Hard to believe but not all that long ago Texas and USC were on top of the college football world, before the SEC started flexing conference muscle to the tune of seven consecutive BCS national championships. The 2006 BCS Championship Game was the last one not to involve a team from the SEC and instead featured USC and Texas trading blows until the clock ran out to determine the BCS champion. Little did we know, this would be the last time either was seen as a legitimate championship contender. Sure, Texas played for a BCS title a few years ago against Alabama and USC was a trendy preseason pick last year, but anyone who may have caught a glimpse of either team on Saturday may have been fooled if they did not know any better.
USC could not even muster 200 yards of offense at home against Washington State in a 10-7 loss to the Cougars. College football usually sees fans sing in unison along with the marching band performing the team’s fight song, but USC’s final moments were serenaded by a chorus of chants to pursue a coaching change.
BYU has a strong history for passing the football but on Saturday it was the ground game that led to Texas making some drastic changes on the defensive coaching staff. Texas allowed 550 rushing yards to BYU on Saturday and on Sunday the team removed Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator. The best option to take over as defensive coordinator? None other than Greg Robinson, the very same defensive coordinator who led Michigan’s worst defenses in school history.
It is no wonder that USA Today ranks Texas and USC on top of The Misery Index, which measures the reactions of fan bases around the country and takes in to account the most recent performances, expectations and future of the program. Given the belief that Texas and USC should be programs that achieve greatness with relative ease (Texas has top-notch financial support and USC is in Los Angeles). The Longhorns and Trojans are followed by another program coming off a rough weekend outing, Florida. The Gators moved the ball well and the defense locked down on Miami but turnovers proved too costly for the Gators to be able to afford in the road loss.
There is still plenty of football to be played this season, and conference championships are still a possibility for Texas, USC and Florida. One loss is not enough to completely derail a season, but don’t tell that to the fans still recovering from a rough weekend. They need more time to get over things like this. This is what being a fan is all about.