Obligatory reminder: The SMO does not deal in logic or reason. It does not care about facts or figures. It is an emotional overreaction to the preceding game.
Apologies for the column delay. The SMO was on a full 72-hour bender post-USC victory. For the first time since Texas v. Notre Dame in 2016, I was on-site for a home win in a meaningful non-conference game. Who knows if this feeling will last past this upcoming Saturday, so best to take full advantage.
Of course, the realist watched Saturday’s game in its appropriate context.
USC — coming off an unimpressive road loss in which it only put up three points at Stanford — is not the same team without Sam Darnold.