USC Has a Problem

The program Lincoln Riley thought he was building a juggernaut in Southern Cal. It turns out that house might be a house of cards. It's becoming apparent that USC has a problem. And Lincoln Riley is the head of it. After back-to-back losses Riley was a no-show for his weekly radio show. The excuse given was Riley felling under the weather.

That's mighty convenient that he doesn't show up the week after the team's season effectively is over. This isn't the first news that has led me to believe that USC has a problem. Some of the stories around Caleb Williams dating back to the summer leads by to the conclusion that he is all about himself. But Lincoln has a bit of that in him as well. He has shown an inability to identify and fix problems with his team. Most notably DC Alex Grinch.

Alex Grinch followed Lincoln from Oklahoma to USC. Why? That's a question I don't have the answer to. Oklahoma's defense would routinely let down one of the nation's best offenses. Then to bring him along with you to Los Angeles where the same problems are prevalent. I never liked the way Lincoln left Oklahoma. I get that college football in the 2020's is big business. But the way he pillaged the Sooners roster just never sat right.

It turns out that Oklahoma might have dodged a bullet when Riley left Norman for what he thought was greener pastures. It's clear to me that USC has a problem. And his name is Lincoln Riley.

Halloween Candy is everywhere!  Stores start selling it in August.  Halloween Candy also begins the three-legged tour to weight gain.  It begins the Halloween - Thanksgiving - Christmas food fest that forces everyone to make weight loss the number one New Year's resolution.  What's the best Halloween Candy? There are so many to choose from. However, no job is too big to tackle on ESPN Southwest Florida.

In fact, being the staff sugar-holic, I jumped at the chance to lead the charge. It's a big job but somebody had to do it.

First of all, I have a massive amount of candy eating experience. I've been doing it regularly since I was a kid!  And, since I've been eating candy for so long I am able to remember the classics as well as be aware of the newcomers.

Secondly, we have to remember to consider the many groups of candies available to us. For example, we have the chocolate bar. In fact, Hershey's has made the simple classic chocolate bar for over 120 years.  And it's still great today. But now, in addition to the flat chocolate bar on the market, there are chocolate bars stuffed with caramel, nougat, nuts, pretzels and anything else you may think of.  May, I also add, chocolate-based candy is way better than hard candy? That's just a fact.

Then there are the fruit flavored candies. Some are hard. Some are soft. Many are sweet and some are sour. There are so many to choose from.  So sit back and enjoy our Power Rankings of Halloween Candy.

And Happy Halloween!

-Craig Shemon

The worst. And yet here they are. Have you ever walked into a Halloween party and not seen a bowl of these somewhere? Why? May I suggest putting out a platter of giant candy bars instead?

Dots do nothing for me personally. But they are everywhere and make the list. My biggest problem is the way Dots stick to your teeth. Too much effort is required to eat them. It's exhausting.

Used to eat a lot of these as they were readily available at my school. They were never my favorite. They were just readily available and a cheap way to get some quick, unhealthy energy.

Never a big Twizzler's guy nor do I like licorice of any kind in general. And black licorice is out of the question. It's icky!

Good taste until they stick in your teeth (or break your teeth)! But the flavors are really good. Candy scientists have done a great job of mixing fruit flavored chemicals and making them taste better than real fruit.

I hated coconut as a kid but I love it as an adult. Something about the texture of coconut is strange for a young palette. It also got in the way of the chocolate. But, like I said, I can tolerate it now.

Nice change of pace and crisp and cool. But have you ever gone out of your way to buy one? No, I didn't think so.

Another old time classic. One of my favorite treats as a kid. Chocolate, grape and cherry were the best. Hated orange as a kid. But I like it now. I would be impatient after a while and start chewing on it to get to the Tootsie Roll center. Hence, the classic commercial from my youth:

Didn't really get into these until I had kids. My children turned me on to them and they taste really good. Strong on the flavor scale!

