[NU Sports] The wicked witch of the west ...

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

... is dead.

First, Oregon just ran over USC in Autzen and the mystique took a hit.

Then, lifeless ASU nearly beat the mighty Trojans.

Then, Stanford walked into the Coliseum and walked over king of the castle SC.

Now, Arizona just went into Los Angeles with a possible B(C)S or at least a Holiday Bowl bid at stake and didn't back down to the maroon and gold.

I wonder if SC will decline a minor bowl bid like their counterparts in South Bend.:)

Whatever the case, somewhere around midseason, the team stopped improving and foes stopped just bowing down whenever the Trojan band and that blasted three-note song started playing.

I'm sure Southern Cal will be back with their recruits, but I think the aura is a bit gone and the Pac 10 teams aren't afraid to challenge them anymore. Should make the already tough, deep and underrated Pac 10 an even better conference.

But for the rest of us who remember the arrogance of John Robinson and the Men of Troy, it's fun to look at the standings and see ...

Northwestern: 8-4 / 5-3
Southern Cal: 8-4 / 5-4

Back to the SEC ... can Nick the Slick's gang keep it up in the fourth?

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

* * * * * * * * *
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!!