How are they annoying?

Mostly by over-marketing, stretching the truth, generally acting with the mentality of junior high cheerleaders.

It's a university, for pete's sake (pun intended). Not Jr. High.

I just saw Jack Del Rio on TV denying that USC had sent him a contract and claiming that all stories about him and USC are completely fabricated. I guess that means he's the new coach.

Which truths getting stretched?

Man. I wanted to send Miles Shuie...

It's going to take at least one more 5-6 loss season for Miles to go. I really thought it would be Saban going to USC.

"I got into UCLA but chose to go to USC" is a very common one in the LA area, that's been a perennial lie for many USC students for decades. Having gone to HS in LA, have plenty of personal knowledge on that one.

"USC is harder to get into than Berkley, UCLA, Stanford etc.."

"USC has very high academic standards."

"USC is more expensive than other private schools like Loyola or Pepperdine."

"I didn't do it, but I'm looking for the real killer."

"I don't know anything about that recruit getting envelopes full of cash."

Etc.

Lucas gave $175M in '06, and smaller amounts previously. Of course it isn't a check that gets cashed, but still money is money. Walter Annenberg also gave hundreds of millions to USC. I still think that the football team, considering how it drives the brand, brings in more.

The more interesting figure would be what *graduates* of the film school have made vs those that played football. In that case football would lose...

Well, I'm not an alum so I don't have a dog in the fight. I can say that USC now does have pretty high academic standards. The school is nothing like what it was during the 70's and 80's - quite a transformation. And depending on the specifics, USC can be harder to get info. The USC film school crushes UCLA and pretty much everyone else except maybe NYU. The Engineering school is also a top-10 ranked school, and the professional programs are top 20. There actually is quite a lot of firepower on campus in various places...

"i don't care about college ghetto ball. "

You're pretty selective in defending only their football program. The pattern of "irregularities" in recruiting athletes at USC, as well as other large programs, is pretty well-known and goes back many years. As for correlating the academic excellence of USC with its football program via graduation rates, it's low. FWIW:

2008 NCAA Graduation Success Rate for BCS Football Programs

1. Notre Dame 94%
2. Stanford 93
T3. BC 92
T3. Duke 92
T3. Northwestern 92
6. Vanderbilt 91
7. Wake Forest 83
8. Texas Tech 79
T9. Baylor 78
T9. Nebraska 78
T9. UNC 78
T9. Penn State 78
T13. UConn 77
T13. Indiana 77
T15. Colorado 75
T15. Iowa 75
T15. Syracuse 75
T15. Virginia Tech 75
19. Cincinnati 73
T20. Illinois 70
T20. Michigan 70
T20. Miami 70
T20. Rutgers 70
24. Florida State 69
T25. Clemson 68
T25. Florida 68
T25. Maryland 68
T25. Wash State 68
.........................................
T29. Kansas State 67
T29. Pitt 67
31. Virginia 66
T32. South Carolina 65
T32. Washington 65
T34. Oregon State 64
T34. Ole Miss 63
T34. Miss State 63
T34. Purdue 63
T34. West Virginia 63
T34. Wisconsin 63
T40. Okla State 62
T40. UCLA 62
42. Arizona State 60
T43. N.C. State 59
T43. Missouri 59
45. Louisville 58
46. Auburn 57
T47. Kentucky 56
T47. Texas A&M 56
T47. South Florida 56
T50. Alabama 55
T50. Iowa State 55
T52. LSU 54
T52. Tennessee 54
T52. USC 54
T55. Cal 53
T55. Oregon 53
T55. Kansas 53
58. Ohio State 52
T58. Arkansas 52
T60. Minnesota 51
T60. Michigan State 51
62. Texas 50
T63. Georgia 48
T63. Georgia Tech 48
65. Oklahoma 46
66. Arizona 41

Note: Cal, a highly-rated university, is one percentage point behind USC, so they have nothing to brag about either in this regard. While this is only a one year statistic, it indicates that at certain schools, many student-athletes don't attend for the educational opportunities. It's noteworthy that the bottom half of this graduation list contains schools with large money-making football programs.

Here's a list of the top ranked money-making football programs (2007) listed with the above graduation rates. With a few exceptions (Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State and a few others, one can apply the label; football factory.

University of Notre Dame, Fighting Irish 94% and $91M
University of Georgia, Bulldogs 48%
University of Michigan, Wolverines 70%
University of Florida, Gators 68%
Ohio State University, Buckeyes 52%
University of Alabama, Crimson Tide 55%
University of Tennessee, Volunteers 54%
University of Oklahoma, Sooners 46%
Louisiana State University Tigers 54%
Auburn University, Tigers 57%
Pennsylvania State University, Nittany Lions 78%
University of South Carolina, Gamecocks 65%
Texas A&M, Aggies 56%
University of Wisconsin, Badgers 63%

Sherwood

Nope - that's where you're wrong. I agreed with everything up to that tho!

BTW - if we find out that PC is only guilty of being too laid back, then that is not too horrible.

Yes, maybe we should burn down the school - but I agree with nostatic, save the film school -- it can go over to that UC branch campus and still reside in LA.

News reports here are focusing on UO trying to pick up some of the USC recruits - they emphasize the coaching continuity at UO, the friendly atmosphere, and clean living (!!)

Finally, besides my history with Penn. State, I admire the academic and coaching job that Joe has done. of course it is pretty easy to recruit there - a recruit will get to live in Happy Valley and be coached by God.

Those are some fairly well developed pejoratives. You should have taken debate in HS instead of the "personal knowledge" class, from where you've obviously gleaned your information.

Music, applied arts, liberal arts, law, medicine, dentistry, science...as well highly respected at USC.

Oh, yes, USC is highly respected in journalism as well...

Well Kiffin is coming from Tennessee....nothing like a one night stand with U.T.

Now I'm wondering who will be going to Tennessee?

Les Miles. Please.

But then who to LSU?

I'll take Saban back!

I think LSU is stuck with him.......

Spurrier!

Lane kiffin, Monte kiffin, norm chow, Ed orgeron.

Not bad at all