AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2006 > January > 02 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USLonghorns looking like Trojan horse
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Carson, Calif. — They say they don’t get distracted. They say they focus on the essential, not the peripheral. But when the periphery includes the glitz of Hollywood and the allure of a place in college football history, is it possible to concentrate on Texas and Texas only?
Southern California — publicists for the snooty school ask that it not be called the more plebeian “Southern Cal” — will play for a third consecutive AP national championship Wednesday in a stadium just up the freeway.
On Monday, before a media convocation in a rain-slapped and windblown tent at the Home Depot Center south of Los Angeles, the Trojans said the right things but said them without any lilt in their voices. If anything, they seemed a bit weary.
Matt Leinart, the quarterback, mentioned “the hoopla and the hype,” and those ephemeral commodities have become as much a part of the Trojan scene as the backfield of Bush and White. USA Today ran a cover story last week on the famous hangers-on jostling for sideline passes along the USC bench. Who knew that Henry Winkler, the erstwhile Fonz, cared so much about college football?
Then, courtesy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, came word that a Greek restaurant in San Pedro may have become a recruiting venue for the Trojans, seeing as how the owner, John Papadakis, reportedly entertains prospects with a pro-USC spiel. Southern Cal — sorry, flacks — is looking into the matter.
And then there’s the matter of history. Learned folks are falling all over themselves to declare USC the greatest dynasty of all time, and historians realize that dynasties are never so susceptible as when they’re declared impregnable. The Sports Illustrated jinx was born in 1957 when the magazine ran a cover bearing the words, “Why Oklahoma Is Unbeatable.” The Sooners, who had won 47 consecutive games, were felled by Notre Dame the next week.
Southern Cal has won 34 in a row, the sixth-longest streak in Division I-A annals. A 35th victory has been seen as a fait accompli, the thinking being that Texas is a nice team but not nearly a match for the men of Troy. But the men of Troy aren’t quite as strong as they were a year ago, and this defense wouldn’t seem to be championship-caliber. The Trojans could lose this game, and what would the Fonz say if they do?
“We’re able to have fun with [the L.A. scene and the celebrities and suchlike],” said Leinart, who appeared to be having no fun at all. Just the day before, he’d told another media gathering how frazzled he’d felt at midseason. And the pressure Wednesday night won’t be on Texas. It will be on the matinee idols playing for a place in history.
“It’s flattering to know we can be considered [as perhaps the best team ever],” defensive end Lawrence Jackson said. “But we can’t get caught up in it.”
But how can they not? It’s in every newspaper, on every station and every Web site. The hometown Trojans are the only story in this Rose Bowl, the Trojans and their splendor, the Trojans and their invincibility. (Remember, L.A. has no pro football team to deflect attention, and all NFL discussion here concerns the probable destination of the splendid Reggie Bush.) This is supposed to be their choreographed coronation, but already the plan has sprung a literal leak.
“It’s an advantage to us, the game being here,” safety Darnell Bing said. “We’re used to this weather.”
As he spoke, the rain was cascading and the winds were whistling and the structural security of the interview tent seemed at considerable risk. Rethinking, Bing smiled and said, “Well, not this weather.”
Permalink | Comments (16) | Categories: Mark Bradley, Tech / ACC, UGA / SEC
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By Larry
January 2, 2006 10:52 PM | Link to this
Texas is last years Oklahoma. The Big 12 used to be a power conference. I’d put the Big-12 on with the Big East right now. Colorado won the Big-12 north, and they barely nudged out Iowa state!! How pathetic is that. Texas has NO chance at winning this game. I give USC the win, and 21 points. USC has already played this game several times. They’ll be ready.
By ed
January 3, 2006 01:35 AM | Link to this
All good things must come to and end , and so it will be for USC. The longhorns are not given a chance to win and that makes them a very dangerous team. Reggie Bush will get his yardage and so will the longhorn offence, to many weapons for the USC defence to handle. It will be TEXAS in a great game.
By R
January 3, 2006 02:01 AM | Link to this
Mark:
Why the indignation over the school’s preference for “USC” over “Southern Cal”?
As a “USC” professor, I can attest that the administration, faculty, and students haven’t called themselves “Southern Cal” for the past 20 years, at least. And the “snob” label is also outdated. USC is the most ethnically and geographically diverse university in the nation. We have more international students than any other school—roughly 6,700—and 65% of our students receive significant financial aid. I happen to be an alumnus of the University of Texas, and I have been a visiting professor at several other colleges around the country. Trust me when I say that USC is the friendliest campus I’ve ever encountered, from the faculty to the staff to the students. Have fun at the game.
By tom
January 3, 2006 04:44 AM | Link to this
USC will win this game in a walk. The Big 12 does not belong in any championship bowl. It is only reason they are here is the BCS rule that tilts points to the Writers Poll. As we can see by the ignorant and biased reporting from Mark Bradley, sports writers know jack about college ball. Just because he is a rube from the sticks does not mean that everyone is wowed by the fonz, and come kick off, i am sure no one on the USC team will care that he is there. By the way, his son attends USC, and Henty chairs a fund raising committee. Any sports writer who thinks Texas even belongs in this game, much less has a chance to win, is part of the BCS Bowl Game Championship farce forced on the fans of college football. Fight on USC!!!
