Reign of Troy
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Steve Sarkisian Drama Overblown and More USC Football News

By Alicia de Artola

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Can’t get enough USC football news? We’ve got your morning dose of all the best content from around the web concerning the men of Troy.

1st & 10:

First Take… Here we go again.

Another year, another overblown controversy to begin a USC season.

And yes, #DrunkGate is overblown. It might not be to the level of ridiculousness that the backlash over Lane Kiffin’s coaches poll vote achieved, but it is up there.

Let’s get this out of the way first: Steve Sarkisian should not have been visibly drunk while addressing alumni and donors at the annual Salute to Troy event.

As USC’s head coach, he should act professionally and put his best foot forward, especially in public.

However, this should have ended with Pat Haden pulling him to the side and telling him not to let it happen again.

Instead, social media grabbed hold of the “controversy” and did what social media is best at: creating outrage.

Bantering with the band about ASU, Oregon and Notre Dame sucking? That is not a big deal.

Throwing an F-bomb in front of Fight On? Not a big deal.

This is the era of HBO, Showtime and Starz. Language should not create this much of an uproar. Anyone who has attended USC’s practices this fall knows that the coaching staff is not shy with their usage of words beginning with F. That is the soundtrack of practices across the country.

Moreover, one of USC’s greatest legends — John McKay — was well known for his enjoyment of adult beverages.

The differences between McKay and Sarkisian are Twitter and championships.

That is the real reason the people who are throwing a fit over Sarkisian’s actions are so worked up. This is ammunition for a segment of the USC fanbase who never wanted Sarkisian in the first place, think he should be fired because his nine wins in 2014 were insufficient in their estimation or don’t believe him to have what it takes to win championships with the Trojans.

A different coach in a different situation would be laughed off the way the drunk best man at a wedding is laughed off when he gets in front of the microphone says something silly.

By no means is it a good look for Sarkisian, but it’s also not a good look for USC when every little slip up by anyone involved in the program gets blown out of proportion.

And Ten USC Football Links…

  1. Reign Of Troy: Staying on the not-real-football theme, USC was voted No. 8 in the preseason AP poll.
  2. LA Times: Chris Dufresne’s countdown of the top teams in college football going into 2015 has the Trojans at No. 9, which is consistent with most other rankings.
  3. Reign Of Troy: Hey look, real football! Sort of. USC had their final scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday. Our takeaways included questionable offense, unexpected playmakers and exciting young running backs.
  4. Daily News: Greg Townsend Jr. had a big day Saturday. He told Scott Wolf that he feels the healthiest he’s been as a Trojan and that translated to a strong performance rushing the passer.
  5. USCFootball.com: Sarkisian challenged the defense before the scrimmage, particularly the linebackers, who responded with a fiery mindset.
  6. ESPN: Ted Miller gave picks for hypothetical Pac-12 vs. SEC match ups, with USC beating Auburn.
  7. Sports Illustrated: SI’s Pac-12 preview projects Iman Marshall as the conference’s impact freshman and USCs November match up with Oregon as one of the three key games.
  8. 247Sports: Bryce Dixon’s lawyer will be back in court today after indicating last week that Dixon was putting his legal challenge on hold.
  9. Seahawks.com: George Farmer was waived by the Cowboys as a receiver, but it didn’t take him too long to find a new home with Pete Carroll’s Seahawks. The headline? He’s joining Seattle as a defensive back.
  10. ESPN: In case you missed it over the weekend, Ricky Town will transfer to Arkansas to join Bret Bielema’s squad.

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