +6½   usc+
W Louisiana Tech at #2 LSU -36   LSU-
L #4 Kansas at Oklahoma State +5½   Oklahoma State+
L #8 Boston College at Maryland +5½   BC-
W #17 USC at California +4   USC-
L #19 Virginia at Miami -3½   Miami-
L **Fresno State at #16 Hawaii -17  Hawaii-

Illinois beating Ohio State in Columbus was the story of the season, but not the only good story of the week. Examples: one week after Kansas beat Nebraska 70-something to 30-something, Nebraska did the same to Kansas State. Go figure. How about this one: Colorado, the Sooner-slayers, lost to Iowa State, one of the Division 1-AA victims from earlier in the season. Boston College continued the curse of the deposed No. 2s by losing again. USC looked better than I expected when I saw the rain.

The best part about this weekend: I had every intention of going to Berkeley to see the USC-Cal game, but relented when my wife decided she really wanted to go to our school's fundraiser dinner and ball. As it turns out, I'd have been miserable at that game, even though USC won.

Unranked Illinois 28, No. 1 Ohio State 21

At the Horseshoe, too. And the Buckeyes showed their usually Buckeye class by brawling at the end of the game. Dumbest timeout of the season: Ohio State called timeout with the Illini facing 4th and inches at their own 32. Ron Zook was going to punt and count on his defense to preserve the win. During the timeout, his players convinced him to try to convert instead. After the timeout, they went for it and made the first down, then ran out the game clock by finishing an 8 minute 9 second drive.

Ohio State and Michigan will both be coming off huge disappointing losses going into their big game next week.

This was the ninth time a top-five team lost to an unranked opponent in 2007.

USC - Cal Pregame Notes

Here are some fun details about the USC Trojans and Cal Golden Bears going into this weekend's game in Berkeley:

• The game will be shown live nationally on ABC at 5:00 pm PST.
• USC is 7-2 overall, 4-2 in Pacific-10 play.
• Cal is 6-3 overall, 3-3 Pacific-10 play.
• USC is ranked 12th in the AP poll, 15th in the coaches poll, 17th in the BCS.
• This is the 75th consecutive game that USC has been in the AP Top 25, but the third time in four weeks that USC has been out of the top ten.
• Cal is ranked 24th (tied with Kentucky) in the AP Poll.
• Cal is just outside the top 25 in the Coaches poll, Harris poll and BCS rankings.
• Cal was ranked as high as #2 in both polls.
• Cal fans chanted "We're number 1!" when LSU lost.
• A few minutes later, Oregon State beat the Bears.
• They've slipped from #2 in the country to #5 in the conference.
• Last season, Cal and USC tied for the Pac-10 championship.
• USC went to the Rose Bowl because they won the tiebreaker with their 23-9 win over Cal at the Coliseum.
• Cal's last appearance in the Rose Bowl was in 1959.
• USC is 63-7 (.900) in its last 70 games.
• The Trojans are just 3-2 (.600) in their last five.
• Cal has lost three of its last four games, including two to unranked opponents.
• The Bears are 4-1 at home this season.
• USC leads the overall series 59-30-5, according to USC
• According to Cal, USC leads 58-29-5. Cal does not count two rugby matches.
• In Berkeley, USC leads 30-13-1.
• In their last ten games at Cal, the Bears have won just three games against USC.
• One of those, however, cost USC the 2003 season's BCS Championship.
• USC is 21-0 in November under head coach Pete Carroll.
• Carroll's teams are 25-7 (78.1%) against ranked opponents.
• Field conditions: artificial turf. USC is 24-12-1 in its last 37 games on artificial turf.
• Game conditions: A steady light rain early, then cloudy with a few showers. Low 52F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
• USC is 20-21-3 when it rains throughout the game.
• The last such rainy game was a home win in 2004 over Notre Dame.
• This will be USC’s 45th game at California, but its first night game there.
• Last year’s USC-Cal game in the Coliseum was the first night game ever between the schools.
• Both teams have had quarterback injury problems that contributed to upset losses.
• Cal tailback Justin Forsett needs one rushing TD to move to #4 on Cal's single-season rushing touchdowns list.
• He needs two to move into second place, and three to tie J.J. Arrington's record of 15, set in 2004.
• Cal QB Nate Longshore needs 32 yards to move past Justin Vedder for the 9th spot on Cal's career passing yards list.
• Longshore needs just one passing TD to move past Craig Morton into 7th place on the all-time Bears passing list.
• DeSean Jackson needs 89 receiving yards to move from 5th place to 3rd place in the all-time Bears receiving records.
• Cal is 5-0 when wearing their gold alternate uniforms, which they wore last week against Washington State.
• USC Linebacker Keith Rivers and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis are among 17 quarterfinalists for The 2007 Lott Trophy.
• USC senior nose tackle Sedrick Ellis has been named one of 15 semifinalists for the 2007 Bednarik Award.
• USC OT Sam Baker has been named a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award (top lineman).
• California will honor 18 seniors who will be seeing their final action at Memorial Stadium, including a dozen fifth-year seniors.
• Cal receiver DeSean Jackson has been selected as one of 12 semifinalists for the 2007 Biletnikoff Award.
• Cal punter Andrew Larson has been selected as a finalist for the Ray Guy Award.
• Cal center Alex Mack was selected as one of 12 semifinalists for the 38th Rotary Lombardi Award.
• Cal’s defense has forced a fumble in all nine games has recovered a fumble in eight.
• Cal has 22 victories in its last 25 home games.
• The three losses were to Oregon State in 2005 and 2007, and USC in 2005.
• Cal's DeSean Jackson has returned six punts for touchdown in his career.
• Jackson committed to USC as a high school senior, but changed his mind on signing day.
• Cal's Justin Forsett is second in the Pac-10 in rushing (111.7 per game).
• Forsett leads the Pac-10 in touchdowns (12).
• Cal ranks first in the league in sacks against (8).
• USC had just 20 sacks on the season until last week, when the Trojans recorded 9 sacks against Oregon State.
• USC has 7 players from Bay Area high schools.
• Cal has avoided the shutout in a school-record 103 consecutive games.
• Last Cal shutout: September 11, 1999.
• The last time USC shut the Bears out was in 1994 (61-0).
• Cal's Robert Jordan has caught a pass in 38 straight games.
• That's the 4th longest current streak in the nation.
• The Pac-10 record is 48 games (Kareem Kelly, USC, 1999-2002).
• Seventeen different Trojans have caught a pass in 2007.
• Ten different Trojans have caught a touchdown pass in 2007.
• USC has now lost 12 starters/projected starters injury for at least one game: SCB Josh Pinkard (9 games), TB C.J. Gable (6 games), C Kristofer O’Dowd (4 games), C Matt Spanos (3 games), LB Brian Cushing (3 games), OG Chilo Rachal (3 games), QB John David Booty (3 games), CB Shareece Wright (2 games), OT Sam Baker (2 games), CB Cary Harris (1 game), WR Patrick Turner (1 game) and TB Chauncey Washington (1 game).
• Strangest fact from USC's weekly release: "USC has played 1,106 games in its history and only once—when Troy went to Berkeley in 1951 and snapped No. 1-ranked California’s 38-game regular season unbeaten streak—has the final score been a very football-like 21-14 (win or lose)."
• USC injury update, possible: OT Sam Baker (hamstring), C Kristofer O’Dowd (kneecap).
• USC injury update, questionable: FB-S Alfred Rowe (ankle), OTOG Thomas Herring (knee), DE Trey Henderson (knee).
• USC injury update, out: TB C.J. Gable (abdomen), WR Travon Patterson (foot), TE Jimmy Miller (back), LB Chris Galippo (back), S-CB Josh Pinkard (knee), CB Kevin Thomas (shoulder), OT Martin Coleman (shoulder), WR Damian Williams (shoulder).
• The teams' respective weekly press releases can be read here: USC Cal.
• Overall team statistics:

