The list of USC superstars to play for the Trojans in the last ten years is a list of college football royalty. Carson Palmer, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Rey Maualuga, Lendale White, and Keith Rivers are just a few of the recent Trojan alumni who ran roughshod over their competition in college and were heralded as impact NFL players. Their dominance over the last decade is astounding: A National Championship, Seven consecutive PAC-10 titles from 2002-2008, A mainstay in the AP top 10. While, all this was transpiring there were grumblings from fans all across the country; talk of foul play and of the Trojans being a “dirty” program. Nevertheless times were great out on the coast for the Men of Troy. Loads of blue chip recruits rolled into USC each year like clockwork to play for the Trojans, celebrities such as Will Ferrell and Snoop Dog rolled by practice to hang with the boys, and none of USC’s PAC-10 competition could lay a glove on them on the gridiron.

For a time it looked as though the juggernaut that was the USC football program could never be slowed down but as the tagline of Martin Scorsese’s classic film Casino says “No one stays at the top forever”. In 2009, the unthinkable happened, a team not named USC won the PAC-10 crown. Oregon smacked the Trojans around in a 47-20 victory at Autzen field on October 31st, in front of a National TV audience. The Ducks subsequently would play in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day against Ohio State, while USC would settle for playing in the Emerald Bowl against Boston College. The chatter amongst fans and analysts was heating up. Talk such as the Trojans don’t look as fast as they used to on defense or that the talent gap between USC and the rest of the PAC 10 isn’t nearly as big as it used to be.

If Trojan fans thought that the 2009 regular season was bad, they would only have to wait a little while for the bombshell that would be dropped in the offseason. On February 25th 2010, it was announced that Head Coach Pete Carroll the architect of the Trojan dynasty was leaving Southern Cal to become the next head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. Coach Carroll dominated the college game for the better part of a decade and now the challenge of molding the Seahawks into a Superbowl caliber squad seemed too great to pass up. Pete Carroll leaving the Trojans left USC in an uncertain spot. The college football world watched and waited to see who the Trojans would bring in to replace Carroll. USC’s choice for their next head coach turned out to be Lane Kiffin (much to the chagrin of Tennessee fans). Kiffin was the former offensive coordinator for USC before his tumultuous time with the Oakland Raiders and Al Davis, and his one year stint at Tennessee (in which he accused Florida of cheating to get football recruit NuKeese Richardson and told South Carolina recruit Aishon Jeffery that if he chose to play for the Gamecocks he would end up pumping gas like all the other players from the state that have gone to South Carolina). Regardless it would be Lane Kiffin who would be the one to keep the Trojan dynasty from crumbling.

Later in the offseason after the dust had finally settled from USC’s coaching search, USC got even more bad news. A 2006 report alleged that Heisman Trophy winner and star Trojan running back Reggie Bush may have received gifts during his time at USC that violated his amateurism status. This was enough justification for the NCAA to launch an investigation into the Trojan football program, an investigation that lasted four years. Earlier this week that four year investigation came to a close and the proverbial NCAA hammer was struck down on the Trojans. The NCAA decided that based on the findings of their investigation that punishment was warranted. That punishment is the loss of 30 scholarships over the next three years and even worse a two year postseason ban. Trojan fans will have to push back their National Title dreams to at least 2013 along with any bowl trips they may have been thinking off. Yes, if Lane Kiffin and USC were feeling the heat from PAC 10 programs such as Oregon, California, and Oregon State before well needless to say those flames have intensified.

So now the question becomes what will happen to USC, an institution that just two years ago was considered to be in college football’s top tier of programs. During the seven year span of 2002-2008 the Men of Troy enjoyed a titanic climb to the top of the mountain, it now seems as though Southern Cal is falling just as fast as they were once climbing. Oh and to make matters worse there is legitimate talk of Texas and Oklahoma joining the PAC 10, just in case USC wanted more competition.

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