Sunday’s Takeaway: “It’s Just USC”

In 1997 UCLA’s J.R. Henderson’s arrogance came out when asked for his thoughts on playing USC in hoops. He said, “It’s just USC.” The comment had the same disdain plus the who-gives-a-flip attitude most Trojan fans have for Bruin football. So no harm no foul.

However, I doubt that JR still feels the same way today while he’s watching USC run the city as Mick Cronin chases Andy Enfield for the title of Southern California’s best basketball coach.

Here’s a truth.–When USC basketball recruited the No. 1 overall player in the country and won it was unexpected.

Here’s a different truth.–USC football is expected to have top-10 recruiting classes. But they’re not supposed to challenge those who pay for high school recruits coming out of high school.

But what is the truth? Is there a truth, and whose truth?

Before the transfer portal existed everyone knew or believed that members of the SEC had been using their own version of NIL payments for years. But when NIL became a real thing and encouraged, it started a shift.

When USC football is consistently recruiting top-10 classes, the usual suspects such as Alabama and Georgia get nervous. Their fear is that history can repeat itself.

They envision USC marching through college football like General Sherman’s March to the Sea.

It was a little over one score ago when Pete Carroll’s Trojans did something similar that General Sherman’s troops did.

But Pete’s Victory March lasted longer than a month, and it looked more like a revolution that would change college football’s landscape forever. And while no one got killed, the wake of destruction the Trojans left behind is still burned deep into the memory banks of those who’ve seen the power of USC.

Sherman’s soldiers did their job with precision so that they did not destroy any of the towns in its path. Sherman explained that his strategy was the result of, “make the old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war.”

During Pete’s March, he did the same. He took the SEC’s pride with shutout wins on The Plains of Auburn. He took their top local recruits, and eventually, their will to fight back without special rules put into place.

College football recruiting is ruthless so when certain groups are forced to fight harder than they want to they start to complain and spread half-truths.

Nick Saban’s truth is that he believes the end of college football as we know it has arrived.

But his truth is rooted in jealousy because the recruiting rules have changed.

There is no set of rules, and that has the Southeastern Conference’s top General running for the microphone asking for help and begging for parity. Alabama’s Nick Saban: “You think it’s (parity) here? I think the way Southern Cal, Texas & Texas A&M are spending money … it hasn’t hit yet. What are you willing to spend?”

The SEC would also prefer an easier work schedule consisting of 8 conference games while others play nine. However, we won’t call out that hypocrisy too loudly.

The real truth is the irony of it all, and that Saban sees the end – and its name is NIL.

Nick started to sound the alarm bells last year when he accused Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M of buying the best recruiting class. The “Little General” was upset that the players he used to get were looking elsewhere.

A year later, Saban’s concern for the truth has moved further west.

The concern started with the free transfer rule in April 2021. Then the sound of NIL in July of 2021 was shot off with no rules. Suddenly, for the first time in the history of college recruiting, the troops had more power than their leaders.

“Name, image and likeness is a great concept for players,” Saban said. “I told our players when this whole thing started to get agents, get representatives, so you can create opportunities for yourself.”

The. truth of the matter is, Saban sees his recruits and his current players who have a choice are following Saban’s advice.

Besides, “It’s just USC”….how hard can they be to defeat?

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