Yeah, 21 months. The protest began when Cal announced that they were planning a $124 million dollar expansion of athletic facilities just outside their football stadium. The tree-sitters decided the 42 campus trees had to be protected and have been living in their branches ever since. For almost two years, they've had their food and waste raised and lowered in buckets by supporters on the ground. In typical Berkeley fashion the Cal officials put up a fence surrounding the perimeter of the trees and allowed the protest to continue while litigation ran its course. Meanwhile, nervous Cal fans have believed that at some point Jeff Tedford would tire of the process and take a job somewhere else. But at long last, the protest is over.

Yesterday afternoon the four final tree sitters were removed from a single remaining tree. Meaning that when you go to Cal games now the primary attraction won't be listening to tree people hoot and holler in a language all their own from one barricaded tree branch to another. As if that weren't enough of a prize for the 2-0 Cal football team, fresh off a 66-3 beatdown of Washington State that no one noticed, they get to play Maryland this Saturday. Oskie the business bear is pumped.

Berkeley tree protesters climb down [New York Times]

Find more videos like this on David Hasselhoff Social Network

You're thinking things can't get worse than the 'Hoff riding shotgun with some Arizona undergrads, right? You're wrong.

Find more videos like this on David Hasselhoff Social Network

If I was recruiting against Arizona, I think I'd just play this video. Unless you're competing for a German basketball star. In which case Arizona is golden.

David Hasselhoff no longer a 'Zona football virgin. [The Sports Culture]

Immediately after this speech, UCLA set off fireworks for twenty minutes, it was so dark around the Rose Bowl that we couldn't figure out how to walk back to the hotel, and I contemplated throwing myself off the Colorado Street bridge. Next door to the 9th Circuit court building. Other than that my past four days in California have been awesome.

At least I've managed to hit the email perfect storm. SEC fans are emailing because they hate UT for losing to a Pac-10 team and Pac-10 fans are emailing because they hate Tennessee. Tennessee fans aren't emailing at all. They're too busy drinking themselves into blessed oblivion. Me, I'm drinking all the way back across the country. By the time you're reading this I'll be airborne. Maybe by then I'll understand how Kevin Craft threw four interceptions in the first half but turned into Joe Montana in the second half. But probably not.

Between writing the UT book, the close games, and being a diehard fan, there's a decent chance I'm not going to live through the season. Anyway, congrats to UCLA's cheerleaders. You helped to ease the pain with your hotness that knows no bounds. I think they should have used the UCLA cheerleaders instead of Neuheisel in the L.A. Times newspaper ad . They could have called out USC's song girls. Unlike tonight's game, everyone would win in that contest.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel talks about the victory over Tennessee [LA Times]
Craft steers unranked UCLA to overtime victory over No. 18 Vols [CBS]

"JP is the founder of Pyle of List, where he toils alongside 3 men that are superior writers, passionate sports lovers and respected friends. He's a USC alum, college football enthusiast and Pac-10 apologist. He also contributes to National Lampoon's Zaz Report but isn't responsible for any of their movies. JP is honored to receive your scorn in the comments."

Orson Swindle is a tough act to follow, even when I’m not following him directly. He’s like the “Hot Fuzz” of college football. He somehow manages to lovingly celebrate whilst cleverly ridiculing the SEC football culture. I’m still struggling not to use “we” when talking about USC. Kudos to you, Orson.

With that out of the way, here’s your USC Trojans 2008 Season Preview:

Strengths

Reputation: If USC were any other school, this team would be ranked in the high ‘teens (unless they played in the SEC where they’d be national title favorites). But in college football, unlike any other sport this side of gymnastics, your rep will play a factor in your rankings. This isn’t going to win games for the men of Troy, but will position them favorably in the polls. Also, the Trojans are very attractive to the BCS because of their high profile and command of a gigantic media market, which gives them an edge for any at-large bids. Sorry haters, fair or not…them’s the facts.

Nobel Prize Winner, George Olah: In 1994, Olah won the Nobel Prize for revolutionizing organic chemistry. 8 years later, Pete Carroll is producing unseemly amounts of talent and has the energy of a toddler with a PCP drip while only sleeping 47 minutes a night. Coincidence? I think not.

