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Let's be magnanimous today. Let's give highly dubious Lane Kiffin the benefit of the doubt.

Let's take the USC football coach at his word – that in no way, shape or form did he encourage or condone a student manager deflating footballs before or during the Trojans' game against Oregon on Saturday. That this "rogue manager" simply dreamed up the idea himself to let air out of the six footballs USC used when it was on offense against the Ducks. That this kid, in a low-man-on-the-totem-pole job – and a job in which following orders is a highly prized attribute – would make a unilateral decision to monkey with the rules of the game and try to give his team a competitive advantage completely on his own.

[Related: USC student-manager fired for intentionally deflating game footballs]

That's what Kiffin said – it's all on the kid, who has subsequently been fired from his job after a Pac-12 and USC inquisition. And remember, we're giving Kiffin the benefit of the doubt here.

So you wonder where the manager may have dreamed up such a thing. Could it be he learned by watching Kiffin conduct himself?

Could it be that the "rogue manager" heard Kiffin say in preseason that he wouldn't vote his team No. 1, then USA Today disclosed that Kiffin had indeed voted his team No. 1?

Could it be that the manager saw Kiffin shut off access to the L.A. Coliseum for Friday walk-throughs by visiting teams before Hawaii played there in the season opener? Hawaii is coached by former Trojans assistant Norm Chow. Whether this was a personal shot by Kiffin or an attempt to gain an advantage is unclear, but it was a reversal of policy and an unsportsmanlike snub of a guy who once was held in high regard at USC.

Could it be that the manager saw Kiffin jack around L.A. Daily News reporter Scott Wolf, stripping his credential and banning him from practice for daring to report on an injury to USC kicker Andre Heidari? That led to a battle between the coach and the L.A. media, which ended with athletic director Pat Haden involved, Wolf's credential being restored and Kiffin sort of apologizing.

[Also: Fake Twitter account escalates USC-UCLA rivalry]

Could it be that the manager saw Kiffin pull a jersey switcheroo on Oct. 20 in order to help the Trojans beat big, bad Colorado (1-8)? USC had backup quarterback Cody Kessler change from No. 6 to No. 35 against the Buffaloes, a number worn by punter Kyle Negrete. Kessler then attempted to run for a two-point conversion – a play that was brought back on a holding penalty. In the second half, Kessler was back to wearing No. 6, seemingly in violation of NCAA rules about changing jerseys in an attempt to deceive the opponent. That brainstorm was almost certainly the difference in USC squeaking out a 50-6 victory over Colorado.

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