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Captain Compete will have to put away the mask and the Speedo for a little while at Southern California. In the wake of the NCAA's crushing sanctions, the Trojans don't know whether they'll ever get back to their unique version of normal.
Alumnus Will Ferrell's superhero alter ego used to show up at occasional Trojans practices to urge his favorite football team to fight on. Next season, most alumni won't even be allowed on the sidelines - just one of many inevitable changes after the Trojans' decade of success was tarnished by the NCAA's ruling.
On an otherwise quiet Friday on USC's downtown campus, the Trojans still were adjusting to their new reality: Two years without a bowl, sharp scholarship restrictions, four years of probation and other sanctions that will make USC's return to prominence awfully daunting.
Although many of the penalties will be appealed, new coach Lane Kiffin's self-professed dream job changed dramatically this week. But the ruling didn't change the perspective of quarterback Matt Barkley, the highest-profile player on a roster still stocked with elite talent.
``I'm not disappointed at all,'' Barkley said. ``I still get to play football. It's a privilege to be able to play here at USC, however many games we get.''
Barkley and his teammates stuck with their 7 a.m. offseason workouts this week, even after learning of the NCAA's ruling in a team meeting Thursday. Although the NCAA will allow juniors and seniors to transfer without sitting out a season, very few are expected to explore the possibilities, according to Barkley and other players.
``We talked about a lot of stuff in our team meeting, talked about where we're going from here,'' Kiffin said. ``If someone wants to leave the best place in the country to play football, we won't stop them.''
Kiffin, the former USC offensive coordinator who bolted from Tennessee earlier this year, believes his players are tied to USC by more than football. So is his highly rated recruiting class, which so far hadn't had anyone ask to get out of his letter of intent.
``USC has gone through a lot before,'' Kiffin said. ``As you go back to 1980, USC over a four-year span had a three-year postseason ban. After that, the next season USC went on to win the Pac-10, went on to win the Rose Bowl, and four of the next six years went to the Rose Bowl. USC has been through a lot before. We will continue to play championship football, and we will continue to recruit the best players in America to come here.''
Although the NCAA's report said the governing body was troubled by the culture around the athletic department, the Trojans have vowed to fight the football sanctions - and embattled athletic director Mike Garrett apparently hasn't backed down. The Los Angeles Times attended a USC booster club meeting in San Francisco on Thursday night.
``As I read the decision by the NCAA ... I read between the lines, and there was nothing but a lot of envy,'' Garrett reportedly told the Bay Area boosters. ``They wish they all were Trojans. ... Today I really got a purpose for wanting to dominate for another 10 years.''
The NCAA's decision also includes a ruling that bans the school from taking advantage of loopholes to play 13 regular-season games. School officials weren't sure Friday whether that ruling endangers its season-opening game in Hawaii, since the appeals process will last well into next year.
With several weeks remaining before the opening of Kiffin's first fall camp, the Trojans have plenty of time to digest the idea of playing for an unbeaten season and individual honors instead of a national championship. Once the shock of the NCAA's decision wears off, Barkley and his teammates will figure out the next step in careers that just hit a collective bump.
``I can only do what we can control, and that's what we're going to do as a team,'' Barkley said. ``We've been working hard this offseason, and we're getting ready for Hawaii.''