Rey Maualuga and his band of Merry Linebackers: Despite his legendary reputation, I was very critical of ol’ Rey through last season (albeit on a far less public forum, my blog) because his enthusiasm for manslaughter on the football field often left him out of position. He’d make spectacular plays, but simple ones would elude him. But, he finally seemed to find the proper balance at the end of last season. Which is bad news for every offense in the country… even his own, considering he’s hurt a few of his teammates in practice. When he’s joined by Brian Cushing, who was a dead ringer for Tim Riggins when he had long hair, and Kaluka Maiava (broke his thumb forcing a fumble by jamming it into the ball in the Rose Bowl) they form a very menacing trio.

Pete Carroll: You cannot list strengths for this football team without mention Pete himself. He is everything good about USC football. As an alum and hardcore fan, I will openly weep the day (God forbid) he ever decides to leave the Trojans.

Weaknesses

Special Teams: Despite a ridiculous stockpile of talent (including Ess-Ee-Cee approved speed), the coverage teams are susceptible to big returns and our kicker is a former linebacker. The reason? Unlike virtually every civilized program in the country, the Trojans do not have a special teams coach. Apparently they decided to use the coaching position for an Assistant Facebook Coach, which to be fair is more relevant in recruiting. Since special teams plays can swing momentum and decide close games, this could catch up to USC this year in one such contest.

Offensive line: After replacing four starters, the Trojans’ experience on the O- line has been well documented. But all I needed to know was expressed by a note from the first scrimmage provided by Scott Wolf: “lineman went the wrong way on two of the first three plays of the scrimmage.” Missing an assignment is one thing, but going in the wrong direction is quite another. Especially at the start of an intra-squad scrimmage, where the plays were probably scripted. These are the kind of mental mistakes that lead to the second string QB frantically putting on his helmet and sprinting into the huddle, while they bust out smelling salts for your starter who’s on a mental journey previously only believed to be possible with heavy doses of peyote.

Depth: General wisdom would trumpet depth as a great strength. Even for USC, this would be true for all non skill positions. But the glut of talented WR’s, RB’s and even QB’s has complicated this whole “offensive juggernaut” thing, which has been stuck in 4th gear since 2005 when Bush-Leinart-White departed. The Trojans don’t have a “go-to guy” within the dearth of playmakers. In their pursuit of the next chosen one, the coaching staff has shuffled so many players around that nobody has established a rhythm and gotten comfortable. I have a scientifically unfounded belief that this also contributes to a higher rate of injury, since guys are literally competing for the starting job each week in practice.

Rivals

After decades of college football excellence, the Trojans have managed to pile up more rivals across this great nation than the Warriors had in the boroughs of New York City. Hence the following Michael Corleone-esque, Godfather christening scene caliber hit list:

UCLA- When other Pac-10 schools mock your apathy, you’re nothing short of a laughingstock. Seriously, the rivalry isn’t fun when you have the school spirit of a 14 year old emo kid that cuts himself. Don’t worry, the morons in the dancing bear costumes will hold up a sign when it’s time for another lifeless “A-Clap”.

Notre Dame- This is all you need to know about the Charlie Weis era at Notre Dame: even Pete Carroll thinks he’s an asshole.

Big 10- What do Pac-10 schools call a mobile QB from the Big 10? A Defensive End.

Texas- Mack Brown’s coaching ability is directly correlated with the presence of Vince Young, or in this case lack thereof. And he sure as hell ain’t walkin’ through that door anytime soon. Enjoy the Colt McCoy era. The success of your team will be determined by a guy that sounds like a rejected cousin from the holdout-era “Dukes of Hazzard.”

SEC- Only a rival because they’ve eluded ‘SC in BCS bowls. Now that they’ve added a game to the schedule, I’m glad to see you’re finally playing quality opponents out of conference without having to compromise your relationship with Louisiana Monroe or the Citadel. At least this didn’t require something as drastic as Sam “Bam” Cunningham running roughshod over Bear’s Tide to bludgeon them into integration… in 1971.

Immediately after this advertisement was published, UCLA also announced that despite the monopoly being over, they still had plenty of seats available for UT-UCLA on Labor Day night. Which is convenient since I'll be there and don't have tickets yet.

UCLA Football, It's On [Gutty Little Bruins]

Much has been said of the Arizona State Sun Devils and their Sept. 20 match-up with the Puppy Dawgs from Georgia. The problem is that it is too early to give a full preview without knowing what players for Georgia will be on the field and which ones will be getting jazzed up for their booking photos. In the Tempe area, the buzz is that this game is going to mirror the '96 Nebraska game where the goalposts were carried down to Mill Avenue after a 19-0 victory over the #1 Huskers. There are some similarities to '96 (like a Summer Olympics preceding the game and an aging war veteran running for commander-in-chief). That's where the similarities end though.

