OT: USC's new football facility is awesome
This probably helps with recruiting.
August 22nd, 2012 at 8:22 AM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 8:23 AM ^
I didn't see one bag of cash... odd.
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:49 AM ^
Seems like cash would be a secondary tool or not even necessary at all... Song Girls... Just sayin.
August 22nd, 2012 at 8:27 AM ^
It's nice. But aren't they all now these days? There seems to be a new eye-opening one popping up every year. With the new TV money rolling in for conferences, I expect you will see one of these come up every year just like Michigan's PDC for basketball last year and Oregon's football operations center next year.
August 22nd, 2012 at 8:28 AM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 8:29 AM ^
Hysterical how people in the comments are chastizing USC and complaining that college athletics is getting too big. This is a private institution, a building erected completely with private funds. What do you want to do about it?
August 22nd, 2012 at 8:39 AM ^
This looks like just about every other building here. The new student union, open to everyone, is arguably more impressive.
It also helps that every building looks brand new when there "isn't weather".
August 22nd, 2012 at 8:34 AM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:16 AM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 10:46 AM ^
as if she's ever lifted a finger for anything but herself!!!
August 22nd, 2012 at 8:43 AM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 8:57 AM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 11:21 AM ^
What bronze Paterno statue and why would you build one for a guy who doesn't even have 400 wins?
August 22nd, 2012 at 8:58 AM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:04 AM ^
Not much going to happen with this current Schembechler renovation except redo the facade and expand the football museum display.
But I am guessing within about 10 years, you will see plans start for a new football operations center to keep up with the Jones.
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:14 AM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:04 AM ^
Does the Pete Carroll lounge come complete with a rolodex of agents' phone numbers and an ATM machine which does not require a card or PIN?
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:07 AM ^
Pretty much the cost of doing business at the highest level these days. That's a wonderful campus. If you get out there, you all should check it out. In the middle of a rougher area too.
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:09 AM ^
And a great college coach.
Remember his response to the question of whether OJ would get tired after carrying the ball 30 times a game? "Don't see why; the ball doesn't weigh that much."
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:55 AM ^
I recall the quote you mention a little differently, resonding to the question with "why not, it aint heavy."
After his USC coaching career, he went on to coach the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During their first, miserable season, which they went 0-14, he was asked what he thought about his team's execution. He replied that he was in favor of it.
August 22nd, 2012 at 10:49 AM ^
probably my favorite football quote of all time. Very quick witted response!
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:22 AM ^
the NCAA stipulates the letterhead Universities are allowed to recruit with to avoid one program standing out above it's peers...yeah, the NCAA has a way of worrying about nonsense yet turning a blind eye to the big picture. Nothing against USC or any other program building nice facilities, but please. Let's worry about cracking down on more important things that really affect football parity and the kids as a whole.
Likewise I've never understood how USC draws all the top talent year in and year out, yet UCLA with arguably similar location compared to say Minnesota? doesn't sustain the same level of football recruiting, and in some regards that's a rhetorical question.
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:28 AM ^
UCLA is also in a much nicer part of town. USC is in an area comparable to the south side of chicago where U of C is. However, UCLA was basketball culture for years. There are very, very few schools with sustained basketball and football programs.
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:55 AM ^
It looks like UM, MSU, OSU, and Wisconsin might be able to have pretty good teams in both of the money sports. These four seem to be carrying the Big Ten right about now.
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:57 AM ^
You are correct about USC's location being in a sketchy part of town, compared to UCLA. UCLA is a sleeping giant. If they can ever start winning, they could wake up the sleeping giant. LA is the biggest front-runner city I've ever lived in. The masses just want to follow a winner. There are some things I miss about LA, but the douchey, fair weather sports fans, are not one of them.
August 22nd, 2012 at 10:01 AM ^
We are talking about 18 yr old kids who are easily drawn to these things. Imagine you being 18 and not wanting to be around that.
Side note I wanted Kanye to sing under the lights last yr before the UTL game. That would have been so sweet.
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:57 AM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 10:55 AM ^
Of building a new football stadium on campus, but I don't see that happening due to (1) political opposition in a state that is virtually insolvent, (2) the expense of doing so in the middle of Brentwood.
It would seem that opposition could be overcome if a new stadium would be constructed with private donations (think the Big House), but UCLA does not seem inclined to raise capital for this.
It's also really hard for the students to get revved for a football game that is a 45 minute bus drive away. Again, look at UM with students partying (sp?) the entire walk to the Big House.
August 22nd, 2012 at 11:40 AM ^
Slight nit pick - campus is in Westwood, not Brentwood. Brentwood is on the other side of the 405 (for those not familiar with LA, Brentwood is where Tom Brady lives, and where OJ maybe didn't kill his wife).
That said, it's tough to say which is more expensive, so your point remains unchanged.
August 22nd, 2012 at 11:56 AM ^
All Snoop has to do is tell every recruit, "You got a lot of potential as a rapper. If you come to USC, I'll get you in the business."
That would be pretty tough for a 17 year-old to turn down, even if it isn't true.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:20 PM ^
Snoop announced a short while ago that he was changing his name to Snoop Lion and was turning his alleged musical talents to reggae.
August 22nd, 2012 at 10:29 AM ^
They hire terrible coaches. UCLA had the better of the rivalry in the 90s and, with a few different bounces of the ball, would've competed for a MNC in '98, I believe. Ever since then they've hired poorly. Their AD is a joke and the support from the school in minimal--they practice on an eighty-yard field which seemed to cause an ACL injury every year. (They just resurfaced it. Don't think they got new uprights, and it's still only one eighty-yard field.)
Recruiting has generally been more than fine. It's the leadership at the top. As a Stanford fan, I hope the leadership continues to suck, for obvious and not-quite-as-obvious reasons (Stanford v. UCLA is a common recruiting battle...I'd say Stanford v. Notre Dame is the only one more common.)
August 22nd, 2012 at 10:51 AM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 11:20 AM ^
I think Mora's in the upper tier of well-paid coaches in the conference, and that while they're paying Neuheisel and balancing the budget. The issue is mostly a competence one.
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:13 PM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 10:12 AM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 10:14 AM ^
John McKay has some ginormous forearms. And he should probably have that right elbow looked at.
August 22nd, 2012 at 10:15 AM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 11:17 AM ^
In case anyone would like to see it, a more detailed tour of the facility was on YouTube and is posted below, complete with a soundtrack that is a bit Aphex Twin and a bit Kraftwerk with a smidgen of other groups in there as well.
It's a very nice facility, and I must say, for a few million more, they likely could have just built the football program a 1:1 model of the Enterprise.
August 23rd, 2012 at 12:47 PM ^
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:09 PM ^
what to think of college athletics anymore.
August 22nd, 2012 at 12:19 PM ^
At some point the law of diminishing returns is going to have to kick in for these kinds of things. These new facilities all pretty much look the same. Eventually they're probably not going to produce that much of a recruiting windfall. (USC was a recruiting machine long before this anyway.)
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:32 PM ^
"We own L.A."
Guh.
August 22nd, 2012 at 4:17 PM ^
Congratulations?
That's like playing king of the hill with yourself.
August 23rd, 2012 at 1:43 AM ^
It's yours if you want it.