USC Like Tiger Woods: Invincibility Shattered After Week 1

One, a man, stood on the peak of greatness and surveyed a kingdom that unquestionably belonged to him and bathed in the adoration of a public that fawned over his every move.

The other, a college football program, spent seven straight years as champion of their conference and no talk of the very best gridiron teams in the nation could be considered credible without their inclusion.

In good times, both the man and the football team shared the mantle of excellence and wore that distinction with pride and smug confidence.

Those times have passed.

Now Tiger Woods, for so long the unquestioned master of the links, and the USC Trojans, considered for almost a decade to be among the very best college football teams, share another characteristic.

Both are trying to climb back to the top of the games they ruled for so long.

Oh, and they are doing it while sharing another thing.

The scorn and ridicule of what once used be an adoring public.

For Tiger Woods, labeled now and forever as a cheating husband, the fall began when, just before Thanksgiving, his philandering was made public to an incredulous legion of fans.

USC's fall from grace, longer and more arduous, time-wise, began when an innocuous report from Yahoo! Sports about improper benefits given to former Trojan Reggie Bush appeared in 2006.

The Trojans, after years of speculation, finally had the hammer dropped on them by the NCAA, who, among other things, imposed a punishment that included a two year postseason bowl ban, loss of 30 scholarships and four years of probation.

Meanwhile, Woods retribution came in a self imposed deterioration of his game as he saw his marriage crumble and his once squeaky clean image soiled significantly.

In the world of sports, both names, Tiger Woods and USC, became synonymous with the dreaded label of "cheater."

Certainly a distinction neither entity desires to be sure.

Now they share another attribute.

As Tiger Woods hones his game in an effort to make a positive impact for America in the Ryder Cup, the Trojans will try to find some of their old magic this week at home against Virginia.

Woods, who has shown steady, if not spectacular improvement in recent weeks, will look for consistency as he embarks on his journey back to the Promised Land.

For the Trojans, they will attempt to find a defense that has been shredded more often than not over their last 10 games or so.

The latest effort by the Trojan defense included 588 yards in total offense and 36 points given up to Hawaii last week.

For that unit, the first steps back on a path that returns the Trojans to glory was shaky at best.

Now they will try to return to some semblance of former greatness against a Cavalier team that runs a more conventional offense which should be more to their liking.

So Tiger Woods and the USC Trojans, who, in the department of "trials and tribulations," share a common burden, will now share a journey back to where they once resided as kings of their respective sports.

Both have the talent to get there but can they overcome the shackles that hinder that goal?

Can Tiger overcome the emotional and mental barriers?

And what about USC? Will the NCAA's sanctions prevent the Trojans from returning as one of the very best college football teams in the land?

For both, it will be a tough road to hoe, but they both know what it takes to get back to where they want to be.

And that is another thing that Tiger and the Trojans share.