WATCH: Oregon Ducks "Take It All" Music Video

Is he a rapper? A singer? A producer?

Whatever he thinks he is, this video is his contribution to the 2010 Oregon Ducks and their trip to the National Championship game in January.

My advice would be for him to have a nice backup plan—just in case this whole rapper/singer/video production thing doesn't work out to his liking.

New USC AD Pat Haden Could Be Trouble For Lane Kiffin

Today, the USC Trojans did some house cleaning and, in the process, sent a message to the NCAA and the college football world that "Playtime Is Over" in Southern California.

Athletic Director Mike Garrett was fired,  replaced by the clean-cut, wholesome, image of Pat Haden—a former Trojan and member of the USC board of trustees. He has since resigned from the latter.


He is a well-respected figure in the community and, at USC, few will find any reason to disagree with the choice—especially given the recent turmoil the program has suffered with Garrett at the wheel.

Also gone is any material memory of Reggie Bush. His No. 5 jersey along with the Heisman Trophy he won in 2005 have both been removed from Heritage Hall. Said president-elect Max Nikias, "The Trojan Family honors and respects the USC sporting careers of those persons whose actions did not compromise their athletic program or the opportunities of future USC student-athletes,". 

USC is certainly following the guidelines set forth by the NCAA which advised them to disassociate themselves from Bush in the wake of the scandal. However, it does make you wonder, will they return all the revenue they reaped as a result of his jersey sales? Will they return the money that was likely generated from the boosters and alumni who gladly opened their checkbooks thanks to his greatness on the field?

Don't get me wrong, Reggie Bush was a punk for what he did and he deserves to be stripped of the Heisman, but lets not be naive to how much money USC made off his success either—just saying.

But, I digress.

It's all business now at USC and that means there will be a lot less hand-wringing and side-chatter surrounding the program and it's dealings where the athletes and coaches are concerned. Which naturally leads us to new head coach, Lane Kiffin.

I seriously doubt that his "dream job" entailed him having a semi-permanent set of eyes looking over his shoulder. However, that may very well be the case now that J.K. McKay will be appointed the associate athletic director of football.

McKay's primary job will be to act as the liaison between new AD, Pat Haden, and the football program. In other words, Kiffin's freedom just got a whole lot more restrained.

It's no secret that McKay and Haden have a close relationship and that leaves little doubt as to where McKay's loyalty will be.  He will surely scrutinize Kiffin's every move and that could make Kiffin's time on the sidelines a lot less enjoyable.

It doesn't help that Kiffin has already come under fire for his, somewhat, questionable recruiting tactics at USC already.

The first red flag came after he accepted the job. One of his assistants, with Kiffin's blessing, was rumored to have called some of Tennessee's (Kiffin's former employer) best prospects in an effort to get them to switch their commitment to USC instead.

Then came the Seantrel Henderson debacle.

Kiffin was, allegedly, dishonest with Henderson about the severity of the upcoming sanctions. Henderson never did sign with the Trojans due in large part to deception.

Add to that, the recent transfer of a number of junior and senior players to other Division I schools, and Kiffin has already been through the wringer without having called a snap.

If more of these shenanigans continue, I foresee swift and definitive action by Haden to cut Kiffin loose.  After all, USC can undoubtedly find a more experienced, less media-obsessed coach for $4 million.

Either way, I set the over/under on Kiffin's departure at 2-years because his dream just turned into a nightmare.

USC RB Dillon Baxter Should Not Escape Punishment For His Statements

Dillon Baxter (pictured far left), the highly-touted running back out of San Diego, has remained free of any of the negativity surrounding the circus that he is partly responsible for starting.

Just shy of a month ago, the five-star product who was heavily courted by the likes of Florida, Michigan, UCLA, and Oregon stated that he was contacted illegally by some heavy-hitters in the BCS. Those heavy-hitters turned out to, allegedly, be Florida, Fresno State, Alabama, Washington, and Oregon.

The accusation set off a frenzy as many called into question why those schools would have acted so carelessly in going after a kid who was already signed elsewhere. After all, the sanctions that hit USC weren't going to effect their incoming talent, just the juniors and seniors on their roster—by all accounts—Baxter was untouchable.

Of course, the accusations were followed by denials across the board by most every one of the accused schools—all firmly stating that Baxter had not been contacted by anyone inside their program. 

That said, it was already difficult to believe that Nick Saban, Chip Kelly, or Urban Meyer would  blatantly dismiss such a clear violation of the NCAA regulations.

It seemed fishy to me at the time.

True to form, the plot thickened a day or two later when Baxter told ESPN reporter, Joe Schad, that he  lost his cell phone and could not produce any visual proof of contact.

Really? You have a chance to embarrass several big name schools, stick it to a couple of your current school's rivals, and make your head coach look like a choir boy—for a change—and you conveniently lose the one piece of evidence that would have done it?...Okay...sure, I'll buy that.

Not! If I'm Lane Kiffin or Mike Garrett, Baxter's story ends right then and there because there is little hope of a positive ending for USC.

Even still, AD Mike Garrett, took Baxter at his word and wagged a disapproving finger at the five schools that, allegedly, made contact.

