How Southern Cal continues to sucker BCS programs into one-and-one contracts must be a testament to the sandy, surfer's tan L.A. looks we assume is rank-and-file around that campus. The result is a lot less pretty -- under Pete Carroll, good teams experiencing a momentary crisis of confidence (Arkansas, Auburn, Nebraska) had their pants charmed off and innocence lost in nationally broadcast drubbings.
It shouldn't shock anyone that this metaphor gets both sloppier and dumber under current coach Lane Kiffin, whose first season at probation-sanctioned USC featured uncharacteristically tense moments during the brahsome slump-busting of Virginia and Minnesota.
Now Kiffin's noted lust for Atlanta is evident again, as the Trojans have flirted with Georgia Tech for a potential pairing in the 2011 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic, but were derailed when USC AD Mike Garrett was dismissed. With the Jackets now a Chick-fil-A target for 2013, you have to think USC will do whatever it takes to fill that marquee.
Just sayin', but if Tech feels like being roofied by an uncaring national program trying to siphon Atlanta recruits, Alabama has the Kickoff Classic locked up for portions of this decade. Granted, the USC that tore through the 2000s wouldn't be the one showing up in the Georgia Dome.
Maybe we're advocating a bizarre sense of southeastern camaraderie in tribute to Tennessee fans, but what would the Jackets gain from playing the Trojans? Another chance for Ed Orgeron to play Sherman? YAW YAW PROVINCIALLY INACCURATE JOKE YET HUMOROUS MENTAL IMAGE YAW.
Tech is deserving of a notable non-conference opponent -- see Notre Dame -- but one that actually stands to deliver the Yellow Jackets something in return. A neutral site game a mile from their own stadium nulls any potential excitement among ticket buying fans. The only appeal for GT to schedule such a game is the nebulous benefit of national exposure.
As for the long-term benefits of such a contract with the Trojans, just ask their last ten BCS non-conference opponents.
For more USC sports, visit Conquest Chronicles and SB Nation Los Angeles. For more Georgia Tech, visit From The Rumble Seat.