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Rose Bowl

Contenders to potentially play in the 2015 Rose Bowl

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After a wild week in college football, the Associated Press Top 25 has a drastically new look this week, with several major college football playoff contenders suffering losses. In one of the most memorable weeks in college football history, Alabama Crimson Tide, Oklahoma, Oregon, UCLA Bruins and Texas A & M all suffered losses, greatly impacting the outlook for the inaugural college football playoff. This season the Rose Bowl in Pasadena will hold one of the two college football semifinal games.

Here’s a look at the top contenders to potentially play in the Rose Bowl after the major upsets of the past week:

Florida State: The defending national champions take over the top spot in the AP poll and if they can go undefeated, should be a shoo-in for the national semifinals. Although the Seminoles have been undefeated, they haven’t been as impressive as a year ago. Two weeks ago the FSU gave up 41 points to North Carolina State, the second time they’ve given up over thirty points this season. The big test for Florida State will come on October 18 when they host undefeated Notre Dame.

Auburn: With Alabama losing the Auburn Tigers are now the highest ranked SEC team and currently in the driver’s seat to compete for the National title. This past week Auburn steamrolled the LSU Tigers in one of the more impressive performances of the college football season thus far. In a brutal upcoming schedule the Tigers have five remaining teams currently tanked in the top fifteen on their schedule. If they can somehow navigate their schedule they’ll be a leading candidate to potentially play in the 2015 Rose Bowl.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have made an impressive rise to the top of the AP Poll with consecutive wins over top ten teams, LSU and Texas A & M. The Bulldogs can cement their ranking with a defeat of Auburn this coming Saturday. In addition to Auburn the Bulldogs still play Alabama and Ole Miss, both ranked in the top ten. In quarterback Dak Prescott the Bulldogs have one of the most exciting players in all of college football.

Mississippi: In a remarkable turn of events, Mississippi joints Mississippi State in the AP top 5 after an impressive home victory over Alabama. In their first test of the season, Ole Miss came back from a halftime deficit to defeat Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. They’ll be tested immediately this coming weekend when they travel to College Station to face the Texas A & M Aggies.
Baylor: With Oklahoma losing the Baylor Bears are now the highest ranked Big 12 team, with a real shot to go undefeated. The Bears will get immediately tested this weekend when they host 9th ranked TCU. The Horned Frogs are coming off of an impressive victory over Oklahoma. Baylor has one of the most dynamic offenses in all of college football under quarterback Bryce Petty.

Notre Dame: The Irish aren’t blowing teams out, but they are collecting victories over solid opponents, most recently their defeat of Stanford this weekend. Notre Dame has two remaining ranked teams on their schedule, Florida State and Arizona State, as well as the season finale versus USC. If the Irish can manage to go undefeated they’ll have a strong case for the college football playoffs.

Arizona Wildcats: The most surprising team on the list, and the team that made the biggest rise in the polls, is Arizona. The undefeated Wildcats knocked off second ranked Oregon in Eugene this past weekend, vaulting them from unranked to number ten in the country. Arizona has upcoming games versus UCLA, USC and Arizona State on their schedule. Although it’s unlikely, if the Wildcats can go undefeated they’ll have a strong case for one of the two national semifinal games.

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Rose Bowl Seating

Rose Bowl

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Cody Kessler remains the starter at USC

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USC Trojans Tickets

USC TROJANS

After winning the quarterback battle in the lead up to the start of the season, Cody Kessler struggled at the beginning of the 2013-2014 Trojans campaign, under soon to be fired head coach Lane Kiffin. After Ed Orgeron took over and the Trojans made a strong second half run the culminated in a solid finish, Kessler finished strong and demonstrated the skills that made him a high recruited player. In the Trojans strong second half they won with solid defense, a good running attack and solid game management from Kessler. In the final six games of the regular season Kessler had 8 touchdown passes and one interception. The finished the season on a high note, throwing for 345 yards and four touchdowns in the Trojans impressive bowl victory over Fresno State. Kessler’s solid play coincided with USC’s best football of the season, a stretch where they won six of seven games. A loss to UCLA in the regular season finale was the only defeat the Trojans suffered after the month of October.