Taking down Nebraska in '96 was epic with the Sun Devils ended a potential dynasty that night behind Derrick Rodgers' monster performance, setting the course for their doomed national title run. A big win against Georgia will just heat up the debate of "which conference is better, the Pac-10 or the SEC", even though the Big 12 probably has the best talent this season. Don't get me wrong, I want us to beat Georgia. LSU came into our house in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in September of '05 and inexplicably came out with a victory, considering Early Doucet was out of bounds on that 4th down throw from Jamarcus Russell. Nothing would be sweeter than to see ASU beat the #1 team in the nation and notch a victory for the Pac-10. In the back of my mind though, I know Georgia IS returning 18 starters (well maybe 3 by gametime, stay tuned) including Mel Kiper's wet dream at QB and ESPN the Mag and Sporting News coverboy Knowshon Moreno in the backfield. The fans stormed the field rather prematurely in wins over Cal and Arizona (games we should have won anyways), so hopefully we can do it for a worthy cause on September 20th.

Our 10-3 record was somewhat of a surprise last season. The 2007 Sun Devils were known to get off to late starts, including early deficits to Colorado and Oregon State only to come back and win big. But whenever ASU played a team with any real talent they floundered. They got it handed to them up at Autzen Stadium, where Omar Bolden tore Dennis Dixon's ACL about 2 quarters too late. USC came down on Thanksgiving and showed us what a real defense was (thanks Rey Maualuga). After another Territorial Cup victory, ASU had high hopes going into the Holiday Bowl against Texas, only to have our QB write checks his ass couldn't cash.

Georgia fits right into this mold of upper-tier teams that ASU thinks they have a shot at. Recent history is working against the Devils, and there's no guarantee that this season's offensive line (0 career starts) will be any better than last year's joke of a protection unit (55 sacks). Here's what to look for in the Sun Devils version 2008.

What's a Given:

- Mark May giving us the dreaded vote of confidence.
- Capitalizing off mistakes. This is how they turned those deficits into big victories in 2007. Even though it wasn't in a winning cause, after Mack Brown's stepson touched that ball in the infamous Holiday Bowl incident, Chris McGaha scored his only TD of the season and the Sun Devils were momentarily back in business.
- Keegan Herring turning nothing into something at least once a game
- Rudy Carpenter talking too much, yelling at his wide receivers after they mess up on routes, and being praised by analysts as being "tough, gritty and resilient." He's an easy target in more ways than one, especially when you don pink instead of school colors at a home basketball game when it isn't benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
- Backup QB Danny Sullivan's face to turning to ghostly white when Rudy Carpenter takes too long to get up.
- Thomas Weber sealing up another Groza award. He won the award last season with the second worst offensive line in the country (thanks, Notre Dame) protecting him.
- Willie Tuitama going 0-4 against ASU, taking his big arm to the wide open spaces of the CFL.

What To Watch For:

- The use of 5-wide formations, giving Rudy Carpenter the chance to break every major Pac-10 record while padding his stats for the next level.
-Stanford in Week 2. With all eyes on September 20th, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to get a scare from the Cardinal, who are looking to avenge the beatdown we gave them in Palo Alto last season.
- If we're down a score at USC with the clock winding down, Dennis Erickson will not punt.
- Speed - after getting burned by USC, Oregon, and Texas a year ago - look for the Devils to up the tempo on both sides of the ball
- Grades - almost everyone qualified academically! This is a new Dennis Erickson!
- Teams looking to exploit our secondary with big targets. Considering our linebackers and line are actually pretty solid against the run, watch for Georgia to exploit our small and weak tackling secondary through the use of Mohamed Massaquoi, Kenneth Harris and 6'6 tight end Tripp Chandler. Fred Davis can attribute at least one extra 0 in his signing bonus to our inability to cover the big target.
- Even though WR Mike Jones was a late pick in the MLB draft by the Yankees, you may hear Roger Goodell call his name come April. The guy is incredible to watch in person.
- Chris McGaha is single-handedly making the White receiver matter again. His only TD was in the Holiday Bowl, but he usually set up most of ASU's goal line situations with big catches.

