Must Win in Troy

For the first time in decades the college football focus on USC is not on USC but is focused on the Gamecocks of South Carolina. The USC Trojans in the post Pete Carroll era are an afterthought. The hiring of Lane Kiffin is becoming a joke. Barely post puberty the Head Coach of the Trojans has yet to post a winning record on any level. he lost and lost a lot with the NFL Raiders and in one season at Tennessee was not on the bowl radar. So far this season Kiffin and the Trojans are coming up short of their goal of winning all their games. In the big match-up against former SC offensive coordinator and young phenom Steve Sarkisian it was Sark who held the upper hand over Kiffin. Also an afterthought for the Raiders it was Sarkisian that was Al Davis's first choice for the Raiders and not Kiffin. It would be no surprise except for the inept character judgment of former AD Mike Garret that thought Kiffin was better fit to coach the Trojans than Sarkisian. So all is looking about as bleak as can be in the probation era for SC.

Not as bleak as the record might indicate. Let's face it Steve Sarkisian has the Trojans number. He could coach Washington State to a victory over his former employer. Than last week against a very tough, physical, and explosive Stanford team the Trojans held their own coming up just short in the end of snatching victory from defeat in Palo Alto.

This week it's California. A Cal team that gave up 52 points on the road to Nevada. Now Cal comes into the LA Colleseum. This is a must win for the Trojans, a must win for Kiffin and it's going to be up to the players. Matt Barkley and company need to show what Trojan football is all about. Play great defense it's a staple of SC and should not falter much from the Pete Carroll era although Carroll is a defensive genius who mentored Kiffin along with former NFL defensive coordinator and current SC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. After giving up 65 points in the last two games it's time for USC to step it up in a must win.

This will be a tight game and in a tight game there will be a winner and there will be a loser. The difference is this is a must win for the Trojans. They have lost the last two games by a total of 7 points. A missed 3rd down conversion by Washington and the Trojans are undefeated heading into Stanford and a bit more careful handling of the ball against Stanford and USC could be undefeated and favored by 9 points in this game. Instead it's just a couple of plays that has determined this minor 2 point spread which the Trojans should be taking out two weeks of frustrations looking to right the wrong.

Take the Trojans and give up the two points.