How the heck is USC staying competitive saddled with a loss of 25 scholies?

[soonerboy_odanorth]

Serious question. I do not understand how they aren't totally sucking right now. At the end of the 5 years probation, shouldn't they be at 60 scholarship players? Or does it not work that way... They simply have to stay at 80 scholies max for 5 years?

If the latter is the way it works, they actually got a slap on the wrist.

Heck, all they have to do is not carry as many kickers as we do. :P

[PDXsooner]

This is year 2 of the sanctions. When the classes with 15 fewer scholarships become upperclassmen it will be apparent. USC will start a slow slide into mediocrity over the next few years and there is no stopping it.

[DarrellZero]

They loaded up on players the last two years.

The effect of the sanctions has not yet kicked in.

[Boomer.....]

Yup. Over the next few seasons it will start to show how bad the penalty was.

[Collier11]

Plus Matt Barkley is a superstar...I think Lane got around the system a bit by oversigning last years class

[BoulderSooner79]

They loaded up on players the last two years.

The effect of the sanctions has not yet kicked in.

^This. The scholarship limit starts with this 2012 class and goes for 3 years. They could have started the clock last year, but they were in the appeal process hoping to get the penalty reduced. They gambled for a favorable ruling and signed a big class. It will take a while to see impact. They did lose some depth already because upperclassmen were allowed to transfer w/o having to sit out and they did have a few guys do that.

UCLA should try to get a coach known to be a good recruiter, because he'll get a 3 year head start against USC.

[Peach Fuzz]

Ummmm, it's the pac-12. Tulsa could be playing for the ccg a lot of the years.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

I guess that's what I am not understanding. How can they be allowed to oversign? Doesn't make sense.

[BoulderSooner79]

I guess that's what I am not understanding. How can they be allowed to oversign. Doesn't make sense.

I'm not saying they over-signed. They just didn't obey the reduction of 10 less and thus deferred the penalty for a year. They had more schollies to give out to replace the guys the transferred and made sure to reach the total limit. They had the right to defer the reduction by rule of the appeal process.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

Gotcha. Thanks for clarifying.

Of course I think we all get that they will manipulate the system any way they can to minimize the impact of the penalties. I just hope at the end of the day it bears out that they can't wiggle all the way out of this one. They need a good stomping.

[PDXsooner]

Almost impossible for them to avoid this one. Starting in a couple years USC will be a complete non-factor on the national stage, and that will probably last a good 5-7 years.

[cleller]

When you are run by such an organized criminal empire as USC on the west coast, it is easier. They have all the sand, surf, nightlife, bleach blonds, and bling bam boom.

[cccasooner2]

Gotcha. Thanks for clarifying.

Of course I think we all get that they will manipulate the system any way they can to minimize the impact of the penalties. I just hope at the end of the day it bears out that they can't wiggle all the way out of this one. They need a good stomping.

:D

[Jacie]

It isn't like they were forced to move the football team to New Jersey. They still have all the attractions, distractions and off-field action they ever had, a mighty powerful draw for most 18-year olds. So even if they don't get to sign as many recruits as they normally would, Kiffy will still get the pick of the (west coast) litter.

They will be challenged, they will even be beaten occassionally. But this is SC and their standard for a bottom-of-the-barrel type season is still better than any of the ones Sooner fans endured under Blake. They have not truly suffered but in typical L.A. fashion, even when they do they don't truly give a damn.

[101sooner]

Somebody posted a year by year list of what it was going to do to their numbers. If I remember correctly by year three, they will only have like 40 players available for Spring practice,

[Sco]

Second place team in the Pac 12 South was 6-6. That has a good part to do with it.

[badger]

Beaches. You know Bob Stoops said that it's difficult to recruit without them. :rolleyes:

[101sooner]

It's about to get bad for them. This is basically the way it was explained to me:

They normally have 85. Figure on average about 20 a year run out of eligibility. So they lose 20 and sign 15. Three years of -5 a year gets them down to about 70. That's not even counting normal attrition. They can't sign more that 15 to make up for an injury or an academic casualty. So they lose another 2 or 3 a year to normal attrition and now they're close to 60. Now think about Spring practice. If they have twenty run out of eligibilty in December that leaves them with a little of 40 players for Spring practice.

They'll take a dive here shortly and stay down for a while.

[SoonerDood]

Yes. It's waaaay too early to declare them "Back from Probation" as The Worldwide Leader has already done.

[BoulderSooner79]

Yes. It's waaaay too early to declare them "Back from Probation" as The Worldwide Leader has already done.

^This. But I suspect they will somehow manage to side-step the worst case scenario. They have enough pull to convince a bunch of 4 star players to walk-on with the promise of schollies as soon as probation ends. They already have the advantage that the south division sucks rocks with 3 of the coaches just fired and the other teams being Utah and Colorado. If the probation just keeps them out of the title races, I'll be happy.

[8timechamps]

Almost impossible for them to avoid this one. Starting in a couple years USC will be a complete non-factor on the national stage, and that will probably last a good 5-7 years.

Yep. Scholarship limits are virtually impossible to work around. They may get a player or two that wants to go to SC so bad, that he walks-on, but any other elite athlete will take a scholly somewhere else. I give Kiffin a year or two before the sanctions start to show their effect.

[sendbaht]

takes time to kick in...they will slow big time coming up...