Cody Kessler

KESSLER

While Kessler was leading the Trojans to a comeback season the program was redshirting Max Browne, a highly recruited quarterback touted as USC’s quarterback of the future. Red-shirting Browne made sense, with many around the program speculating that the job would be Browne’s to lose as a true freshman. With former Trojans assistant Steve Sarkisian taking over the head coaching job, the two quarterbacks, along with Jalen Greene, went into spring practice competing for the starting job.

At the conclusion of spring practice Sarkisian indicated that Kessler was still tops on the depth chart following a solid performance. The new coach hedged his bets a bit, stating that Kessler’s starting status is contingent on continued improvement and a solid training camp. Browne is still considered the top contender for the job, with Sarkisian indicating that the redshirt freshman would have another opportunity to earn the starting position this summer.

Kessler is a good game manager but not the type of difference-making athlete at the quarterback position like USC’s Brett Hundley. After the Trojans solid finish last year they’ll enter the new season with big expectations in an increasingly difficult PAC 12 conference. The Southern Division of the PAC 12 is full of up and coming programs, including UCLA under Jim Mora and Arizona State and Arizona under Todd Graham and Rich Rodriquez. With Brett Hundley plying his trade across town, leading a UCLA team that many favor in the conference, is Cody Kessler the answer at quarterback?

USC Trojans QB

KESSLER

Whether he’s the answer or not will depend on how the Trojans replace Marqise Lee and whether or not they can continue the dominant running game they showed in the second half of last season. Lee, who left for the NFL, had an injury filled year in 2013, but when healthy was the type of player that opposing teams had to account for. His absence will put more pressure on key Kessler target Nelson Agholar, who had two touchdown catches in the Trojans bowl victory. Kessler will have the benefit of a full season with Buck Allen at running back. Allen, who battled injuries early in 2013 had a strong second half that coincided with the Trojans strong run of play. In the Trojans last six games Allen had four one-hundred yard rushing games and 12 touchdowns.

So what does the future hold for Max Browne? The highly recruited quarterback indicated he’s no transferring, but he’s looking at another season as a backup. If Kessler succeeds like he did at the end of last season he’ll have an additional year of eligibility remaining beyond next season. If the incumbent starter has a strong 2014 it’s hard to imagine him losing his job to Browne after next season. To add to Browne’s predicament is the presence of Ricky Town, who committed to the Trojans. Town is the top ranked quarterback in the class of 2014, highly touted like Browne.

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BY: Chris M.

Rose Bowl Stadium

Will Ohio State face Stanford 2014 Rose Bowl?

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With just three weeks remaining in the regular season the race for the Rose Bowl is taking form. This year’s Rose Bowl will be held January 1st in Pasadena. Here’s a look at the current race in the Big Ten and Pac 12.

Big Ten: Ohio State is undefeated, winners of 21 straight, and has a clear path to take home first place in the Big Ten Leaders division. Due to their victory over second place Wisconsin the Buckeyes would have to lose two of their remaining games to not make the Big Ten title game. In the Legends division, the race is still wide open, with Michigan State the one team that controls their own destiny. Michigan State is undefeated in the division but has three relatively tough games remaining. The Spartans travel to Northwestern and Nebraska followed by a home matchup with Minnesota. If they win out, they’re in. If they lose one or two games the Spartans open the path for Nebraska or Minnesota to take the Legends Division. The Minnesota Gophers are the surprise Big Ten team, winners of four straight conference games. The Gophers have already defeated Nebraska and finish up the regular season at Michigan State. If the Spartans lose at Northwestern or Nebraska and Minnesota wins out the Gophers would advance to the Big Ten title game. Nebraska, who won at Michigan this past weekend, hosts Michigan State in Lincoln on Saturday. If the Huskers defeat the Spartans and win their remaining games they’ll take the Legends Division.

Ohio State will be heavily favored in the Big Ten title game, no matter who represents the Legends Division. If Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State win out the Rose Bowl will likely feature an undefeated Ohio State versus either Stanford or the Pac 12 South representative.

