Although the start of football season is nearly 51 days away, the LSU-USC pseudo rivalry is heating up – again.
The Tigers and Trojans have only met on the football field once since 1984, but fans for both teams have kept the trash talk alive since 2003 when LSU and USC split the college football national championship.
And recent comments by LSU coach Les Miles have apparently added fuel to the fire.
In a June 27 news conference, Miles spoke with reporters and discussed many topics, including the challenge of playing in the Southeastern Conference.
“I think the Pac-10 may have one or two really good [teams],” Miles said. “I don’t think there’s any conference out there that has as many quality teams as [the SEC].”
His remarks served as a follow-up to comments he reportedly made on a WWL radio show when Miles said USC has a “much easier road to travel” to the national championship.
The third-year coach’s words quickly made their way around the country, spurring talk on Internet message boards and taking up air-time on ESPN.
One of the most prominent media stories on this subject appeared on the front page of Sports Illustrated’s Web site. The page’s design featured a vertical photograph of Miles next to a vertical photograph of USC coach Pete Carroll accompanied with a story titled “Better Les Unsaid” by SI writer Stewart Mandel.
Though college sports are on hiatus right now, the national media – like ESPN and SI – are blowing this topic way out of proportion. Both entities are obviously trying to build up preseason hype but are dragging out the topic entirely too much.
LSU fans are also dwelling on this subject too much. The fact is that rivalries are developed on the field, and the Tigers and Trojans are not scheduled to meet anytime in the future.
Our advice to fans is to keep talking but focus on LSU’s treacherous SEC schedule that features visits from potential top-25 teams in Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Auburn and Arkansas.
Not to mention defending national champion Florida will also be coming to town.
If the Tigers happen to meet the Trojans in the future, then it will be a great spectacle for college football.
But until then, leave USC out of it.
—Contact the Editorial Board at [email protected]