By hChales
January 3, 2006 10:08 AM | Link to this
USC is going down. The Big 12 Larry says is weak? A mid-pack OU team just dismantled the PAC-10’s second best squad, Oregon. A mediocre Nebraska team just beat vaunted Michigan. Texas Tech came within a blown call of beating Alabama. All of this not mentioning that Texas went in to OSU and beat them on their home field (yes, the same OSU team that just manhandled the Irish, who were one 4th and long away from beating USC). Nobody is talking about Texas. Good. They will be after Wednesday night.
By Larry
January 3, 2006 10:13 AM | Link to this
WHOA, first off, I really don’t care who wins, nor do I think the PAC-10 is all that good either. But Texas has NO chance at winning this game. Texas has not played anyone even close to USC caliber. It will be an exact rematch of last years game. USC is in another league, theyve played under this pressure for two years now. I just dont see how theyll lose.
By Jim
January 3, 2006 10:16 AM | Link to this
Hey Larry, if the Big 12 is about the same as the Big East, then it looks like Texas will be winning tomorrow. You sound like a delusional SEC fan.
By Taylor
January 3, 2006 11:02 AM | Link to this
Hey Tom, You are an idiot. You should be arrested for being such a moron. Pac 10 is like playing high school ball in Texas. The Big 12 is not a very deep conference this year, but did Oregon look very good the other night? How about Notre Dame? “Southern Cal Poly Tech School for Tom the Idiot” played a joke of a schedule. Texas runs the ball and holds it for several very long drives while Linehart and Bush Beans sit on the bench and watch that weak defense get torched. This isn’t Stanford your playing this week.
Now Southern Cal will score but it won’t be enough, and Cali and ESPN “Better known as SCTV” will have to give The Horns their Props afterwards! HOOK ‘EM HORNS!
By jeff
January 3, 2006 11:20 AM | Link to this
All of you are crazy, this game could go either way. It all depends on which team wants it more. Both teams are loaded with talent. it’s a toss up in my opinion.
By brewerfaninATL
January 3, 2006 11:59 AM | Link to this
tom: Then who should USC be playing, huh? Please don’t tell me UGA or Auburn or LSU either. It isn’t Texas’ fault they were playing less than stellar teams in the Big 12…besides, they did what they had to do. They not only beat them, they anhililated them. That’s what championship contenders do. Plus, they are road-tested by beating a darn good Ohio State team at the Horseshoe. The only other team that could’ve staked a claim was Penn State, but thanks to that 1 darn second at Michigan, Texas deserves to be there!
By Rand
January 3, 2006 02:28 PM | Link to this
Texas will win unfortunately. They will play two players that don’t deserve to be in school much less playing for a national title. No doubt there will be more articles about former players like Maurice Clarett who can do “anything they want” on the field (and off). But hey…who really cares it’s news worthy and a lot more interesting to read about than “sportsmanship” as long as it’s not you getting mugged and robbed on 6th Street in Austin, Texas.
By Philly
January 3, 2006 02:57 PM | Link to this
Maurice Clarett played for OSU, dumb-a*.
By Greg
January 3, 2006 04:29 PM | Link to this
I noticed that hChales wants to allude to Texas Tech almost winning but for a ‘blown call’, and in the same sentence has the audacity to claim a victory over a ‘vaunted Michigan team’ when it was pretty clear that Nebraska got away with a flagrant interference call that would have at least given Michigan a chance to win (by the way, Michigan was 7-5 this year…so they did not have a ‘vaunted’ season). Well, hChales, you can’t have it both ways. Either Michigan got screwed like Texas Tech and you shouldn’t be bragging about that one, or neither of them deserved to win because they p** away other opportunities to win and you should not be whining about it. So which is it?
By the way, if you had half an ounce of brains, you would know that the comparative scores mean very, very little. You ready to man up when you find out that, weak defense and all, USC is too tough for Texas?
By Mike of Alpharetta
January 3, 2006 06:18 PM | Link to this
Some of you say that Texas has played no-one like USC. There is no other school like USC! Except TEXAS! I have no vested interest in either school, but like college football fans everywhere, I am looking forward to a great game.
Consider this! Notre Dame almost beat USC. Ohio State lost to Texas. Ohio State beat Notre Dame. There is a chance that Texas can win this game. Personally, I would like to see USC win so Bush, Leinart and White can go out in style. I’d like to see Vince Young come back for his senior season and lead his team to a championship and win the Heisman!
A Fan
By Stephen
January 3, 2006 06:56 PM | Link to this
Jeff is right. This should be a close game and it could go either way, or even OT. Both teams will score about 34-42 points.
Rand should learn more about what really went down in Austin before posting. The press likes to report scandalous news, but is slow to retract the early report.
The FSU LB stud Nicholson is probably in the same boat. Someone wants to affect the game, and so they get the stud(s) in a compromising situation.
The whole team (minus VY, Huff and Rod Wright) were known to be at the awards banquet. Anyone who wanted to tilt things USC’s way could have waited outside the banquet, selected some studs leaving, and started trash talking with them. Then there’s allegations of an automatic handgun that doesn’t exist, and claims of robbery that turn out to be trying to bum $5 for pizza. Taylor and C. Griffin are Texas’ 2 fastest and probably best playmakers who were at the banquet. It’s just a theory, but it seems to square with the known facts a lot better than the initial press reports.
By JESS
January 3, 2006 07:47 PM | Link to this
HOOK EM HORNS! TEXAS LOVES BEING THE UNDERDOG…AFTERALL YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL. GO V.YOUNG…SHOW THEM WHAT YOU GOT! GO TEXAS GO!!!