Pac 12 Conference

Pac 12

Pac 12: With Stanford’s victory over Oregon on Thursday the Cardinal control their own destiny in the Pac 12 North race. The Cardinal have a tough game with USC this coming weekend but wrap up conference play with a bad California team. They would need to lose both their remaining conference games for Oregon to overcome them, an extremely unlikely scenario. The race in the Pac 12 South is still very much wide open. First place Arizona State will take home the division if they win their remaining games including a key matchup with UCLA. The same goes for UCLA who will once again represent the Pac 12 South in a big rematch versus Stanford if they win out. Third place USC is on a hot streak lately but would need to defeat a good Stanford team this weekend as well as knock off UCLA in the battle of Los Angeles to end the season. Due to USC’s loss at Arizona State the Trojans would still need major help to beat the Sun Devils. Arizona State’s late comeback versus Utah this weekend may have any realistic shot of USC winning the division. If the Trojans can defeat Stanford and win out there is still an outside shot though. ASU still has games remaining versus UCLA and their annual rivalry game with Arizona.

Rose Bowl Projection: It’s tough to see anyone beating Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. The same goes for Stanford in the Pac 12. Look for Stanford to knock off UCLA in the Pac 12 Title game, setting up a very attractive Rose Bowl matchup between the third and fourth ranked teams in the country, Ohio State and Stanford.

By:Chris Michaels

Can UCLA Win the PAC 12 in 2013?

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After the first few weeks of the 2013 season the UCLA Bruins are the front runner in the PAC 12 South. Part of this is their good play and part of it is their cross town rivals, USC, are falling apart quickly. Lane Kiffin has been let go by the Trojans and they now have an interim coach. If that isn’t funny enough, the interim coach is allowing the offensive linemen to eat cookies while on the training room tables. I kid you not. That is another story for another time. Now that USC is basically out of the picture in the PAC 12 South it looks as if it is going to come down to Arizona State and UCLA. My personal opinion is that the team that doesn’t lose the silly game(s) will end up being in the PAC 12 championship game in early December.

Losing Silly Games

When I refer to silly games I mean games in which the ranked and/or favored team should easily win. In many of the conferences not named the SEC some of the contenders will lose game they should dominate. If UCLA is picked to beat Arizona by two touchdowns they should not lose that game. Unfortunately, both UCLA and Arizona State fans have seen their teams lose these silly games time and again. They will beat a top 10 Stanford team and come back and lose to an unranked Utah or Washington State team. The PAC 12 South team that can avoid this bad loss will likely come out ahead in the division. Getting past Utah on Thursday, October 3rd, 2013 was a very big deal for the UCLA Bruins. This was a road game on a Thursday night and they are never easy. Being a Thursday night road favorite is a recipe for disaster.

The Bruins had to travel to Utah to play the Utes and they knew they had to return to Los Angeles the next morning to go to class. This is often quite difficult. In fact, this is one of the reasons we see so many Thursday night home dogs winning games against teams that are much better. Even though UCLA barely pulled this one out it is still a W in the column and that is all that matters. In fact, this might be just what UCLA needs to get over the hump and get into the top 10. Unfortunately, teams often get ahead of themselves and do not play for the game that week. This is very true for teams that reach the top 10 that have not been there in the recent past.

After watching endless weeks of college football I can remember numerous times when a team finally gets into the top 10 and they subsequently lose two or three straight. The old phrase, “act like you have been there” is extremely important when it comes to college football rankings. Trying to keep college football athletes grounded is like trying to drink watch from a fire hydrant. It is not that easy and some people end up making a fool of themselves. If coach Jim Mora, Jr. can keep the UCLA Bruins grounded for the entire 2013 season I will be extremely impressed.

Winning the PAC 12 This Year

Since the PAC 12 has split into two divisions the North division has been much stronger than the South division. The same is true this year. Both Oregon and Stanford are in the top 10 while the only major contender in the south is UCLA. I know Arizona State has played very well to start the season but they will need to prove themselves over time. UCLA has been stable since Jim Mora, Jr came to town so I can honestly say they could be a top 10 team by the end of the year. Winning the PAC 12 South will be much easier than winning the PAC 12 North.

Something interesting about the PAC 12 Championship game is it is played in the home stadium of the team with the better record. That means Oregon could be ranked #5 in the country and have to travel to Los Angeles to play a lower ranked UCLA team if that UCLA team happens to have a better record. I do enjoy the fact that this game is played in the home stadium of the team with the best record. I think other major conferences should consider something similar. One of the most interesting dynamics of this type of setup is the weather difference in December. I can promise you that the weather is much different in Eugene, Oregon as compared to Tempe, Arizona during the first few weekends in December.

