Matt Barkley and USC Highly Offensive To Hawaii: New Era Brings Flashbacks, Hope

Let me point out this little bit of information:

The safest bet in the history of sports has been Hawaii football at home.

It makes sense if you think about it; they do have a very real home field advantage in that anyone who plays them has to do so many timezones away from comfort. The travel alone is a huge advantage, but then one should factor in the distractions that the islands offer.

It's a dream vacation location if one isn't accustomed to the environment.

Those factors, accompanied by the fact that Hawaii rarely plays any of college football's "big dogs" probably go to explain the phenomenon. But if you're in Vegas and you ever have the opportunity, based on history, Hawaii at home is the safest bet there is.

I bring that up to point out that when Lane and Monte Kiffin's USC Trojans waltzed in with something to prove, they weren't going to have to lay the gauntlet down. The Warriors were ready, and Hawaii certainly brought everything they had.

But still, USC never looked even remotely threatened: sure, the defense could have been better, but the offense was simply overpowering.

Matt Barkley was 18 of 23 on passes with five touchdowns. Count 'em. Ronald Johnson certainly did as he hauled in three.

And keep in mind that Matt Barkley is a sophomore.

USC had key offensive personnel missing but it still didn't matter. Once the Trojans were out of the gate, nothing was going to catch them. If Hawaii scored a touchdown in four plays, USC came back and scored one in three.

From the beginning there was no chance Hawaii, or from the initial looks of it, anyone, would have caught up.

Lane Kiffin has already begun to prove his worth, as USC football has returned to offensive glory, and fans have some flash to watch on the field again.

Heck, Barkley is clearly in the top five college quarterbacks in the country as a sophomore, and as the face of this USC offense, and Kiffin hasn't been working with him that long.

Detractors are focusing on the defensive flaws that USC exhibited. Yes, the Trojans have a young defense that is relatively unproven.

It is pretty easy to forget that only two years ago USC had what was likely the single greatest defense in the history of college football. Pete Carroll had made the team into a defensive dynasty.

But those standards can't be held forever, and funny enough, USC's greatest successes came back when they had offenses that looked like this one did last night. Lane Kiffin is bringing back the excitement and glamor to Troy, even if it is going to take Monte a bit more time to set up the brick wall.

The big story in sports today, overshadowing even the NFL, was the surprising poise and power of USC's dynamic offense.

By the end of the season they won't be a bowl game, but they will be viewed as one of the best units in college football. And that is something any USC fan can take to the bank.