About a month ago, I wrote a post about USC’s Tim Floyd and how there were rumors circulating that he “bought” OJ Mayo. An investigation by the NCAA ensued and is still underway. Yet, Tim Floyd took matters into his own hands and recently resigned as head coach.

Tim Floyd resigned on Tuesday, perhaps due to speculation about NCAA recruiting violations concerning former player, OJ Mayo.

I know that you are innocent until proven guilty, but when you bow out like this it only makes everyone think that you are guilty. According to Rivals.com, “Floyd didn’t address the allegation in his letter to USC athletic director Mike Garrett, which was obtained by the Clarion-Ledger and also released by USC in a statement.”

In the letter, Floyd said he was resigning due to lack of enthusiasm. I find that hard to believe. He has only been USC’s head coach for four seasons. Maybe he was forced to resign, or maybe he felt that the Yahoo! Sports report about the alleged allegations had tainted his career at USC. Whatever the real reason is doesn’t matter. Floyd’s coaching career will be tainted no matter where he goes.

USC, meanwhile, is now dealing with two separate investigations into the school’s football and basketball programs.

“The University is cooperating fully in the continuing investigation with the NCAA and Pac-10 into all allegations of NCAA and Pac-10 rules violations at USC,” USC vice president Todd Dickey said in a statement Tuesday. “The university, the NCAA and Pac-10 have jointly conducted interviews of approximately 50 witnesses. No conclusions have yet been reached. … At this point, it would be both inappropriate and premature to comment further.”

Unfortunately, I have to disagree with Dickey. Conclusions by the media and the general public have already been reached. And they aren’t good.

Photo: Zuma

And not the kind you spread on a turkey sandwich, either.

According to Yahoo! Sports, Tim Floyd paid a man named Rodney Guillory,who helped deliver O.J. Mayo to the Trojans program.

Tim Floyd is under investigation for reportedly paying someone to bring O.J. Mayo to USC.

This information was given by a former friend of Mayo’s, Louis Johnson, who told NCAA officials (as well as the FBI, IRS and U.S. Attorney’s Office) that Floyd gave at least $1,000 in cash to Guillory so that he could continue to ply Mayo with star treatment and numerous gifts.

Didn’t USC learn anything from the Reggie Bush scandal? The college is already under a three-year investigation for violating NCAA regulations in both the football and men’s basketball programs.

But beyond all of that, I have one important question.  Was O.J. Mayo even worth it?

Image: Newscom

The Browns should have had this pick, but they traded with the New York Jets. What did the Jets give up for Mark Sanchez? This round’s first and second round picks and three current Jets players. Some fans are crying about this pick. Other fans are extremely happy.

Image: Newscom

#5 2009 Draft Pick - Mark Sanchez, Quarterback, USC

I think that happiness will die quickly. Sanchez might prove me wrong, but they really need a franchise quarterback. This is a tough, tough, tough place for him to be. The Jets are the only team in their division without a great quarterback…and I think they needed someone much stronger than Sanchez. I mean, hell, he’s only played what, 16 games?

Sanchez says that he wanted to be with the Jets. If that’s true, he wouldn’t have looked so disappointed when Jason Smith was chosen… Just a thought.

Well, I wish him well. I still think he’s not as great of a player was some people think. When he was picked, a friend of mine texted me “Why doesn’t ESPN just blow Sanchez already?” It’s true. They GUSHED over him. Mark Sanchez, prove me wrong. Please. Or New York will rip you to pieces.

Here are other draft picks:

1. Matthew Stafford, Quarterback, Georgia to the Detroit Lions

2. Jason Smith, Offensive Tackle, Baylor to the St. Louis Rams

3. Tyson Jackson, Defensive Tackle, LSU to the Kansas City Chiefs

4. Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest to the Seattle Seahawks

Just in case you can’t get enough of USC’s head coach Pete Carroll and his awesome “we’re better than you” attitude, he’s writing a new book, due out…well, sometime in the future. No date’s been announced yet.