The PAC 12 conference is very large geographically. Especially when it comes to north and south. No matter which team wins the SEC it is going to be the case that they come from the south. That said, there is no other conference that allows the team with the best record to host the championship game. I do wonder how this works when it comes to tickets and preparing for the event. The SEC knows they must prepare the Georgia Dome in Atlanta for the SEC Championship game. They have all year to prepare. The same is true when it comes to the ACC. They know the location so they do not have to worry about all of the logistics. When it comes down to it, the PAC 12 just has one more home game for the best team.

Tickets for the PAC 12 Championship Game

Getting tickets to most conference championship game means fans will have to order well ahead of time. With the PAC 12 Championship Game fans will have no idea where the game is going to be played. This makes it harder for fans to make an early decision. When going to Jacksonville, Florida for the ACC Championship or Atlanta, Georgia for the SEC Championship it is not all that hard to book the trip ahead of time. When planning the PAC 12 Championship you may end up in Eugene, Los Angeles or Tempe. Heck, you could even end up in Pullman, Washington.

The PAC 12 is a very unique conference in that they have some of the best teams in college football but the fans do not show up to the games. During the 2012 PAC 12 Championship in Palo Alto (Stanford University) the stadium was half empty by the time the game kicked off. Everyone that is watching on TV sees this and it makes them feel as if the PAC 12 is not big boy football. Even during top 25 matchups this year I have noticed that some of the PAC 12 stadiums are not full. One could make the argument that they are not full at the kickoff of the games but I can assure you they are not full at the end of the games either. Until the fans start to show up to some of these games I do not think the PAC 12 will get the respect it deserves.

One way to gain that respect is to sell out the PAC 12 Championship game almost immediately. Unfortunately, the only way they will likely do that is to have the game in Eugene as Oregon fans will gobble up the tickets. If the game is in Los Angeles or San Francisco it is highly unlikely the game will sell out quickly. In fact, if it happens to be in these California cities there is a good chance the game will not sell out at all. West Coast fans complain they get no respect but it comes with the territory if you are not willing to go to the games. These athletic departments are willing to pony up millions of dollars to improve facilities yet the fans are not willing to spend $100 a week to go to the games.

When the economy was struggling it was completely understandable that fans did not want to pay the extra money to go to these games. Now that the economy has improved and many people are doing well financially it stands to reason that these games would be more highly attended. SEC games in the south are almost always packed. Even if the team is not that good fans will still pay to go watch their team play. This is not the way it is in the PAC 12. The bottom feeders of the PAC 12 see attendance rates below 50%. Never would an SEC team consistently see attendance rates below 50%. There have been years in which South Carolina has only won a single game but 70,000 fans still fill Williams Brice Stadium.

When PAC 12 fans start to attend games the east coast will take notice. Until then, the PAC 12 will be known as a flashy conference with bright colors and crazy offenses. Something else that would help the PAC 12 tremendously is to win a national championship. When this happens maybe fans will actually come out to the games.

By Jesse Wojdylo

USC UCLA A Rivalry Unlike Any Other

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Two schools located in the same city, Los Angeles, separated by just twelve miles makes
for one interesting rivalry. The likelihood that alumni and students from the schools
will interact with each other on a daily basis is very high. Ohio State–Michigan and
Army-Navy are two other huge college football rivalries that come to mind, but neither
features the kind of proximity that is seen by the Trojans and the Bruins.

The schools have competed against one another in a variety of sports since the early
1900s. USC, long recognized as a “football school” and UCLA, the “basketball school,”
both have storied traditions in other non-revenue sports as well, such as track & field,
volleyball, and water polo. UCLA actually holds the NCAA record for most team national
championships with 107 and most overall national titles with 128, more than any other
school in the nation. But, it’s on the football field where the real rivalry begins.

Since the formation of the old Pacific Coast Conference, which is now the Pac-12, USC
and UCLA have shared or won 54 conference football championships. The rivalry
game, normally played the last week of the regular season, has had conference title
implications as well as, on some occasions, national title implications, and has served to
determine the conference’s Rose Bowl berth on several occasions.

