USC Fall Camp Opens Today

You could try break things down to look for the positives as USC heads into the 2013 campaign.

We all know that USC has the most explosive offensive player in CFB in Marqise Lee, but after that it's just a bunch of question marks.

None of the QB's on the roster have run away with the starting job. That might not be a bad thing in the sense that all three QB's need to fight for the job...though I don't think Max Browne is a legitimate starter.

Hard to know how the defense will look now that Monte Kiffin has finally moved on. The offensive line and running game have some questions as well....on and on it goes.

The departure of Kennedy Polamalu left a bad taste in everyone's mouth with the whisper campaign behind the scenes about his departure. it is not surprising that Polamalu stayed close in the region. Polamalu would make a great OC if given the opportunity.

USC's lackluster season last year hurt USC's recruiting. Lane Kiffin didn't even fill slots he had open.

That to me is very telling. Kiffin's message, whatever it is, is no longer resonating with recruits.

What a difference a year makes.

Last year USC was Preseason #1 with a solid Heisman candidate. You could in watching the Syracuse game that there were some issues. After Khaled Holmes went down and the loss to Stanford it was pretty much official that USC was not deserving of the #1 spot. After the Arizona loss the wheels were officially off.

You know the rest.

Gary Klein has 6 questions about USC this season. The first one and most obvious...

Is Lane Kiffin coaching for his job?

Athletic Director Pat Haden, anticipating a barrage of questions about the topic, released a video last week saying Kiffin was not on the "hot seat" and that he was behind his coach "100%."

That might temporarily staunch queries from reporters and fans, but it won't quell the notion that Kiffin's job is on the line.

Kiffin is 25-13 in three seasons. With a schedule that does not include regular-season games against Oregon or Washington, he could add substantially to that win total.

But Kiffin cannot afford embarrassing incidents such as last season's jersey-switching and ball-deflating fiascoes.

At this point I have absolutely no clue.

Pat Haden has said all the right things in the sense he can't give former basketball coach Kevin O'Neill a chance to coach beyond the sanctions and not Kiffin. It would have to be an absolute train wreck for Haden to fire Kiffin and none of really want the team to suffer through a bad season.

So we need to bite the bullet and hope the team performs beyond expectations...even if that means it saves Lane Kiffin.

Here is the fall camp schedule.

Here are the dates and times (subject to change and possibility of last minute closures) that Trojan fans can view practice from the baseball stadium on campus:

Aug. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 - 3:15 p.m. practice
Aug. 10- 8:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. practices
Aug. 11 - 3:15 p.m. practice
Aug. 12 - 8:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. practices
Aug. 13 - 3:15 p.m. practice
Aug. 14 - 8:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. practices
Aug. 15, 17 - 3:15 p.m. practice
Aug. 18 - 8:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. practices
Aug. 19-20 - 3:15 p.m. practice

FIGHT ON!