Monday Morning Musings

 The case for Orgeron to become the permanent head coach at USC was rested after the Trojans lost to UCLA, 35-14. Although Orgeron revived a football team that was heading nowhere under former Kiffin, two losses under Orgerson's watch were to Notre Dame and UCLA, USC's two top rivals. If the Trojans had won both those games, Orgeron would probably be the head coach for the next three seasons.
Now, it is up to Steve Sarkisian to resurrect a program to the level that John McKay and  Pete Carroll did as both men won mulitiple conference and national championships.


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add USC: If USC is smart it will keep Orgeron, or as the players call him Coach O, on the coaching staff because he is a good recruiter. When  Carroll took over for Paul Hackett, he  picked up Orgeron from Hackett's staff. Orgeron will coach the team in its bowl game apperance, probably the Las Vegas Bowl against either Fresno State or Utah State, who play each other this weekend for the Mountain West Conference title. USC defeated Utah State earlier in a tight defensive game at the L.A. Coliseum.


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last add bowl game: Of course, longtime USC fans remember the last time the Trojans played Fresno State in the post season. It was in the Freedom Bowl at Anaheim Stadium, a comedown for USC which was used to spending New Year's Day in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl. Larry Smith was the coach and the Bulldogs, led by Jim Sweeney, humiliated the Trojans, so much so that Smith was fired afterward.



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There will be two bowl games played in Pasadena this postseason. The first will be the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, between the Pac-12 and Big Ten champions. The second will be the BCS Championship game on Monday Jan. 6. If that game were to be played now, Ohio State and Florida State would meet for the national title. But  this weekend's conference championships will have a definite impact in who will come to Southern California for a week's stay.
Florida State will play Duke for the Atlantic Coast Conference title, Missouri meets Auburn for the South Eastern Conference championship, Ohio State has a date with Michigan State in the Big Ten and Stanford travels to Tempe, Ariz. to play Arizona State for the Pac-12 championship.
The final BCS standings will be released on Sunday and then all will be revealed for the BCS' last national championship game. Next season,  a playoff system will replace the current BCS format.