One of the most memorable was the “Game of the Century” played in 1967 pitting #1
UCLA led by QB Gary Beban against the second-ranked Trojans and a phenomenal
young running back named O.J. Simpson. USC won 21-20, beat Indiana in the Rose
Bowl, and claimed the national championship. Beban did win the Heisman Trophy that
year. Simpson won it the next.

Recently, though, the game has lost some of its luster. While USC has flourished,
winning national championships in 2003 and 2004 and losing in the title game in 2005,
UCLA has struggled. The hiring of “golden boy” former QB Rick Neuheisel in 2008
was to signal the return to prominence. It was not to be as the former Rose Bowl MVP
produced only one winning season and a 21-30 overall record.

USC has dominated the rivalry of late. The Bruins’ last victory in the series was in 2006.
With another BCS title game berth on the line, UCLA pulled one of the great upsets in
college football with a 13-9 victory denying the Trojans the chance to play for another
national championship. USC still won the Pac-10 and went on to the Rose Bowl that
year.

Since the ‘06 win, the Bruins have not fared well in the “Victory Bell” match-up, losing
miserably last year, 50-0. USC has won 12 of the last 13, holds a 46-28-7 advantage in
the series, and in the last five meetings has outscored UCLA, 158-35. USC has owned the

Victory Bell for the better part of the past two decades. The bell, originally from an old
Southern Pacific railroad locomotive, has traditionally been awarded to the winner of
the USC-UCLA game every year since 1942.

If there is a year to mark a turning point in the rivalry, it may very well be 2012. With
new coach Jim Mora, Jr., the Bruins are off to one of their best starts in recent history.
UCLA is 4-1 with a big win over then 16th-ranked Nebraska. Their only loss was a 27-20
setback to 18th-ranked Oregon State.

The Bruin offense has become more consistent and it starts with the play of freshman
QB Brett Hundley. Hundley is completing 66 percent of his passes (121-for-183),
has 1,480 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and has a passer rating of 150.6. And, led
by Jonathan Franklin, UCLA has one of the top 15 rushing offenses in the country.
Franklin, a 5-11, 195-pound senior, has 693 yards rushing including two 200-yard
games already this season.

If the Bruins continue to improve and stay healthy, it’s possible that this year’s Nov.
17th match-up with the USC Trojans could be for the Pac-12 South Division championship.
USC, however, has it a little tougher meeting two ranked opponents, Washington and #2
Oregon Ducks, prior to the cross-town rivalry.

The Trojans are led by senior QB Matt Barkley, who stunned the football world last year
declaring he would return for his senior year at USC. With Barkley, the country’s best
receiving tandem in Marqise Lee and Robert Woods, and the addition of Penn State
transfer Silas Redd, the Trojan offense is its strength. The vulnerability lies within the
Trojan defense as Stanford proved as they handed USC its only loss of the season, 21-14.

While it may not be a “game of the century” this year, the Victory Bell tilt will be one to
watch as the regular season winds down. The UCLA Bruins will be looking for a signature win
as they enter the Mora era and will desperately want to end the Trojans’ dominance in
the rivalry. USC, on the other hand, may need the victory as it fights for to keep a BCS
bowl bid alive. The 2012 edition should be a good one, a return to the gridiron battles of
the 1960s and ‘70s.

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USC May Have What It Takes to Dethrone SEC

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USC Trojans

USC Trojans

With a school-record 39 touchdown passes, 3,528 yards passing, and a 10-2 record under his belt, it looked as if USC QB Matt Barkley had nothing left to accomplish and would declare for the NFL Draft. As ESPN’s Lee Corso says, “Not so fast, my friend.” Barkley will be one of the big reasons why the Trojans are set to rival the dominance of the SEC, which has claimed the past six BCS national championships.

Barkley is one of eight returning starters on an offense that could be the nation’s best. No one will have a better tandem at wide receiver than the Trojans with All-American Robert Woods (JR) and sophomore Marqise Lee. Woods set a Pac-12 single-season record with 111 receptions a year ago, while Lee added 73 catches, 11 for touchdowns.

Four starters return on the offensive line, minus All-American and first-round draft pick Matt Kalil, led by senior center Khaled Holmes. The line will pave the way for a talented backfield that added another star in Penn State transfer Silas Redd. Redd, a senior, is eligible immediately as part of the NCAA sanctions levied against Penn State last month.

