The USC Trojans: The Fall of Goliath?

They were once the Goliath of College Fooball. Once the team to beat in the Pac-10. And once the team of the decade. Now...they are no more than a mere team in the PAC-10, a team that, over the span of the last three games, has been dominated by opponents and embarrassed at home. What has happened to the USC Trojan team that has been the powerhouse in College Football for so long? What has happened to the USC team that used to dominate opponents, not be dominated? Have they gone for good? Has America seen the last of the mighty Trojans? Or is this merely a bump in the road in the head-coaching career of Pete Carroll?

Every team has their down years, and to say that the USC program is having a down year is remarkable seeing as they are 7-3 and ranked in the top 25. That just goes to show you how dominant the USC program has been over the last decade. After starting his USC tenure 2-5 in 2001, Pete Carroll rebounded to win five of his last six ending the season 7-6. Since then, the USC Trojans have had only two two-loss seasons. They had been nearly impossible to stop in that 7-year span. However, what goes up must come down. After going 12-1 in 2008, the USC Trojans have fallen to 7-3 in 2009, this being the worst season for the Trojans since 2001. Clearly, this USC team is not the same program that it was over the last seven years. After seven straight PAC-10 Championships, the Trojans have again become mortal. It appears that this year, USC will not win the PAC-10 championship for the eighth straight season. The USC Trojans have again become merely a team in the PAC-10, a team that is merely fighting for the chance to play in a decent bowl game, their National Championship hopes for this year clearly tarnished.

So, with this Trojan team obviously not the same program as in years past, the question arises: Is the end of the USC dominance? Only time could possibly tell. Ever since the beginning of the Pete Carroll era in Los Angeles, Pete Carroll has been merely able to reload the gun and move on to the next season without the slightest difficultly. However, this year is unlike years past. After the 2008 season, USC lost many key players on the defensive side of the ball to graduation and the NFL Draft. Such players included Ray Manaluga and Brian Cushing, two outstanding linebackers for the Trojans. Not only that, they also lost Mark Sanchez to the NFL Draft, a key player for their offense.

How could USC possibly lose so many key players and still maintain a dominance like that in previous years? With the loss of quarterback Mark Sanchez to the NFL Draft, true freshman Matt Barkley was forced to step in for the now absent one-year-starter. A freshman quarterback starting for the USC Trojans? Almost unheard of in the history of the USC program. However, surprisingly, he has played with incredible poise and moxie for a freshman quarterback, leading the Trojans to a 6-2 record as a starter (remember, he did not play in the 16-13 upset loss to Washington). Along the way, he has passed for 11 TDs and 10 INTs with 2,035 yards passing. Not a bad year for a true freshman out of Mater Dei High School. However, not a great one either.

So, what's the real problem with the USC Trojans? Is it the offense in general which ranks 52nd in the country in total offense with 400 yards a game? Possibly. Or could it be the defense that, over the span of the last three weeks, has surrendered over 111 points to opponents like Oregon (47 points), Arizona State (9 points), and Stanford (55 points)? Or...is it a mixture of both?

Where ever the problem may lie, USC has not played traditional Trojan football over the span of the last three weeks. Their offense has sputtered and their defense, may I dare say, has looked worse than we have ever seen them under Pete Carroll. Against Oregon, the Trojans surrendered the most points that they had ever allowed under Pete Carroll. Against Stanford two weeks later, the Trojans surrendered the most points ever against an opponent. A team not even ranked in the Top 25. At home in Los Angeles. Oh my, oh my! Where have the Trojans gone?

So, with that being said, are we witnessing the fall of Goliath? The downfall of a dynasty? The decline of college football's America's Team? Or is it merely a bump in the road for the men of Troy? Only time will tell what the future holds for the Trojans of Southern California.

And as a wise man once said, "Things never go the way you think they will."