For all its muddy cultural avenues left unexplored, though, it at least provides a slipper view of the ways the show represented “the inception of American shock culture,” as one producer accurately describes it.

The broad classification, he acknowledged, is potentially muddying the department’s numbers.

“At minimum it muddies the waters,” said Stuart Anderson, the group’s executive director.

The outlook for USC’s rushing attack may only get muddier from there.

Court documents revealed a muddy picture of the couple’s financial standing.