USC manager's plot to take air out of footballs falls flat

Ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll in August, the USC Trojans have seen the air taken out of their season by three losses. But that's not all. This team has fired an unnamed student manager for deflating game balls used by the team below NCAA-mandated levels in last weekend's loss to Oregon. Under-inflated balls are generally considered easier to catch and throw, and the Trojans certainly did that well enough, scoring 51 points. Problem is, Oregon scored 62, using properly inflated balls (teams supply their own footballs when on offense). Relax, conspiracy fans: the fired manager confirmed he was acting on his own as lone deflator. [Source]

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