Big Weekend Coming Up

I'm heading up north with the USC Marching Band this weekend for the USC-Stanford game. It's a big sports weekend in many ways. Here are a few things I'm watching for:

-Saturday is a revenge game for USC. The players and coaches won't admit it publicly, but you know the Trojans would like nothing more than to throttle Stanford after what transpired in the Coliseum last year. Look for the defense to continue their dominance. I think the offense gets back on track this week after a tough game against Cal. My prediction: USC 31, Stanford 3.

-Florida has a huge game against South Carolina this week. The Gators are looking very good right now and most analysts have them in the title game. Really, the only chance USC gets in the title game is if Missouri wins the Big 12 or a two-loss Florida team wins the SEC. This week and their final game at Florida State will both be challenging for the Gators. I still think they will win, but don't count out a Steve Spurrier coached team. He has Florida connections and would like nothing more than to knock them out of the BCS Title game picture. It's definitely the big game in college football to keep your eye on this weekend.

-USC basketball season starts on Saturday! I won't be able to see the game obviously, but hopefully they can get win their first season opener under Tim Floyd. We don't want another Mercer repeat to start the season. Coach Floyd didn't hold a Midnight Madness even this year because he wanted to use the time for extra practice. I've been holding off doing a season preview because the eligibility of North Carolina transfer Alex Stepheson is still unknown. He filed a waiver with the NCAA over a month ago because his family is ill. It is absolutely preposterous that the NCAA hasn't ruled on Stepheson's case yet. How long does it take to determine if a guy's family is ill? It is just the latest showing of ineptitude by the NCAA. If the Trojans do have Stepheson, they will challenge UCLA and ASU for the conference title. Even if they don't have him, the Trojans depth is much improved from last season, with Leonard Washington, Keith Wilkinson, and Mamadou Diarra upfront, along with Donte Smith, Marcus Simmons, and Marcus Johnson in the back court. This is in addition to the three talented starting juniors: Daniel Hackett, Dwight Lewis, and Taj Gibson. Of course, you can't forget about freshman phenom DeMar DeRozan. I am extremely excited to watch him play. He may end up being a better college player than O.J. Mayo. As I've said before, I prefer college basketball to college football, so I'm sure you can imagine I'm very pumped for the season to begin. Expect analysis after each USC game right here. The Trojans start the season ranked #21.

-Another big Vikings game on Sunday, as they travel to Tampa Bay to face the Bucs. The Vikings have always had a tough time winning in Tampa, with their last win there coming in 1997. Look for it to be a defensive battle. I have tremendous respect for Monte Kiffen and his abilities as a defensive coordinator. Look for him to throw everything he has at Adrian Peterson and Gus Frerrotte. I see Peterson having a pretty solid game because he is really starting to heat up, but the game will come down to Gus Frerrotte and if he can avoid mistakes. This Tampa defense could cause Gus some real problems, so he just has to connect on the short passes and not force anything. Berrian didn't have a catch last week, so look for him to bounce back this week. I think they'll try a couple deep shots early to try to take some pressure off of Peterson. Look for the Vikings defense to put a ton of pressure on Bucs QB Jeff Garcia. They did a great job on Rodgers last week. Jared Allen is playing out of his mind right now, even with a separated shoulder. In the end, I see AD being the difference in this game. Both teams have solid defenses and veteran quarterbacks who have short memories after they make a mistake. My prediction: Vikings 17, Bucs 14, in a very hard-fought battle.

Thanks for reading. Fight On!