The University of Southern California Trojans entered this college football season riding high. The squad was ranked first in the nation in preseason Top 25 polls. Its golden boy quarterback Matt Barkley graced the legendary cover of Sports Illustrated. Young, cocky coach Lane Kiffin appeared ready to finally fulfill the program's vast expectations of him.
Then everything fell apart. The team struggled to play well, lost crucial games and was marred by allegations of cheating while losing its biggest game of the season. The Trojans didn't even make the Pac-12 Conference championship game, something that surprised most college-sports observers, as the team was considered a shoo-in before the season began.
But, it seems, someone in the athletic-ticketing office didn't get that memo. According to a tweet and screenshot by student Sam Rosenthal, the school sent out an email to students on Monday telling them how to buy tickets for the league championship game -- which pitted UCLA against Stanford, with USC nowhere to be found.
The letter read, in part:
Thank you for your support of the Trojan Football team this year. We have had a successful season so far and want to provide you with information regarding our opportunity to play in the Pac-12 Championship game on Friday, November 30. After beating our cross-town rival, UCLA, we are the South Division Champions and will play in the 2012 Pac-12 Championship Game.
The Trojans had actually lost that game against their "cross-town rival," by a score of 38-28. And making matters worse? UCLA and Stanford had faced off in the Pac-12 Championship last Friday, Nov. 30. So, even if USC had fulfilled its high preseason expectations, the email would have been three days late.
Just chalk it up as one final gaffe in a lost football season for the Men of Troy.
Image credit Getty Images/Getty Images Sport/Harry How
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