California:
SCORING ..................................... 286
Points Per Game .......................... 31.8
FIRST DOWNS ..............................187
Rushing .......................................... 78
Passing .......................................... 98
Penalty ........................................... 11
RUSHING YARDAGE ................... 1479
Yards gained rushing .................... 1638
Yards lost rushing .......................... 141
Rushing Attempts .......................... 311
Average Per Rush ........................... 4.8
Average Per Game ...................... 166.3
TDs Rushing ................................... 19
PASSING YARDAGE ................... 2151
Att-Comp-Int ......................... 312-190-9
Average Per Pass ........................... 6.9
Average Per Catch ........................ 11.3
Average Per Game ...................... 239.0
TDs Passing ................................... 13
TOTAL OFFENSE ........................ 3648
Total Plays .................................... 623
Average Per Play ............................ 5.9
Average Per Game ...................... 405.3

USC:
SCORING....................................... 283
Points Per Game............................ 31.4
FIRST DOWNS................................ 190
Rushing............................................. 88
Passing............................................. 95
Penalty............................................... 7
RUSHING YARDAGE..................... 1617
Yards gained rushing...................... 1822
Yards lost rushing............................ 205
Rushing Attempts............................ 340
Average Per Rush............................. 4.8
Average Per Game........................ 179.7
TDs Rushing..................................... 15
PASSING YARDAGE..................... 2091
Att-Comp-Int.......................... 326-202-14
Average Per Pass.............................. 6.4
Average Per Catch........................... 10.4
Average Per Game......................... 232.3
TDs Passing....................................... 21
TOTAL OFFENSE........................... 3708
Total Plays....................................... 666
Average Per Play............................... 5.6
Average Per Game......................... 412.0

More on the Bowl Scenarios for USC

Here are the latest Pac-10 standings:

