Trojans Threaten to Relocate to Rose Bowl

The USC Trojans are threatening to play football in Pasadena's Rose Bowl beginning next fall if they can't reach an agreement with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

This strikes me as a terrible idea. It would put a real crimp in campus life if students can no longer walk to football games. USC has made great strides away from being a "commuter" university, working toward being a fully residential, campus-centered university, and now they're talking about "commuter" football? At UCLA's home stadium, no less?

Hopefully this is a negotiating tactic and all will be worked out. I think the Coliseum Commission needs to give up on their pipe dream of an NFL team in the Coliseum and let USC renovate and run the Coliseum. It's absurd that the Commission is preventing the facility from being upgraded by USC.

Wednesday Update: More from the Times' Bill Plaschke.

Wednesday Afternoon Update: "An Open Letter From Mike Garrett to the Trojan Family." Garrett is USC's Director of Athletics. Garrett confirms "As a precaution, USC has negotiated a lease with the Rose Bowl..." Garrett then explains what USC wants from the Coliseum Commission in return for USC investing $100 million in the facility over the next decade.