USC Needs to Get Better

I guess I’m the last guy to hop on the subject of Lane Kiffin getting fired, and maybe you don’t want to get yet another opinion on the subject since you’re probably being getting bombarded with the news, which has, like all things USC, oversaturated the media stream. That said, if you want one more opinion on the subject, here it goes:

I don’t like USC. I grew up actively rooting against USC, and every time they lost, which seldom happened, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Some of it had to do with the entitled attitude some fans I encountered had. Some of it had to do with the fact that my brother, a UCLA alum, was a son of Westwood. But most of it had to do with the arrogance the coaching staff had. I absolutely hated watching Pete Carroll walk around on his high horse, waving that “V is for Victory” symbol with his pointer and middle fingers.

Watching him lose to Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns, a team I hate nearly as much, was so fulfilling.

When I heard Lane Kiffin was fired yesterday morning, I loved it. I laughed. Why? Because finally, the entitled Southern California fans can feel the kind of anguish that most fan bases feel. Most don’t get to feel the height of the mountains that USC has been able to, let alone act like this is how it should be and no one can argue.

Then, I really thought about this and I actually found I was disappointed. And not disappointed because Lane being gone eliminates all the LOLZ I get from his shenanigans. I was disappointed and even sympathetic for USC.

I was surprised. Having sympathy for USC, to me, is like feeling bad for Captain Hook at the end of Peter Pan.

But why? Because I like my sports like I like my movies and television shows. I love having an evil power to go up against my hero. What is Star Wars without the uber powerful Darth Vader? Do we root so hard for Omar Little and Jimmy McNulty because they’re lovable? No (well, maybe Omar Little was)! It’s because we hate Marlo Stanfield so damn much. I shouldn’t delve into more examples.

USC is the Tuco to our favorite team (who is Walt White, obviously).

But, with most rivalries, you want to beat your opponent at full strength. It’s better that way. And USC hasn’t been at full strength since Pete Carroll left. They have been a shell of their former selves, losing in fashions unbecoming of a college football power. Firing Kiffin and looking forward to a new coach will be better for USC, for the Pac-12 and for us.

I hate USC and I have no issue with that. I just believe that when they go down, it should be at full strength, not as some beat up version of themselves. That’s the only way this seems fun.

So, while there are things to laugh at in regards to this, I am happy to see a low-level coach leave a program he had no business even coaching at to begin with. It’s time for USC to get back to being a power. The Pac-12 needs it, college football needs it and, personally, I need it. I need someone to root against.