1.  Oregon (3)  5-1  8-1
     Arizona State (9)  5-1  8-1
3.  USC (12)  4-2  7-2
     UCLA  4-2  5-4
5.  California  3-3  6-3
     Oregon State  3-3  5-4
7.  Arizona  3-4  4-6
8.  Stanford  2-5  3-6
9.  Washington State  1-5  3-6
    Washington  1-5  3-6

With Oregon beating ASU and Boston College losing, USC's string of five straight BCS bowl appearances doesn't look quite as dead as it did. USC is not mathematically out of the Pac-10 race, but it needs Oregon to have a Cal-like collapse, which doesn't look likely unless Dennis Dixon pulls a hamstring. In spite of that, USC and Arizona State both have very good shots at one of the four BCS at-large bids. Here are the "if they win out" scenarios:

1. If Oregon wins out: They go to the Rose Bowl or the BCS Championship. If LSU or Ohio State lose and Oregon doesn't, you can count on Oregon playing for the title. That probably sends the Pac-10 runnerup to the Rose Bowl. If Oregon ends up in the Rose Bowl, the runnerup probably goes to the Fiesta Bowl.

2. If Arizona State wins out: They go to the Rose Bowl if Oregon loses or if Oregon wins its way into the BCS title game. Otherwise, they probably end up in the Fiesta Bowl.

3. If USC wins out: Arizona State is out of the BCS, because USC plays ASU on Thanksgiving. USC goes to the Rose Bowl if Oregon is in the title game or if Oregon loses two games. USC probably goes to the Fiesta Bowl or maybe even the Sugar Bowl otherwise. USC v. LSU in the Sugar Bowl would be a hot ticket if LSU wins the SEC without playing for the title (e.g., if they lose to Arkansas but win the SEC Conference Title Game).

4. If UCLA wins out: Believe it or not, the Bruins go to the Rose Bowl. Because UCLA plays Oregon, ASU and USC in its last three games, the Sun Devils and Ducks would both have two losses, possibly too late to stay high enough in the rankings to get a BCS bid, but maybe Oregon would end up in the Fiesta Bowl or Sugar Bowl. ASU would go to the Holiday Bowl if that happened, and USC would end up in El Paso.

Here's what I think is most likely to happen: Oregon wins out. USC wins out. ASU loses to UCLA and USC. Cal wins all but the USC game. The final standings and bowl bids look like this:

1.   Oregon 8-1 (BCS or Rose)
2.   USC 7-2 (Rose or Fiesta)
3.   Arizona State 6-3 (Holiday)
4.   California  5-4 (Sun)
       UCLA  5-4 (Vegas)
       Oregon State  5-4 (Emerald)
7.   Arizona  3-6
     Washington State  3-6
9.   Stanford  2-7
10.  Washington  1-8

Could USC still play for the national championship? Sure, if college football ended the season with a series of about 18 big upsets in three weeks. In addition to USC winning, here's what else would have to happen. All but one of these would have to come true:

1   Ohio State Buckeyes 10-0: must lose their last two games.
2   LSU Tigers 8-1: must lose at least once more, maybe twice.
3   Oregon Ducks 8-1: must lose to UCLA and Oregon State.
4   Kansas Jayhawks 9-0: must lose at least once, maybe twice.
5   Oklahoma Sooners 8-1: must lose at least once, and maybe twice.
6   Missouri Tigers 8-1: must lose once.
7   West Virginia Mountaineers 8-1:  must lose once.
8   Boston College Eagles 8-1: must lose once.
10   Georgia Bulldogs 7-2: must not win the SEC, and maybe must lose once.
11   Virginia Tech Hokies 7-2 : must not win the ACC.
12   Michigan Wolverines 8-2: maybe would have to lose one.
13   Connecticut Huskies 8-1: maybe would have to lose one.
14   Texas Longhorns 8-2: maybe would have to lose one.
16   Hawaii Warriors 8-0: maybe would have to lose one.

It ain't gonna happen. There's a lot of football to be played, but I think this might be the BCS lineup:

BCS Championship: LSU (SEC) v. Oregon (Pac)
Rose Bowl: USC (at large) v. Michigan (Big 10)
Sugar Bowl: Georgia (at large) v. Hawaii (automatic non BCS conf. champ)
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech (ACC) v West Virginia (Big East)
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma (Big 12) v Ohio State (at large)

Yes, I think Michigan beats Ohio State.

Mob Commandments

The Mafia's Ten Commandments have been found after police arrested a Godfather in Palermo, Sicily named Salvatore Lo Piccolo. The commandments are:

1. No one can present himself directly to another of our friends. There must be a third person to do it.

2. Never look at the wives of friends.

3. Never be seen with cops.

4. Don't go to pubs and clubs.

5. Always be available for Cosa Nostra, even if your wife's about to give birth.

6. Appointments must be respected.

7. Wives must be treated with respect.

8. When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth.

9. Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other families.

10. People who can't be part of Cosa Nostra are anyone with a close relative in the police, with a two-timing relative in the family, anyone who behaves badly and doesn't hold to moral values.