Image: Newscom

Carroll’s new book will have “previously untold details and anecdotes about USC football,” as well as information about leadership, team-building advice, and off-field activities.

The name of the book? Win Forever. Sigh. Are you really surprised at that one?

As much as I hate USC (give me a break, I’m a Big Ten fan), I will say that I love the fact that Carroll will be donating part of the proceeds to A Better LA, which is a charity in the areas that helps reduce gang violence.

So maybe you should pick it up. At least, I won’t roll my eyes if you do.

College football season is winding down, but this weekend is extremely important for a number of teams. The Army/Navy game is on right now, but beyond that, there are four games that really matter:

USC vs. UCLA

Today at 4:30, UCS and UCLA meet at Rose Bowl. The Bruins are 4-7 this season, so to them, this game is all about pride. Even if they win it, they won’t be bowl eligible.

For USC, today is a nail-biter. If they lose to UCLA - which isn’t likely, but is possible - they’ll be completely out of the running for the Rose Bowl. They’ll be in a three-way tie for the Pac-10 title, and due to past games, Oregon State would win that tie and go to the Rose Bowl against Penn State.

If USC wins, though, they aren’t even automatically going to the Rose Bowl. Why not? Well, depending on how other games do this weekend, they could actually go to the National Championship Game. That isn’t likely…but is possible, and you better believe that Petey and his boys would be pushing hard for that vote.

I’m routing for UCS in the Rose Bowl. Penn State already beat Oregon State, and while that isn’t a guarantee again, they have something to prove. I think UCS-PSU will be a much better game.

Alabama vs. Florida

Another important game this afternoon is Alabama vs. Florida at 4 pm. This is the first time that the 1 and 2 teams have played for a conference title. The result here is simple - the winner will go to the National Championship Game and the loser will, in all likelihood, play in one of the other BCS bowls.

Do I care who wins? Actually, yes. I 100% believe that Alabama deserves it more. Whatever happens today, Alabama has been a much more solid team all season, and if this was a conference that didn’t have a title game, they’d already be going to the BCS title game.

Oklahoma vs. Missouri

The Big 12 title game starts tonight at 8 pm. We’ll see the one-loss Sooners play Missouri, which is a good team, but just ranked #19. In other words, they aren’t playing for the title, or, in all likelihood, a BCS Bowl. If Oklahoma wins, they’ll play either Alabama or Florida.

If they don’t win…eek. That opens a can of worms, because tons of teams will try to claim the top spot. Hell, the SEC champ loser will likely even make a bid for a rematch! Should they lose, my hope is that Texas will play for the title, but at this point in the season, I think that Oklahoma deserves it more.

One more?

Yes, there is one more game that matters. Right now, #17 Boston College is playing #25 Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game, and the winning team gets an automatic berth in the Fiesta Bowl. That’s bullshit. With so many other good teams, having a team that isn’t even ranked in the top 15 play is a fucking insult to my intelligence. That’s how it is, though…so I guess this game does matter.

I can’t watch every game, and there are tons not on TV every week. So, instead of blogging about every game, I’ll link you to the people who are talking about it (by conference). If I missed your link, leave a comment!

Oregon 35, Stanford 28

• Ducks: Oregon-Stanford report card at Statesmanjournal.com
• Football: Rollercoaster at The Stanford Daily

Arizona 59, Washington State 28

• WSU Breaks Scoring Slump Against Arizona at Washington State Football News
• Cougars Downed By Arizona, 59-28 at KNDU Sports

Oregon State 34, UCLA 6

• Oregon State clobbers UCLA at KVAL Sports
• Oregon State beats UCLA 34-6 at Sport Snipe
• Oregon State roars past UCLA, 34-6 at Bruinville

Arizona State 39, Washington 19

• Huskies Fall to Sun Devils, 39-19 at Washington Football

#7 USC 17, #21 California 3

• Inside The Numbers: USC at California Golden Blogs
• Winning California-Style at Jimokes of USC Football
• California-USC Report Card at Bears Necessity

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC

(check back soon if the link isn’t live yet)

I can’t watch every game, and there are tons not on TV every week. So, instead of blogging about every game, I’ll link you to the people who are talking about it (by conference). If I missed your link, leave a comment!

