• New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.

Merged: CFBNews Previews USC, Transfers, and Losses

Jump to latest Follow Reply
plum diamonds buckeye planet
Sort by date Sort by votes
I would also contend that the Pac-10 is not a super-weak conference *cough* big east *cough*.

You have USC (nuff said), an insanely coached Bears, the up and coming Bruins, and OSU is coming into its own over there.

I would take those teams over like... Big 12 North teams and Big east teams.
 
Upvote 0
If you can look at your games from your regular season schedule last year and this year, and say that one of them comes close to being as difficult as Texas and Michigan for us this year, I guarantee you'll get a well-deserved :rofl:
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
StadiumDorm said:
If you can look at your games from your regular season schedule last year and this year, and say that one of them comes close to being as difficult as Texas and Michigan for us this year, I guarantee you'll get a well-deserved :rofl:
Click to expand...

1. I don't think anyone has a game that is as tough as two games combined :tongue2:

2. So what?
 
Upvote 0
USC will get pushed by teams next year just like they got pushed in the Pac-10 last year. You don't go through a schedule like that with a mark on your chest and not get challenged.

That being said, the only way USC loses in the regular season next year is if someone comes out with a particularly physical gameplan and dings them up pretty good. Then, the team on the schedule for the next week should have a fighting chance to win. Looks like the best chance for that is Arizona before Notre Dame. I would say Arkansas before the away game at Oregon, but that might be too early in the season to really bang a team up.
 
Upvote 0
Oneshot said:
I would also contend that the Pac-10 is not a super-weak conference *cough* big east *cough*.

You have USC (nuff said), an insanely coached Bears, the up and coming Bruins, and OSU is coming into its own over there.

I would take those teams over like... Big 12 North teams and Big east teams.
Click to expand...
I'd take the Pac 10 over the new (and Louisville-less) Conference USA. They're gonna turn into the next "Big Least". SMU, Rice, Tulsa, Houston, winless South Florida, East Carolina... you kiddin' me? All of those teams are consistent "Bottom 10" celler dwellers (and I apologise for the ESPiN reference). They're gonna make the MAC look good this year, and comparing C-USA against the Pac 10 makes the Pac 10 look like a superconference.

The Pac 10 has a lot of up-and-coming teams with new coaching- Arizona (Stoops), Washington (Willingham), Stanford (Harris). Oregon State, Oregon, & UCLA should be stronger this year. With that being said, lets see if the Pac 10 and Big 12 North can prove the naysayers wrong this year. Until then, your conference (or division of a conference) will be seen as being weak in football.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
BuckTwenty said:
Conference USA. They're gonna turn into the next "Big Least". SMU, Rice, Tulsa, Houston, winless South Florida, East Carolina... you kiddin' me?
Click to expand...
Conference USA can't turn into the new 'Big Least' until they get an undeserved automatic BCS bid for their champion.

If you want to criticize the Pac-10, please compare it to other BCS conferences, otherwise its apples and oranges.
 
Upvote 0
1. I don't think anyone has a game that is as tough as two games combined :tongue2:

2. So what?
Click to expand...
I think Buckeye fans, when looking at our schedule next year, should be offended by a reporter calling your so-called schedule "brutal". That's the 'so what?'. There isn't, in my opinion, a tier-1 school on your schedule - not one game where the spread should be less than 10 points. Now that's a credit to your teams talent, as well as an indictment on your schedule in my opinion.
 
Upvote 0
StadiumDorm said:
I think Buckeye fans, when looking at our schedule next year, should be offended by a reporter calling your so-called schedule "brutal". That's the 'so what?'. There isn't, in my opinion, a tier-1 school on your schedule - not one game where the spread should be less than 10 points. Now that's a credit to your teams talent, as well as an indictment on your schedule in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Offended? I think you need to acquire a little perspective over this. You may compare everything that is written to Ohio State, but that doesn't mean whoever wrote this was. If you had to write 119 of those previews, I'd imagine you'd write things that a lot of people wouldn't agree with. There is no intention of disparaging tOSU's schedule.

Also, while you may see no "tier 1" schools on the USC schedule, you have to remember this is preseason. Last offseason, if you looked at the preseason ratings USC was only playing one ranked team (Cal, ranked in the mid-teens). Yet by the end of the season Cal had moved into the top 10, VaTech had emerged as a conference champ and top 10 team, and Arizona State got into the top 25. It's fun to talk about all the great upcoming games like OSU-Texas, but to judge an entire schedule at this point is premature.

And easy on the schedule ranting or someone might mistake you for a Domer.
 
