“Long ago and far away…..”so Star Wars begins…..the evil Darth Vader walks the corridors of his death star….waiting….to pounce on Harrison Ford, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker! This year it looks like Urban Meyer of Florida will be the Darth we must defeat!
Well, thank goodness for “Wookies”! At any rate, this is the kick-off to the 2009-2010 College Football season. Living in Southern California is a rare and exciting treat. We can recall watching the 1947 Trojans of USC vs. the Bruins of UCLA on a 10 inch homemade Harman Kardon television set from the famous Chicago Electronics Mail Order Company…..Lafayette Radio & TV Corp; New York (NY) manufacturer. Dad had found some slim scrap tongue -in-grove wood to make the cabinet out of and we needed a blanket over our heads to keep the light out in the burning September sun of Sunland, California for the 2PM kick-off. I can remember vividly when my dad asked me which team I liked…..and I said wrongly: I like the ones with the Powder Blue and Gold Helmets. “No!” said dad….”We hate those guys!” At six years old, I was way too shocked to ask why we hated them. But even then, UCLA was considered a place for “Communist Sympathizers”..while USC was known for it’s Law School and corrupt big business people!
Tradition, and so began the greatest College rivalry…even eclipsing the dreaded Notre Dame “Fighting Irish”. Hey, USC was “Methodist” and mom and dad had even been married in the great Methodist Church in Los Angeles off of Burnside. “We hated those Irish too…..even though we loved Ronald Reagan as the Gipper in “Knute Rockne All American with Pat O’Brien”! Winning one for the Gipper became football college lore to the point that it may have made Football the American Sport eclipsing even Yankee Baseball. Well, maybe bringing it into the great mindset of Americana…then!
So, here we are, USC with a new teenager quarterback. UCLA with a new Prince of a quarterback. A BCS (Bowl Championship Series) fraught with egos the like of Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators and those faceless/ nameless computer nerds that can fool with the numbers far too easily. More egos; Jim Tressel of the Ohio State “Buckeyes”, Nick Saban of Alabama or worse yet the so-called Southern Gentlemen Urban Meyer! Whew! These guys make coaches like Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno of Penn State…look like shy guys in comparison. UCLA has Rick Neuheisel as their 2nd year coach. Saying that he is dealing with a short deck….would be a grand understatement. Oh, he seems nice enough…but he is a mean guy that wanted to hurt our dear Trojans last year. We won’t ever forget that, by the way! Our guess is: that without much heavenly assistance….the Bruins could wind up with a 2-10…that’s right 2 Wins and 10 Losses. They may even have a tough time beating San Diego State Aztecs this coming weekend.
What about the Trojans? Rated 4th in the nation. USC will have a really tough time getting any respect this year. They will have to go undeated to even make it into a bowl….even if they are very careful. Any loss to any “lesser than” and Utah or Boise State will get their spot. Pete Carroll is the larger than life “Wunderkind” of College Football. No matter how many quarterbacks he has to train, no matter how many running backs he uses, no matter how many All American Defensive Players he produces, no matter how many number one picks in the NFL are Trojans, no matter what – Getting Coach of the year or getting the hype that those SEC teams get from the likes of Brent Musburger or other TV commentators will be impossible! That’s OK….Pete understands the territory and the players..all too well.
The Trojans should go at least 10-2 this year. That’s right: 10 Wins and 2 losses. If they can beat Ohio State, Oregon, Cal, Stanford, Oregon State, UCLA and the rest……they will have a slim chance if they go undefeated, of getting into the big game with the dreaded Tebow! We now ask for a call to arms for the Trojan Defense! Whoever you play against……put Tim Tebow’s face and jersey into your minds! We need the impossible….an undefeated season….just to play against this guy and we will be praying and praying for your continued football excellence and good health. Think sacks and interceptions with runbacks for 6!
As for those pathethic Bruins…..”God Bless you guys….we will be wishing you good luck throughout the season except against USC.” Maybe you can do the impossible and create a winning season. Right now, the odds are long and for those that post bets in Las Vegas….this is a long, long shot!
As for the traditions of college football………we just ask Pete Carroll to once again….”Win one for the Gipper!” The Crystal Football please!
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