Why I Still Sport The Cardinal and Gold Of USC

When I first heard the news of Pete Carroll's sudden departure from the sun-soaked, bikini-clad land that is Los Angeles for dreary, rain-soaked, depression-ridden Seattle, two things came to mind:

How is USC going to maintain their dominance of the college football world, and how will his departure affect how I wear my USC gear? Will I still wear it with pride, knowing that the letters on my chest represent USC and no one else's school can touch their dominance, or will I wear it simply because I'm delaying the inevitable chore of laundry?

You know how Marcy from The Peanuts gang holds the football, and Charlie Brown tries to kick it, but ends up falling on his back? This is exactly how I felt when I read the news of Carroll's departure on the ESPN ticker, like Carroll held the football and pulled it away, causing me to fall on my back. But after I heard that Lane Kiffin would be taking over the head coaching duties, I began to pick myself up and dust myself off and I began to feel reassured.

I mean, Kiffin worked under Carroll and had a hand in winning two national championships and having two Heisman Trophy winners; the man knows the secrets of a successful program and knows what it takes to produce success. Kiffin learned the art of winning from the best teacher this decade of college football has ever seen.

Even USC's song "Tribute to Troy" trumps all other schools' songs. If you listen to the song, it sounds like a rally to do battle, as if something ominous and foreboding is coming for you and will destroy you. Basically, it's a gladiator-type song and it's flat-out awesome.

So what if the numbers on the back of my No. 10 John David Booty jersey (shown above) are fading; so what if USC lost four games this season; so what if the NCAA might reduce the Trojans' number of scholarships due to violations? It's USC baby! It's Hollywood! Movies are made here! Stars live here!

When the 2010 college football season finally arrives, I will smile ear to ear (much like I did when I saw Optimus Prime in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) when I see Tommy Trojan walk out to midfield and plant his sword in the ground while waving the "Fight On" sign or when I hear "Tribute to Troy"; now is as good a time as any to be a USC fan.

So all you naysayers, go ahead and make your snide remarks, poke fun at the fact that we lost to Stanford. My dedication is unwavering because I'm holding fast to the fact that our school is cooler and more dominant than your school.

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