Pac-10 Expansion: 10 Reasons Why a Change Is Bad for USC

Conference expansion is nothing new in the college football ranks, but recent news of Pac-10 expansion and Big 12 destabilization has put a brand new spin on the familiar subject. With rumored invites to Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Texas, USC could be on the losing end of a major shift in conference power.

USC has been king of the Pac-10 for most of the last 10 years, but the potentially massive realignment could spell the end of the dominance the Trojans have exerted on the conference.

1) Fewer Guaranteed Recruits

It was only a few years ago that USC had a handful of talented high school running backs buried on their depth chart because of an influx of player commitments. It won't be long into the expansion that recruits will want the guarantee of playing time that USC has not been able to offer in some recent cases. The Trojans won't be able to hog the talent from the rest of the conference with some stronger recruiters and scouts out to get their former grass roots prospects.

2) Recruiting Disadvantage

USC gains next to nothing in the realignment other than stiffer competition and varied markets, but it is more likely that prospects that would normally fall into their pipeline will be exposed to bigger football schools like Oklahoma. The market expansion works wonders for media contracts, but means the Trojans will have to battle with the new batch of scouts.

3) No More Soft Scheduling

USC has had it relatively easy with their conference scheduling. Disregard their inability to consistently beat their conference competition, but they are supposed to win the conference and it is shocking when they don't. If the conference expands to the potential 16 teams, and is divided in a North/South or East/West style, it is likely that they will face stiffer competition than Arizona State and

4) Greater Potential for "Down" Years

The recent 9-4 finish USC recently endured is only the beginning of what they'd face with realignment. Without the ability to dominate in recruiting, and the arrival of teams with just as much recruiting power that will be exposed to a larger market, USC loses the ability to maintain its dominance during the season. It will be more difficult to maintain the constant level of talent they have had the luxury of easily capturing once schools with richer histories and comparable scouting capabilities vying for the same players.

5) Market Stratification

With the potential for powerhouses like Oklahoma to be part of the conference expansion, USC will not be the primary focus for the media. Colorado has already accepted their invite, and opens the conference to the Denver market. But since Colorado isn't as strong of a program as Oklahoma, the effect will pale in comparison to the broader focus that just Oklahoma, in addition to Oklahoma State among others, will create. If everyone starts to topple Goliath with regularity, what interest does it hold for anyone?

6) King of the Hill No Longer

USC has had the luxury of being a powerhouse in a weak conference. They have their pick of recruits and dominate local media. Oklahoma has been just as big of a powerhouse in a much stronger conference than the Pac-10 and with less privileged recruiting. Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are just as dangerous because they've had good years in recent memory even with Oklahoma lording over them. It would not surprise me if within the first season under the realigned conference, USC loses to two of the new conference teams. Couple that with their questionable play against the current teams, losing to Stanford last season and Oregon State the year before, and the Trojans could be seeing four and five loss season on a regular basis.

7) Haunted By the Past

USC was recently forced to forfeit wins from previous seasons because of violations stemming from illegal benefits provided to athletes. The football program in particular will have to deal with the loss of 30 scholarships as well as postseason bans over the next two season. While USC garners enough prestige based on their history, it will be more difficult to lure highly touted prospects without the ability to offer scholarships to as many players as they have in the past. By the time the proposed realignment would kick in, the program would just be getting their full strength back, and by that time everyone else will have either caught up or passed them by.

8) Dispersion of Talent

While USC will see direct competition for recruits from the big names of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, eventually players will opt for the other smaller name programs like Arizona, Arizona State, and newly invited Colorado. Not all recruits love to be pampered, but in some cases the school that can offer the most playing time will win out. And if USC has to promise playing time to one recruit just to keep him from going elsewhere, there are a handful more that will look to the other members of the conference to get that same promise.

9) Forced Changing of the Guard

The conference expansion may be financially motivated on the surface, but there is always the possibility that Pac-10 officials are tired of seeing USC have all of the talent and win the conference every year. With the addition of Lane Kiffin as the head coach at USC, the Pac-10 has even more reason to dislike USC. Sure, the program generates revenue, but is it worth it to see Kiffin get to run his mouth week in and week out about how he wishes other programs were more like his?

10) Lasting Impact

Because USC is such a mammoth of a program in comparison to the majority of the conference, the infusion of new competition will paint them as the villains of college football. The team responsible for the subjugation of lesser programs, forcing college football to change the landscape of the sport to keep the spirit of competition alive, and maybe put the Goliath down for good. The hope is, the move will strengthen the conference, and maybe force USC to prove itself as worthy of being called a powerhouse.

Closing Thoughts

It is difficult to say what real impact the realignment will have on USC, but one things is clear, college football will be changed by this action. The Big 12 may cease to be, which will force programs without invites to other conferences to lose tons of money from conference affiliation and bowl game opportunities. The meager Big 10 expansion will save only Missouri and Nebraska, but even the speculated SEC expansion would only benefit the biggest names that don't head west.

It could be great for football to see new rivalries former through new lines being drawn across the nation. It could also mean some messy scheduling for the teams left in a lurch and outside of a conference. Just look at how much Boise State had to fight to get in the National Title conversation, even with little to no chance of being put in the game.