California 26, #24 Oregon 16

• Grades and Analysis: California at Oregon Ducks Football
• Cal vs. Oregon - Post Game Thoughts at California Golden Blogs

Stanford 58, Washington State 0

• Stanford Thrashes Washington State at Stanford Cardinal News

#5 USC 56, Washington 0

• USC-Washington Report Card at Inside USC with Scott Wolf
• Five observations: USC-Washington at OC Register’s USC Blog
• Washington Beatdown at Jimokes of USC Football

Oregon State 27, Arizona State 25

• Oregon State holds off Arizona State 27-25 at Original Signal
• Oregon State holds on in nail biter at KVAL Sports

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC

(check back soon if the link isn’t live yet)

I’m all for pranks…but when your college’s Halloween prank involved WILL FERRELL coming to your practice, you know you’re spoiled. :-p

What? YOUR coach only arranged for a prank with Chris Kattan? Psh. What movies has HE done lately? *sticks up nose*

I can’t watch every game, and there are tons not on TV every week. So, instead of blogging about every game, I’ll link you to the people who are talking about it (by conference). If I missed your link, leave a comment!

California 41, UCLA 20

• UCLA Recap at California Golden Bears Football Blog
• Another Loss for UCLA Football at The Good Life in Virginia

Notre Dame 33, Washington 7

• Bye-bye Ty, Washington to replace Willingham after season at More with Gore
• Notre Dame Trounces Hapless Huskys at Casey’s Clipboard & Wally’s World

Oregon 54, Arizona State 20

• Oregon’s Quick Start Too Much for Sun Devils at Arizona State Football News

#5 USC 17, Arizona 10

• College Football Bullets at The Natural Blog of x
• College Football Thoughts about 10.25.08- Is Southern Cal slowly coming back into reality? at Fooball on the Brain

Other conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Independents, Mid-American, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC

(check back soon if the link isn’t live yet)

Ok, I’m one of the first people in line to criticize USC in most cases…this past weekend, though, I’m not sure they did anything wrong, despite the bloggin’ outcry against them.

The players reportedly rocked the buses while waiting to pile off and play Washington State on the road. Their day was nothing short of record-breaking. USC’s Mark Sanchez was the first quarterback in the history of USC to throw five touchdown passes in a half. This was also the biggest shut-out win since 1931 that the school has seen. Everyone, including Sanchez, Broderick Green (see right), Rey Maualuga, and C.J. Gabel (see below) had a great day, and they were basically just running drills. It wasn’t pretty for Washington State, but then, that team isn’t exactly what I’d call “good” this year. In fact, they very well might be the worst Div-I football team. Harsh, but true.

And that’s why I won’t get on USC’s case and say that they ran up the score. On paper, a 69-point victory seems mean-spirited, but what do you want the kids to do? Not play? They’re a cocky team, but I don’t think they were being cocky about things on Saturday. Says Maualuga:

“Our intention wasn’t to come out and beat these guys by 80 points. Our intention was to come out and play a great football game.”

Sanchez didn’t even play for a full three quarters, let alone four quarters. Coach Pete Carroll actually started pulling out the first string at the end of the first quarter, when the score was 21-0. During the second half, the team ran basic plays…more like drills. Nothing too fancy to show off. Still the Cougars only had ONE first down the entire second half - and their fans gave them a standing ovation.

My point is this - USC, they’re assholes, but even they aren’t complete dicks. In fact, at the end of the first half, they let time run out on the ten-yard line. They could have scored. So everyone who’s saying they ran up the score or were bad sports about it? Shut the hell up.

Pictures via Newscom.