Defensively, head coach Lane Kiffin welcomes back seven starters. The Trojans were young last year, starting three freshman linebackers. But, the best thing about freshman is…they become sophomores and with a year of experience under their belt, Hayes Pullard, Lamar Dawson, and Dion Bailey will lead an effective unit.

While the defense won’t be dominant, the USC offense is the reason why they may wind up in the BCS national title game next January. That and a favorable schedule that includes rivals Oregon and Notre Dame at home and early season non-league contests with Hawaii and Syracuse. The Trojans do have to travel to Stanford in week three, but the Cardinal will be entering year one without QB Andrew Luck.

With their high-flying offense, formidable defense, and a special teams unit that blocked seven kicks last year, USC has what it takes to run the table in the Pac-12 South. The Nov. 17th rivalry game with UCLA isn’t what it used to be (the Trojans destroyed the Bruins last year, 50-0) and the next week, the Men of Troy close the season at home against the Fighting Irish. Take that into a Pac-12 title game and come January, expect to see the Trojans in the BCS title game.

Michael Hutchings commits to USC Trojans

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USC’s banner 2013 recruiting season just got even more superior. Michael Hutchings, one of the nation’s leading players regardless of position, fully commited to the USC Trojans on Sunday.

Michael Hutchings from football powerhouse De La Salle High in Concord, California, made a spoken commitment to the University of Southern California Trojans. The 6’2″ 210 lb linebacker was attracted by academics and athletics.

Hutchings had long already been a Trojan “lean,” but things got exciting when Washington made a big push in latest several weeks. One of the prep ratings systems had Hutchings as the 5th best football player in the region. Michael furthermore considered offers from a host of some other schools, such as Pac-12 members Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington, Washington State and UCLA.

He performed safet yearly on in high school prior to moving to linebacker, playing all the linebacking positions. His pace and explosiveness alongside with being a tough hitter makes him perfect for the fast if somewhat smaller sized linebackers that USC deploys on defense.
He plays for one of the greatest high schools in the state at De La Salle. Ranked near or at the top of the nationwide ratings yearly, the Spartans’ level of play is outstanding.

It had been thought Hutchings was hovering towards USC and had even been assisting to get other players though he himself had not committed. At the recent Trojans Rising Stars Camp, Hutchings lastly talked to Trojan head coach Lane Kiffin and gave his spoken promise.
Coming from a different private institution with an exceptional educational system, what eventually drew Hutchings and was quite essential to him is the entire deal. Hutchings revealed: “We’re talking academics, business opportunities and what the school has to offer location wise. Then you have the football tradition with a dynamite coaching staff.

There was no comparisons with the other schools I was considering.” He’s curious in business and hopes to be a company major. USC has one of the top business divisions in the country and is the biggest school at the university in Marshall School of Business.

For the Trojans, they get the guy they have been approaching at the position all along. In a year where the linebacker talent out west has been somewhat thin, Hutchings is the best in the region. Essentially sound, well-coached and possessing excellent physical tools, Hutchings’ skill set converts very well to the next stage, where he will likely stay at the outside position.

With his commitment, the Trojans now have 11 players accounted for the Class of 2013.
They may be obstructed by limited scholarships due to their probation but they continue to have arguably the ideal recruiting class for next season.

Tickets for all USC games are onsale now including the cross town rival game USC Vs UCLA.

USC Trojans 2012 Basketball Preview

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USC Trojans 2012 Backetball Preview