Fast forward to the here and now and, again, the Trojans look like the back side of a horse's patoot—sending apologies to those same schools for making false accusations. The immediate consequence has been more calls for AD Mike Garrett to step down or be fired. He was already in hot water after the sanctions but this latest guffaw makes him look incompetent.

Clearly, he should have done more homework before lofting grenades at other programs. He never seemed to even consider the possibility that Baxter was lying. After all, Baxter never met a microphone or a camera he didn't like. He's a flashy young man and could very well have just been doing a bit of posturing for the cameras—unaware of the power of his words at this level.

In any case, Garrett should have known better and the calls for his head are valid.

However, what becomes of Dillon Baxter? Clearly, there needs to be further investigation into his actions as well. Was he outright lying at the time of his statements or was there actually contact? At least one publication, GatorCountry.com, is stating that Baxter was the one who made contact with Florida—not the other way around. If that's true, doesn't that mean that Baxter is in for a little wrist-slapping from the NCAA as well?

Dez Bryant was suspended last season for lying to the NCAA about his relationship with former NFL pro, Deion Sanders—that lie cost him, essentially, his entire year.

Granted, Baxter's actions are different but, a lie is a lie, right?

NCAA Bylaw 10.1 addresses "unethical conduct" and specifically regards ""Knowingly furnishing the NCAA or the individual's institution false or misleading information concerning the individual's involvement in or knowledge of matters relevant to a possible violation of an NCAA regulation." as "unethical". Such an infraction warrants a suspension of said player by the NCAA.

With that in mind, will we see the spotlight turn towards Baxter's statements next?

Somehow, it just doesn't seem like this is the end of the story and that means more scrutiny for the Trojans.

Tony Basillio, A Knoxville Radio Host, Takes Out Billboard Aimed At Kiffin

According to a report by The Orange County Register, Tony Basillio—a Knoxville radio personality—has started a billboard campaign aimed at Lane Kiffin. The Billboards would be placed in Trojan Country and would read: "got sanctions? Enjoy Your Dream Job, Lane". 

Basillio has started a paypal fund and he's taking donations from any fan or follower of Tennessee football to aid in this project. It's obvious to me that some Vol fans would still like to stick it to Mr. Kiffin.

My take, the best revenge is doing well. Kiffin's slimy ways have trailed him everywhere he's been and there is little doubt that he will step in a big pile of manure at USC at some point as well. I give him 4-years—max—before he's fired or slithers away for something that elevates him even higher than he already feels himself to be.

Either way, he's not long for the college football world.

Man, he's just so darned unlikeable, I can't do anything but root against him—sorry, Trojan fans.



I love how he kept wringing his hands—a sure sign that he knew he was dead wrong. What a guy.

Forget Pac-10 Expansion, USC's Sanctions Just Altered The Landscape of College Football

The NCAA has released its report on the USC Trojans and the findings have netted the following sanctions:

1. USC is banned from post-season play for two seasons. 
2. They will lose 10 scholarships per year over the next three (30 total)
3. The team will have to forfeit all games in which Reggie Bush appeared, starting from December 2004 to the 2006 Rose Bowl. This includes the national championship win over Oklahoma.

Reggie Bush was said to have been "disappointed" with the outcome and he "disagrees" with the findings. Those findings were, in short, that Bush and his family accepted more than $300,000 in gifts and monies from an agent while he was enrolled at USC.

The money was given to Bush in order to secure a spot as his agent once his college career was over.

In light of the sanctions, coach Lane Kiffin was quoted as having said the following:

"I don't think it's going to have an impact on our recruiting," Kiffin said. "We've talked to a lot of people from our team, to our signees, to recruits, and we have not felt an impact at all, because USC is still USC. We're still going to play an extremely high level of football. You can still get a great education if you come to USC. I don't feel an impact at all so far today, talking to a lot of people, talking to our staff, a lot of different kids." (USA Today, 6/10/10)

Let me just say that whatever Lane Kiffin is drinking, give me a sip, because he is clearly wasted in LA LA land.

He thinks it won't have an impact?...Of course it will have an impact. Very few players on that USC roster are there for academic reasons. So, it doesn't matter how great the education opportunities are at USC.

If education were the primary goal of every top notch football player in the nation, then both Stanford and Notre Dame would be more relevant each year, Duke and North Carolina would rule the ACC in more than just basketball, and Vanderbilt would be the SEC Champion on a regular basis.

In truth, these guys go to school to play football. The education is a lovely perk but, at the end of the day, they are trying to make dollars.

How do you make dollars? You go to a winning program with a national reputation, you dominate in conference play, and you make an appearance in the best bowls that the post-season has to offer—period.

That said, USC and Lane Kiffin are screwed for the next two years as the Pac-10 just became an equal opportunity employer. Stanford, UCLA, and Cal have to be salivating at the possibility of netting some of the guys who may now reconsider their interest in USC.

Even more, the NCAA will allow any junior or senior who wishes to transfer from the program, in light of this decision, to do so without imposing their traditional one-year ban on play. I don't know that any player will necessarily do so, but the option is there and it may prove to be tempting.

It's got to be a sad day for the Trojan fan, but the Tennessee fan has to be laughing his collective backside off. Lane Kiffin finally got a little visit from the karma fairy and, for once, the joke appears to be on him.

Ha. Ha. Ha.