Pete Carroll's USC: A Program of Perception

Last Thursday, when Oregon State upset USC, 27-21, in Corvallis, Ore., the assumption was that USC had a bad game.

Not too many people gave Oregon St. credit because obviously a team like USC does not get beat by a team like Oregon St., right? Well, I think Oregon St. outplayed USC, and the team that beat Ohio State, 35-3, is not as good as the nation thinks.

First of all, the first half of this game was all Oregon St.; the Beavers went into halftime up, 21-0, and the Trojans allowed Jacquizz Rodgers to rush for 186 yards, which was the most yards Rodgers has rushed for all season. What does this say about USC? Well, I know the truth hurts, but the Trojans are not as good as everyone thinks.

Every year we hear about all the talent USC has and how it is stacked at all positions, but all of this talent finds away to get beat by teams that are less than average. Pete Carroll is a good coach and that is obvious, but I do not think he, like his team, is as great as many people like to think.

Carroll is a big-game coach, but what is the point of being a big-game coach when you can’t beat the average Joes? When you are getting beat by the Stanfords and the Oregon States, then the big games are not so big anymore.

Also, it appears that people are starting to question the way Carroll coaches his players. There is chatter on message boards about Carroll’s lack of ability to prepare his players for the NFL. So is USC’s program starting to crumble? I am not saying it is, but I will say that I do not see what the hype is all about.

And on a side note, I have taken some heat about my articles. If you want to read the facts and the same repetitive information you find on every other website by every other writer, then just ignore my articles.

If you want to read an article that will be sugar-coated so that no one’s feelings will get hurt, then just skip right over mine.

But if you want to be entertained and read a different opinion than what the rest of the world is saying, then you are reading the right articles.

I do not want to publish an article that states a bunch of BS just because I want to make people happy; I am going to tell you what I think, and if you don’t like it then go cry somewhere else. Get over it; not everyone on the face of this Earth shares the same opinions, so take my articles for what they are worth and don’t take shots at me personally just because you do not agree with my opinions.