Every college basketball season has its sensational plays, but some of those plays transcend their own time to become the defining moments of the sport. These are the kinds of plays that get rehearsed in highlight compilations every March, the pantheon of college hoops accomplishments.
Sometimes people forget USC even has a men’s basketball team with all the commotion that surrounds its football team.
However, this year’s team looks to contend and compete in the Pac-12 despite injuries to a few key players. Here are five predictions that definitely have the potential to come true. The Men of Troy are a young and talented group of individuals who have fans and students excited about the future. Although not known as a basketball school, USC has attracted some talent that will immediately impact the season and the direction of the program.
After winning nineteen games this past season, it is needless to say that the Trojans will try and better their record this upcoming season.
Although the Pac-12 is as competitive as it gets, USC is faced with a favorable schedule.
There is no reason why they should not start off 5-0, with their only true test being an away game at San Diego State. This will give them a good basis and jump-start for the rest of the season as the young team builds their confidence. It seems as though USC has had trouble the past few years breaking the 20-win mark, but I believe they are poised for a breakout season.
Dewayne Dedmon will play a key part in both games with his tall frame and athleticism against an undersized and slower Bruins team.
Both games will create tough matchup problems for both teams and fans should be in for a treat, but do not think UCLA is going to walk all over the Trojans this year. As a matter of fact, it should be like this for years to come.
Ranked California’s top player by Cali High Sports, Byron Wesley will get the start for the Trojans at small forward this year.
Standing at a solid 6’5″, Wesley knows how to use his body and finish at the rim. Due to the injury of veteran guard Jio Fontan, Wesley will immediately be looked to for scoring by both Coach O’Neill and his teammates.
He is a very versatile player who can play almost any position on the floor and is used to playing in the spotlight. With a polished mid-range game, he can score in a variety of different ways and will surely be a tough cover.
Wesley is not afraid to get inside and rebound, and never runs away from a tough defensive battle. His talent will be recognized sooner rather than later.
This year the Kansas Jayhawks will pay the Trojans a visit. Entering the season ranked No. 13, they should beware when they come to play USC.
The players will really be focused and recogonzie what a win could do for their season. The game is during winter break and although people may think this does not mean anything, it does.
Players will have family in the stands, so they will be more pumped-up than usual and ready to take down Kansas Jayhawks.
If all the previous predictions come true, it only makes sense that USC will have their time during March Madness.
Although they lost in the first round last year and have lost one of their key players, it is clear that the team possesses some new and young talent.
USC men’s basketball often times flies under the radar due to the football team’s prestige. Look for them to put some people on notice this year.

*USC Trojans 2012 Basketball Schedule
– USC Trojans vs. Washington Huskies-3.1.2012
– USC Trojans vs. Washington State Cougars-3.3.2012

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LA Staples Center

Pac 12 Tournament LA Staples Center

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Pac-12 Tournament- LA, Staples Center

The Pac 12 Basketball Tournament is played at the conclusion of the Pac 12 basketball regular season pitting the teams against each other in seeded order with the winner of the single elimination tournament’s Championship Game receiving an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Since 2002 the Pac 12 Basketball Tournament has been played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California with the 2012 Pac 12 Tournament also to remain at the Staples Center despite poor attendance in the 2011 Pac 10 Championship Game.

The 2012 Pac 12 Basketball Tournament is scheduled to occur from March 7th through March 10th, 2012.

Similar to the 2011 tournament, all-session packages include both men’s and women’s basketball games. The women’s basketball first three rounds on Wednesday and Thursday will be at Galen Center on the USC Trojans campus. All men’s games and the women’s semifinals & final will be at Staples Center. The Los Angeles Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena located in the city’s downtown area.

With the 2012 London Olympics fast approaching, the Pac-10, which officially becomes the Pac-12 on July 1, will host two of its 14 Conference Championship events in 2011-12 at U.S. Olympic Trial venues, providing student-athletes throughout the Conference an opportunity to compete on world stage locations, it was announced today.

Hayward Field at the University of Oregon will be the site for the Pac-12 Track and Field Championships May 5-6 and 12-13, while Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, WA will host the Pac-12 Women’s Swimming and Men’s and Women’s Diving Championships February 22-25. The venues were approved by the Pac-10 Council.

The Pac-12 will conduct 14 Conference Championship events during the 2011-12 school year, representing 16 sports – men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, wrestling, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s track and field and rowing. Pac-12 schools have won national championships in all 16 sports and in 27 of the 37 Division I sports the NCAA sponsors.

The University of Utah will host the Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City March 24. No collegiate women’s gymnastics program in the country draws fans like Utah does. Aside from its 10 national championships, the Utes consistently lead the nation in attendance, including an NCAA Basketball record 14,213 fans per meet in 2010. They have averaged more than 11,000 fans per home meet for the past 21 years.

The NCAA West Regionals will be held at the Staples Center in March 2015! You can purchase West Regionals Tickets for both days or just individual days now. You can also view our Staples Center seating chart to give you a better layout of the seats.

The Staples Center Address is 1111 S. Figueroa St.Los Angeles, CA 90015.