Upvote 0
This thread is about the piece written by that writer. My rant is in relation to the word used to describe their schedule. I simply believe that if you are going to use a strong adjective like "brutal", you ought to have a little perspective. You simply shouldn't call USC's schedule "brutal" compared to teams in the SEC or a team like Ohio State. I struggle to find a stronger adjective to describe a schedule than "brutal". It infers that somehow USC has one of, if not the hardest schedule in the country. In my opinion, that is not true. It's like calling Katie Holmes a "10". Well, then what is Anna Kournikova? A "15"?

If the writer wanted to call USC's schedule "difficult", or even "tough", I still wouldn't agree, but I wouldn't out-right be offended. If you want to get defensive about it, fine, I understand since you're a Trojan fan. But my opinion isn't going to change, unless somehow Notre Shame goes undefeated or something (which in itself is laughable).

I still think USC's schedule is weak, because I believe the Pac-10 is weak outside of USC. Your schedule does not have an elite non-conference opponent, so I am forced to look at your conference. There is no other strong program in that conference to compete with you guys. There are only flashes from teams like Washington St., Cal, ASU, or Oregon St - teams that struggle to maintain any consistency. The Big 12 has Oklahoma and Texas, and other flashes like KSU, Nebraska, Tech, and A&M. The SEC has LSU, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee to go along with their other flashes. The Big Ten has Michigan and Ohio State to go with their flashes. The ACC has Florida St. and Miami (maybe even VT) to go along with flashes. I don't even consider the Big East to be a major conference anymore, so they don't count. So, as far as I'm concerned, the Pac-10 is the 5th best conference in the nation - and USC is on top for a long time to come because there is no other competitor.

No elite competition in conference, plus no elite non-conference competition equals weak schedule to me. This doesn't mean that if you go undefeated, it will not be impressive (although I admit, I don't see you losing to any of those teams on your schedule). It's always difficult to avoid the upset in an 11 or 12 game season. But to lose any of those games would be a big upset - because USC is that damn good and because that schedule is not "brutal". Reasonable minds, such as yourself, may disagree.
 
Upvote 0
StadiumDorm said:
Sorry, but for a Pac10 schedule, it's difficult. But, it's the Pac FRIGGIN' 10!!!! That is as weak a schedule you are going to see from a national title contender. None of those games even compares to Texas, Iowa, or Michigan, and probably not away against Penn St. This USC team will not lose in the regular season with that schedule - I guarantee it.
Click to expand...
I've got to agree with this, except for the last sentence (see below). Year in and year out it will be much easier to go through the Pac 10 schedule undefeated than the Big Ten, SEC, etc. And adding home dates against Fresno St. and Arkansas as well as a trip to Notre Dame don't do much to increase the strength of schedule in my eyes. I don't think it's USC's fault that they play in a terribly weak conference, but I think they should have to go out and schedule games against some powerhouse non-conference teams if they want national respect from everyone (instead of crying about west coast bias).

Moreover, while I agree that USC was probably the best team in the country last season (although I think Auburn had more of a claim to playing for the national title, based on the quality of the opponents they defeated), I am also getting a little sick of the media thinking they're better than they really are. Giving them 10's at QB, RB, WR, and OL is a ridiculous overestimation of talent. I guarantee they will lose at least one game this year. Pete Carroll's luck will run out one of these days -- there were too many close calls against inferior talent such as UCLA, Stanford, and Oregon State last year.

Let me also reiterate that Cal was absolutely NOT a top tier team last year. And that's not west coast bias, it's just reality. Their biggest accomplishment of the season was a loss, and they proved just how good they were when they were blown out by a Texas Tech team that was decent at best. Cal last year could have been one of the most overrated teams in the last decade.
 
Upvote 0
USC DT to enter supplemental draft

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Southern California defensive tackle Manuel Wright, who was expected to help the Trojans replace their two best linemen, will enter the NFL supplemental draft.

The 6-foot-6, 290-pound Wright didn't participate in spring practice so he could concentrate on academics. He started two games last season as a sophomore.

Coach Pete Carroll, who has guided the Trojans to consecutive national championships, had expected Wright's decision.

"Based on Manny's performance in the classroom, we've been prepared for this for a while," Carroll said in a statement Wednesday. "We wish him the best, but we're well prepared to move on.

"We had a number of players perform really well at the defensive tackle spot this spring and we have some new guys coming in that we're excited about."

Serving mostly as a backup to All-American Shaun Cody last season, Wright had 23 tackles, including six for loss, and recovered two fumbles while playing in 11 games.

USC is also replacing tackle Mike Patterson, who was a first-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Wright is eligible to go to the NFL because he has been out of high school for three years. He signed with USC in 2002, but did not qualify for admission so he spent that season as a part-time student at a junior college.

<!--startclickprintexclude-->
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top