USC: Can the Trojans Make It All Go Away?

Twenty-four hours!  That’s what a win over No. 1 Oregon would mean to the Trojans.

During an interview on 710 ESPN Radio, Lane Kiffin was asked what a win over the Ducks would mean.

He replied that for 24 hours from game time until Sunday all the negative stuff would go away.

All the worry over sanctions and what they have done to the Trojan football program not only this year, but for the next four or five years, will be forgotten.

The transfers and lack of depth will not matter for that brief moment. 

The precautions like the ban on tackling to preserve healthy bodies will vanish until Tuesday when the Trojans get ready for their next opponent, Arizona State, the team that gave Oregon its toughest game to date.

The pressure of finding top recruits who may be eligible for early entry will disappear until Monday morning. 

The confusion of not knowing when USC’s appeal will be heard and whether the sanctions on recruiting will be lessened will fade from memory for 24 hours.

The disappointment of losing two games that the Trojans could have won if they had only tackled a little better will be lost in the ensuing jubilation.

The frustration that Monte Kiffin feels because his defense let his son down in those two losses and cost the Trojans a perfect record will be wiped away.

Needless to say, a payback for the 47-20 whipping that Pete Carroll’s Trojans suffered last season at Oregon is minor compared to all the crap that hit the fan the moment Carroll went to Seattle.

The rage over Lane Kiffin leaving Tennessee after only one year along with half of the Volunteers coaching staff will be forgotten, albeit just for one day.

The bitterness over Kennedy Pola leaving the Tennessee Titans in the middle of their training camp to join Lane Kiffin’s staff at USC and the Titans’ subsequent lawsuit will be overshadowed by the thrill of victory.

The negative articles and reports that have followed the Trojans across all media outlets since the Pete Carroll defection will melt under the heat of redemption.

Yes, Oregon has a lot to play for.  They have not been ranked at the top since 1916.  If they can win out, they will play for the National Championship.

If they can win out, perhaps LaMichael James will win the Heisman Trophy.

And, of course, they need to prove to Matt Barkley that the Ducks are no Brock Lesnar.

All of that may matter on a national scale, but here in the Coliseum, where the Trojans are an embarrassing seven-point underdog, all of that is minuscule.

It pales in comparison to what USC is playing for.  Here in the Coliseum, the Trojans are playing for the only thing that truly matters to any of us—redemption.