Honestly, I have not eaten a lot of these but when I have I found them to be surprisingly good. Still, I don't think I have ever intentionally bought these.

Not my thing but my kids love them so they make the list. I prefer sweet candy as opposed to sour candy.

It has its place but gets lost next to Snickers and Milky Way. May I add, it is also too whip-creamy-ish in the middle.

An old classic everyone likes to mention. But when was the last time you ate one?

It's very refreshing! An entire Seinfeld episode was created around this candy. So it has to be a classic.

Didn't get these until later in life. Nice change of pace from chocolate if you want a fruity kick.

Not my thing but they pack a powerful taste.

They are not great but you get addicted to the sugar real fast and then you've eaten two pounds of them before you realize it. They might be made of 200 percent sugar if that is possible.

Ate a ton of these as a kid. Total sugar buzz after school because this is 100 percent sugar!

I used to love these. As I get older and my taste buds change, this is just too sweet. And, again, this is a candy you will be scraping off your teeth for hours. I also find with many adults that you either love Butterfingers or hate them. There is very little in-between.

Sweet and salty! This is under rated. I didn't go for them much as a kid and I don't now. But every once in a while this candy bar delivers a pleasant surprise.

Highly under rated! Strong candy bar. Not much to complain about here.

This is a relatively new item. One of my kids just introduced me to this product.  Take all the things you like about Reese's and add caramel and pretzels and put it in a candy bar. In fact, this may be under rated here. Or maybe this candy bar is trying too hard. It has a lot of fun little ingredients combines into a powerful taste punch.

The classic of classics. This is the first chocolate bar I remember eating as a small child. It's still solid today.

I don't eat them often but when I do it is very satisfying.

I love Whoppers. Chocolate. Crunchy. Light and airy. Solid effort. And even though I'm bothered by candy that remains stuck in your teeth, I make an exception for these. They also make great mixers into a vanilla ice cream.

Starburst's fruit flavors taste better than real fruit flavors. One of my most consistent go-to snacks in a movie theatre.

This is like an M&M version of Starburst. Just as good. And no candy wrappers. Easy access allows for massive quantities to be consumed.

Large or small this is a safe staple any time of year. Have you ever warmed one up in the microwave? That will give you an idea of how they come fresh out of the factory.

This has been an enjoyable classic for 120 years. Great then. Great now. No need to change or eat one with almonds. Just plain chocolate please.

This is a majorly under rated candy. Chocolate and caramel are never bad. Sometimes a simple combo is the best. And you can roll a Rolo to your pal.

If this were a sports league, Snickers would be a dynasty.  Although, like teams that win every year, I grow tired of them. But I don't want to knock this classic too much.

I don't need fancy Godiva chocolates when I can just load up on M&M's by the pound! Fistful after fistful.

What is a better snack than Peanut M&M's and a Diet Mt. Dew? This remains my go-to after all these years!

Chocolate with crunch. Strong effort by Nestle.

Personally, this is my favorite. I will not apologize for this high ranking. I'd rank it even higher but I don't think you all could handle it!  A hard toffee center surrounded by soft chocolate. This is a completely overlooked candy bar. Plus it's versatile. You ever crumble one on a bowl of ice cream? How about a DQ Blizzard or Culver's Mixer? Ever have a toffee-chocolate cookie? Yeah, Craig right again. And you are welcome!

One of my all-time favorites. Despite complaining about candies that stick to your teeth I make a major exception here. Love, love, love these!!!

A formidable classic in any list.

Do you bite this or just shove the entire thing in your mouth? Either way, it's awesome!

Chocolate and caramel with a cookie crunch. Anytime you can combine candy with a cookie you have a winning formula. And the left tastes as great as the right. Nothing else to say!

Regular Reese's vs Mini Reese's: More effort to unwrap more mini's.  However, is it me, or is the taste more condensed and power packed inside a mini? Maybe this is a quantity vs quality issue I have?