Readers Are Delighted to Pay Tribute to Troy

Just when my non-USC friends were beginning to get comfortable with SC as a serious academic institution and not being the formidable football foe it used to be, we’re getting discussed in Heisman and national-championship conversations and they all remember how much they hate the song and the horse!

Ted L. Bartscherer

Pasadena

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If a Ted Tollner or Larry Smith Trojan team had suffered a blocked punt for a touchdown by the Irish just before the half, you’d have seen that deer-in-the-headlights, here-we-go-again panic on the USC sideline. But the Pete Carroll Trojans calmly marched 75 yards down the field in one minute to score a touchdown and retake the lead. Then Carroll ran off the field smiling and proclaiming to the TV sideline reporter that he was having a great time.

So was I.

Mike Mitchell

Chicago

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What’s a lifetime bleeder of Bruin blue to do? If we beat Washington State, we end up with a decent record and go to a little better bowl game, but we put USC in the Rose Bowl. If we lose, we ship SC out of town, get a better payday for the Pac-10, put Bob Toledo a step nearer unemployment and, best of all, leave the BCS landscape in disarray. It will take a lot of self-control not to root for the Cougars.

Richard Turner

Fontana

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It should now be obvious that any team with the No. 1-rated schedule will never play for the national championship.

If USC had played Podunk U. instead of Kansas State, the Trojans would have been only one conversion kick from the Fiesta Bowl. USC has played only one team with a losing record (Stanford). No other team in the nation can match that kind of pressure. The same holds true for the Heisman Trophy selection.

Many candidates have run up large numbers against poor teams, but Carson Palmer has had to play against rated teams every week. I hope that will be taken into consideration.

Gary A. Robb

Los Feliz

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I used to think that T.J. Simers was just a bad writer with a bad attitude. But USC’s annihilation of the Bruins and the Irish has apparently driven him over the edge.

First he scolds local sportswriters and broadcasters for being “homers.” Does he ever read the papers in other cities? Then he advises the Trojans to be happy with a short trip down the freeway to the Holiday Bowl instead of a trip to the Orange Bowl or Sugar Bowl. Why? Trojan fans can drive to the game and have great tailgate parties. Sure, and he might be happy working for a small paper somewhere in the Midwest. I suggest one close to the Menninger Clinic, where he might get some help between the ears.

David Rankin

Torrance

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The arguments Diane Pucin gives for USC instead of Ohio State playing Miami are so ridiculous they aren’t worth printing in a major publication. It seems as if the Buckeyes’ domination of Washington State and quarterback Jason Gesser slips her mind. By the way, the very same Cougar team did beat USC. And Ohio State has beaten three teams ranked in the top 11. Wake up and smell the roses, Diane. The Buckeyes proved they belong and USC needs others to help them get there because they failed to do it on their own.

Tony Berardinelli

North Hollywood

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After USC’s rout of the Irish, should we call for Coach Willingham to be fired? After all, wasn’t Notre Dame’s offense really pretty pathetic? Why not give the Trojans credit instead of calling for coaches like Bob Toledo to be let go? Both the Irish and Bruins will finish their seasons with better records than the experts predicted at the start to the season.

I’m sick and tired of fans blaming coaches for unrealistic expectations of their teams.

Tim Newhard

Irvine

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When it comes to evading pressure from frustrated UCLA alumni, how does Bob Toledo spell relief? L-A-V-I-N.

Nick Rose

Newport Beach

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From the “Who Would Have Thought?” Department:

Here we are, four years after UCLA’s eighth consecutive (and last) victory over USC, and Cade McNown is out of a job, while Bob Toledo still has his.

Nunzio Tringali

Granada Hills

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Well, Mike Garrett is pounding his chest, claiming USC is No. 1, Pete Carroll seems convinced he’s the second coming of John McKay, and every Trojan fan believes Carson Palmer should be given the Heisman.

The only question remaining is whether Dr. Sample is answering phone calls from T.J. Simers.

Ralph S. Brax

Lancaster