P.J. Fleck to USC? No way. What's really behind the talk?

Introduction: Minnesota sports fans believe two things in the very fabric of their being. One: Referees are out to get their favorite team(s), to the point that questionable calls don't even out over time. Two: If the Gophers hire a competent coach, there is a need to worry immediately about that coach leaving for a better job. That second point brings us to rumblings this week that P.J. Fleck could be a candidate for the suddenly vacant USC job. Host Michael Rand reminds you that Fleck almost certainly isn't going anywhere, and that this is probably just a means to get another contract extension.

5:00: 60 years ago the Vikings played their first game. They won big, then lost a bunch of games the rest of the year, setting fans up for the rest of their history.

7:00: Star Tribune Vikings/NFL writer Mark Craig joins the show for our weekly picks segment. A listener wrote to Mark after last week's picks thanking him for his Week 1 selections because he took the opposite of that advice and won a lot of money. We'll see if this week's slate of games is any kinder to our picks (and the Packers).

24:00: Jon Marthaler joins the show for an update on Minnesota United, which has fallen out of playoff position but might be getting some important offensive players back this weekend for a key match with the L.A. Galaxy.

30:00: History was made on Thursday when the Gophers and St. Thomas played in volleyball, the first time those schools have met as Division I programs.

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Questions? Comments? Long-winded diatribes about nothing in particular? E-mail me at michael.rand@startribune.com. Follow me on Twitter @RandBall and Star Tribune sports @StribSports