College Football 2012 Style

The college football season officially starts this weekend. You have your usual one or two monster matchups (try Michigan-Alabama) and your usual cupcake games complete with the frosting.

Here’s hoping your favorite team doesn’t put you asleep with its opening opponent.

I have mixed emotions about the college football season starting up again. Some years I’m ready, set and charge. But this year, the St. Louis Cardinals are again in the playoff chase so I have my eyes firmly placed yet on baseball. It’s difficult when the seasons overlap.

But I figure I will be in the football spirit by the time Iowa State and Iowa play Sept. 8. That’s always a big game in this state and this year’s edition should be competitive.

Of course, one of the big stories of the season will be Penn State. How will the Lions respond to all the turmoil in the last several months?

USC begins the season as the team to defeat. Florida State is also receiving some love.

It all shapes up to promise another exciting year of college football.

Bring on the tailgating, the bands and the cheerleaders.

Can Anyone Defeat the SEC?

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has been the dominating league in college football for numerous seasons. It seems when the national championship games comes around, the team opposite the SEC opponent is playing for second place.

The SEC has won the national championship game for an amazing six straight years. The last time the SEC didn’t win it was 2005. The reason: the league didn’t have a school playing in the game.

Since 2005, Florida and Alabama have each won two titles. LSU and Alabama have claimed one apiece.

But the real question is can anybody unseat the SEC in 2013?

USC is receiving No. 1 ranking love in various preseason polls. The Trojans return nine starters on offense from last season and seven on defense. USC boasts one of my talented players in all of college football this season: quarterback Matt Barkley. Its schedule seems favorable with probably the toughest games at home against Oregon and Notre Dame. But do the Trojans have enough depth still reeling a bit from sanctions? Also, what about their tendency to slip up against a lesser team?

I am a willing to cheer for any team including USC that will defeat a SEC squad in the national championship game. There is a real need in the college game to bring back some competitive balance.

What school do you think has a chance to dethrone a SEC team in the 2013 National Championship Game?

Pat Haden and the USC Trojan Horse

Congratulations to Pat Haden on landing the USC athletic director job. Media far and wide are lauding this appointment as a great hire.

These are tough days in the USC athletic department and Haden was hired to restore order to the sanction-ridden department. In case you haven't been around the sports world for a long time, the USC basketball team and football team didn't play nice. USC was charged with the 'ole extra benefits tag. Some say the NCAA gave the football program the next to the death penalty status.

I am surprised former athletic director Mike Garrett survived as long as he did. These bad things occurred under his watch and that usually means the incumbent moves quickly toward the unemployment line. It just took USC a while to push Garrett there.

Like Garrett, Haden has deep USC roots. Haden, a former championship quarterback at USC, has been successful in life while maintaining a positive image. USC is banking on Haden's reputation.

Being a long-time sportscaster should help Haden deal with the media and the damage control going along with this job. I see Haden performing that role with honesty and class. Haden is old school USC and that is what the Trojans need.

Can Haden clean up this mess? Yes, he can. He needs to make the Trojan program transparent again and squeaky clean.

Right now, the Trojan horse has deep shades of gray and black on its white coat. The horse was once the symbol of a proud and successful program.

Haden wants to make that horse pure white again.

Good for the NCAA

News that the NCAA came down hard on the University of Southern California's Athletic Department was good news. If the Trojans cheated, they should be penalized.

Right or wrong,the NCAA has often been criticized for looking the other way when one of its big-boy programs broke the rules. Now, the big boys across the country know the NCAA has some teeth in these cheating matters.

So USC is banned from two straight bowl games and will lose 30 scholarships. That should cripple the program for a while. The Trojans won't lose any television appearances however. Keeping them off TV would have further distanced them from the college football world. So that was a break for USC.

The NCAA will also strip victories and championships away. I could never really understand why this is a punishment. Really, who cares. Most people will remember the victories and championships still belonging to USC anyway. I think the penalties should further hinder the present and future.

It will be interesting to see how this affects USC football AND basketball. The basketball team was also cited. If it doesn't cause more losses than victories, then maybe the NCAA didn't do enough.

But at the very least, USC knows it must keep a tighter reign on its athletic program. In due time, the Trojans will want to return to their big boy status.