lilpenny1316

December 17th, 2021 at 4:21 PM ^

People have been saying that for years about USC. Their darkhorse Heisman candidate from just four months ago is in the portal and they have a very underwhelming recruiting class so far. Lincoln took over a loaded OU team, so next year's USC team will easily be the worst team he's coached. Let's see if he can hit a triple on this at-bat.

Joined: 11/19/2009

MGoPoints: 61836

OuldSod

December 17th, 2021 at 6:39 PM ^

They have some high level talent but are coming off some small and relatively bad overall classes including this one (low overall commits). Riley will get the most out of the elite talent but they will lack depth for 2 years. Maybe they will be good but it wouldn't surprise me if it takes Riley 3-4 years. 

Joined: 11/20/2008

MGoPoints: 4117

rob f

December 17th, 2021 at 8:58 PM ^

About a dozen+ years ago I worked a few years with someone who got athletic scholarship offers from several diving programs, including Southern Cal and U of M; he chose USC. When he came back home to SW Michigan for Christmas a couple years later and stopped by his old job to say hi to everyone, I asked him how college life was out on the west coast. He just smiled and said, "life-changing".  His answer and expression said it all.

Joined: 11/11/2010

MGoPoints: 194599

Jonesy

December 17th, 2021 at 5:38 PM ^

I live in LA. It's Dec 17th and its 68* and sunny, and not Michigan sun, hot sun you can actually feel. My 6 year old had a xmas performance outside and i lamented that i didn't put any sun screen on and wore pants instead of shorts. LA is full of UofM alums my parents' age as they'd go to a rose bowl every other year, experience 70 degree january weather, and then move here after graduating. I loved my four years in ann arbor but had no interest in staying around for that weather. It was beautiful for the first 2 weeks and last 2 weeks of the school year and butt for the 7 months in between.

Joined: 03/14/2012

MGoPoints: 10557

Oregon Wolverine

December 18th, 2021 at 3:13 AM ^

LA = meh

I moved from A2 to South Bay LA, lived in Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, worked downtown, and was ready to leave after my second year.  Found it expensive, too crowded, horrible traffic, and lacking in any cohesive sense of community.  Superficial.  Shallow.  Maybe if I grew up in it I’d be more forgiving, but I experienced LA as the anti-A2.  While it’s got the beach and mountains, it’s an urban wasteland so much that it was easy for me to overlook the positives.  
 

Left a very good job to try escape lest I get sucked in.  Headed to PDX w/$70K in student loans, no job, and enough money to hold out for a few months.  As soon as I left I felt like I could breathe again, no turning back.
 

Since leaving I’ve been back at least a dozen and a half times, still not impressed overall.  
 

meh

Joined: 09/30/2014

MGoPoints: 2628

Magnum P.I.

December 18th, 2021 at 8:13 AM ^

Agreed. Weather is obviously amazing. Food is incredible. Beach is the beach. But there’s a feeling of being utterly trapped there, needing to drive two hours to get into an open space. Cost of living is punishing for anyone who didn’t buy a house before 2010. Everyone’s busy, stuck in traffic, worried about money, and unhappy. 

Joined: 07/16/2009

MGoPoints: 30678

rice4114

December 19th, 2021 at 2:59 AM ^

When people describe bad parts of Southern California as if that area is where you HAVE to live i just shake my head and praise jebus for the help with population control. For instance let me describe Flint and tell you Thats  why I wouldnt live in Michigan. Kinda makes sense?

Anyway I live In Camarillo CA. An hour from LA (perfectly distanced) we are 4 miles from the ocean. Check the weather report anytime of the year (honestly anytime) and its 72 and sunny. 60k people and mostly seniors or people that have lived here their entire lives. Its funny but the people here are not the California people you would see near the OC or most beach cities very family centered. I have 365 days a year to do whatever i want outside. Fires suck, stay off the freeway during rush hour, and the big cities are a mess of homeless. 

 

Joined: 08/26/2010

MGoPoints: 47270

skegemogpoint

December 17th, 2021 at 3:49 PM ^

Pretty telling that he admits to having been a silent commit to Alabama for past several weeks. Glad he’s staying in CA - hopefully USC rises from the dust and starts kicking ND’s ass. 

Joined: 07/08/2008

MGoPoints: 503

what would Bo do

December 17th, 2021 at 3:54 PM ^

I really don't get the appeal of USC *right now*.  He's only the 7th player in their current class.  Their 2020 class ranked 63rd in the country and last in the conference with only 12 players in it.  For reference, that's the class that, for Michigan, includes Henning, McGregor, Corum, Zinter, Harrell, Wilson, Hill-Green, and Jenkins...all of whom are almost assuredly seeing a good amount of meaningful snaps next year.  They have an anchor of a class that should be carrying their 2 deep and their current class has done almost nothing to fill it.  I expect Riley will be able to raid the transfer portal to fill in some holes, but I would be very surprised to see USC pushing for a playoff spot in the next 3 years, which is as long as a player like Domani Jackson is planning to stick around for. 

Joined: 12/27/2011

MGoPoints: 1152

MgofanNC

December 17th, 2021 at 4:13 PM ^

I can 100% percent see the appeal of USC right now. Has one of a handful of playoff coaches who pulled high end dudes from SoCal to Oklahoma(!) and put them in the NFL (that seems appealing). He is now starting to keep that SoCal talent at home, and I expect will continue to do so. He's one of the top offensive minds in the college game and seems to be a damn good recruiter. 

The PAC is begging for a school to rise up and take over which USC, I think can do as soon as this coming season (who else would you pick... Oregon who is going through a coaching change? Utah, again...?).

Aside from actual football stuff, the NIL game at USC has the potential to be second to none, the school is prestigious and has a recent-ish history of winning (Pete Carrol hasn't been gone that long), and the weather, surrounding city, etc. is appealing. Also, this seems like a program that has finally decided it wants to get back to winning (hence the money cannon shot at Riley). 

I'm not saying they are going to be Bama, but it's the PAC 12, they don't have to be Bama to make the playoffs 3/4 years. 

Joined: 10/23/2019

MGoPoints: 3785

MGolem

December 17th, 2021 at 5:06 PM ^

This comment makes me wonder about schools who refuse to put their players names on the backs of their jerseys. I don’t know if any other schools have a set up like Michigan’s where they can sell their jerseys at a place like the MDen (I know we were the first) but it isnt even a possibility at the schools I listed above. Seems short sighted in this climate. And annoying as fuck, in the name of “tradition”

Joined: 10/14/2010

MGoPoints: 13592