Key Players -

Offense - Dmitri Nance - The thunder to Keegan Herring's lightning - Nance must produce in short yardage and red zone situations to keep defenses guessing at all times.

Defense - Terrell Carr - Omar Bolden owns one side of the field - JUCO transfer Terrell Carr will be the CB opposite of Bolden and trying to mark his ownership on the other side of the field. If Carr can turn into a playmaker, he can seal up an ASU secondary that showed flashes of brilliance in 2007.

Breakout Players -

Offense - Kerry Taylor - A sure-handed sophomore, Taylor will reap the benefits of opponents double covering Mike Jones and Chris McGaha.

Defense - Tank English - A massive human being and a brick wall on the D-Line, English can wreak havoc and stuff the run game by himself.

Per the Advocate:

“Ben Miles is all over Snoop’s stuff,” Miles said.

“I found every guy around him is a former coach or player, and he runs a league of youth football and provides opportunities for young people.

“I defend his music, and am much more a fan of the person.”

Miles than announced that he and Snoop Dogg were going to look for boobies. Before turning tearful and remarking, "If only Ryan Perrilloux were still here today, none of your chronic would go to waste."

Update: Do yourself a favor and check out the video introductions on the same page. Miles raps. Honestly, this is Heaven sent.

Miles, Snoop Dogg share spotlight [2theadvocate.com]

And by “go to college” I mean commit felonies. Well, Mike Detellier has broken down NFL starters by their college conference. And while there is no big surprise, the SEC leads with 137 projected starters, there are some really surprising positional breakdowns. Coming in second after the SEC? Shockingly, BCS whipping boy, the ACC with 121. Followed by the Big Ten with 105, Big 12 with 72, Pac 10 with 70 and the mighty Big East clocked in with a robust 33. Yeah, but Ray Rice is awesome (and not starting)!

For the record, the entire Big East had fewer NFL starters than Tennessee and Georgia (a combined 39).

Which speedy conference has the most starting wide receivers? The plodding Big Ten of course with 13. Interestingly the SEC most outclasses the collegiate competition at defensive end with 17 NFL starters. But pass rushing in college is overrated. Don’t believe me? Ask Troy Smith.

What conferences are the NFL starters coming from? [HoumaToday]

• 1. Crosstown Rivalry. At 27 years old in 1988, former University of Washington head coach Rick Neuheisel was the quarterbacks coach for UCLA while at the same time, a third-year law student at USC. (He tutored quarterback Troy Aikman, the same year that Todd Marinovich was a "promising USC quarterback prospect"). Neuheisel, currently the quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens, played his college football at UCLA, beginning his career as a walk-on, holding for placekicks. (Thanks to Patrick Yemenidjian).

• 2. Mind Me Platypus Duck, Bill. Oregon's Duck mascot is, in fact, Donald Duck, the only film character to appear as a mascot for a major college sports team. Walt Disney gave Oregon the rights to use Donald in 1947 (after the University's own design of the mascot began to drift suspiciously close to copyright infringement) ... The Oregon-Oregon State rivalry (the "Civil War") is the sixth oldest college football rivalry and currently has no traveling trophy, but briefly used an abstract maple-carved statue of a platypus (because a platypus looks kind of like a cross between a duck and a beaver). The Platypus Trophy was awarded from 1959 to 1962, after which it disappeared. In 2005, the trophy was found in the back of a closet at Oregon's MacArthur Court and there is a move to revive the Platypus Trophy going forward. (Thanks to Joe Patrice).

• 3. The Play's The Thing. There's an area above Memorial Stadium, Cal's home field, where many fans congregate to watch the game. Because the seats are free, the area is referred to as Tightwad Hill. Those same cheapskates fire off a cannon every time the Bears score.

• 4. Mmmmm, Rowdy Tradition .... The tortilla has been a staple at Arizona State since 1996, when the Sun Devils took an unbeaten record into the Rose Bowl with Jake Plummer at quarterback — losing to Ohio State. Used in celebration and in protest, the student body has taken to tossing tortillas (flour or corn ... the latter getting more distance) onto the field. While the school has tried to crack down on this sacred tradition by requiring the male fans to be searched before games by lifting up their shirts, the females have not been subject to such scrutiny and have been able to sneak in the edible flying disks with impunity. (Thanks to Matt Duarte).