So it seems these days that USC stands for Undoubtedly Shunning Compliance. Every star they've got is taking his turn getting investigated in one fashion or another. But when you're right there at Hollywood, you expect to be scrutinized and have everybody all up in your busines.

And, as always, leading the way is the NCAA. This time they're looking into Matt Leinart and Dwayne Jarrett's living situation. Evidently these two studs' BMOC status was just off the charts and they couldn't handle the pressure of their existing living arrangement, so Matt's pops Bobby Leinart signed them up for a lease at some gated community away from campus – to ensure that not just anybody could stalk them. Seems fair and good.

Leinart and Jarrett each pitched in some cash for the rent, and pops Leinart picked up the rest. Doesn't seem like a big deal, right? I've known people whose parents just bought them a house or paid the full rent on a place for just their kid, and if other people lived their did so free, cheaply, or by just splitting utilities. This is pretty much a common practice.

That is, until you enter the parallel universe the NCAA presides over. Evidently this little arrangement violates one of their 1,823,230,021 asinine mandates. It's somehow an unfair advantage and improper benefit for a player to room with another player in a place the player's dad is paying for. Now, I could see if some random big-money guy was trying to house a bunch of people ... but this is a player's dad. That's what parents do.

So, the crazies – knowing the sanctity of the game's amateur status is at stake here – intervene and figure that Jarrett is going to owe Mr. Leinart $10,000 in back rent, and USC is a program run amok.

I just cannot see why this is a big deal. Which makes it perfect for the NCAA to get up in arms about. They can make billions of dollars off this amateur game and not give a dime to the people performing, but nobody else better try to come in and assist in any way. Might ruin the integrity of it all. Morons.

And on to my second point ...

Here in Conway, Arkansas I share a three-bedroom house with a couple buddies. It's not a palace, but it's a pretty nice little house in a good subdivision. We have a spacious fenced-in back yard, a two-car (or, in our case, a one-boat) garage, and a really good smoke detector. Our rent? $800 a month. Split that up three ways and it's essentially $267 each. Not too expensive, but definitely not the cheapest you can get in Conway.

Well, Matt and Dwayne were each chipping in $650 a month for their apartment there in LA. That's $1,300 – nearly double this house costs. And the great part is that the senior Leinart still had to kick in another $2,500+ to meet the full rent cost. Yep, just over $3,800 a month for rent. That's $45,600 and change for a year's rent. You could rent that thing for 3 years in LA, or buy a nice house in Conway.

Obviously this place they were renting wasn't the slums, but was it the most upscale place in LA? I have no idea. You'd hope it would be, but I imagine you can pay more than that if you really want. The disparity in cost of living from place to place is simply astounding.

Really, the more I think about the rent thing, it makes me want to delve deeper. The burning question I have now is ... what about the fast-food places. Do they have dollar menus in LA? Or is that just unheard of and the regional market calls for the fantastic value of the $3 menu? For just $3 you can get a McChicken or a Double Cheeseburger! Or, go over to Taco Bell and get full on a Spicy Chicken Soft Taco for just $4.75!

When you get down to it, rent should be ridiculously cheap in LA. For $3,800 a month, I do not want to be faced with the prospects of stepping outside and having to shovel smog off my driveway so I can get out.

So, I'm just going to stick around Conway for awhile. I would encourage any of USC's players who have only $650 a month to spend on rent to do the same. You can get nicer housing, and UCA's not a bad place to play. Live cheap, be a part of the Pioneer Class, and have a chance to actually beat a Texas school.