SU and USC Agree to Football Series in 2011 and 2012 - WSYR-TV
WSYR has confirmed with the USC Sports Information Department that Syracuse University and the University of Southern California have verbally agreed to a home and home football series for the 2011 and 2012 season. USC told WSYR that not all the details have been finalized.

As per the agreement, SU would travel to Los Angeles in 2011 and USC would come to Syracuse in 2012.

Syracuse Athletic Director Daryl Gross has ties to USC. Gross was the senior associate athletic director at Southern Cal prior to coming to SU.

USC boasts one of college football's most storied traditions. The Trojans boast 11 national championships...

Also, Orange Football to Face Southern California - Official Syracuse Website

Former Notre Dame High player Stanton could be added to Trojans - LA Daily News
There is a possibility USC could add another player to its roster next week.

Mike Stanton, a standout football and baseball player at Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks, must decide by Wednesday if he will sign with Florida Marlins, who selected him in the second round of the baseball amateur draft.

If he does not sign with the Marlins, Stanton will attend USC on financial aid, which means he could play football and baseball under NCAA rules.

Although baseball is his primary sport, the football staff would like to convince him to play both sports this year and recruited him as a wide receiver-outside linebacker last season...

Pinkard a happy camper this year - VC Star
Two-a-days are never going to be a football player's favorite time of year.

But as USC works its way through the first week of training camp, Josh Pinkard has a newfound appreciation for the long, hot days of late summer.

Major injuries have a way of providing that sort of perspective...

..."When you can't get out there and play, you would give anything to get back out there all the time," Pinkard said. "So now when I'm out here, and I get tired or feel like I would want to leave, I just think back to the times (I was hurt)...

USC football players serious about academics - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
...for the top-ranked USC football team...there's a large veteran corps of upperclassmen who turned their backs on the NFL...

...All-American candidates Sam Baker, Lawrence Jackson and Terrell Thomas have already graduated but are taking full academic loads...

...Baker, an almost certain top NFL pick, is doing a research project looking at the effects of money on people, as he prepares for what he hopes is a 10-year NFL career before becoming a high school football coach. Thomas is looking at real estate development.

Heisman Trophy candidate John David Booty, All-American nose tackle Sedrick Ellis, linebacker Keith Rivers, tight end Fred Davis and offensive tackle Drew Radovich have their paths clearly mapped out to graduation this year...

BC, USC strike deal - Boston Herald
Boston College has signed a two-season series to play football against powerhouse Southern California, the current No. 1 team in the country, Eagles athletic director Gene DeFilippo said this morning.

BC will face USC and coach Pete Carroll in 2013 and 2014, with the first game scheduled for Los Angeles and the second one here at the Heights. “I feel really good about it,” said DeFilippo. “Those are the teams you really want to play. We’ve got Notre Dame in ’07, ’08, ’09 and ’10, and then we’re going to get someone for ’11 and ’12. Then we’ve got USC in ’13 and ’14.”

DeFilippo was hoping to schedule USC for 2011 and 2012 but the Trojans were already booked. DeFilippo said BC will fill the hole on the schedule with a school from a major conference...

Also, Eagles sign up for Trojan War - Boston herald
DeFilippo solidifies USC series - Boston Globe

2007 CFN Preview - Unit Rankings ... Defense - College Football News
1. USC
The Trojan offense is good. The Trojan defense is scary good. Backed by a Who’s Who of future first-day NFL Draft choices, USC is ready to unleash the nastiest and stingiest unit of the Pete Carroll era. Led by Sedrick Ellis at the nose, Keith Rivers at middle linebacker, and Terrell Thomas at cornerback, the Trojans boast seven players capable of making a run at All-America honors...this is as close to a flawless unit that there is in the country. From front to back, they’re aggressive, experienced and fast...scoring meaningful points on them in the first three quarters is going to be a year-long nightmare...

Also, 2007 CFN Preseason Rankings - College Football News
2007 CFN Preview - Unit Rankings ... Offense - College Football News

Trojans freshman defensive end Griffen gets a rude welcome - LA Daily News
Whether it was all the hype or something he said, USC freshman defensive end Everson Griffen is a target at practice this week.

Several Trojans offensive linemen are doing their best to humble Griffen, who was described by USC coach Pete Carroll as "the most unique prospect." also saying, "I've never seen a guy that impressive for that spot."...

...offensive tackle Butch Lewis flattened Griffen twice Tuesday in a less-than-cordial welcome.

"He's a good player. I'm just trying to get him introduced to being a Trojan," Lewis said. "It happened to all of us in that situation."

Griffen did a better job holding his own Wednesday...

Also, Carroll to pay his respects to Walsh - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise

It's a lesson as tempers flare at practice - LA Times
Like each of the 10 tailbacks vying for playing time in USC's overcrowded backfield, Stafon Johnson longs for spotlight opportunities.

The sophomore got two for different reasons Wednesday during a spirited and aggressive workout...

Johnson, the former Dorsey High star, took a handoff and ran over cornerback Vincent Joseph, drawing cheers from teammates and observers along the sideline. However, as the play continued, safety Will Harris wrapped up Johnson and added a few choice words as well, inciting Johnson to throw the ball at the defender.

Coach Pete Carroll immediately got into the running back's face, then halted practice for an expletive-laced speech to the team about avoiding unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties...

With Havili healthy, fullback in good hands - OC Register
It wasn't that USC was so besieged with injuries last year, but that so many of them came at one vulnerable position.

The first three fullbacks went down because of season-ending injuries in the first three weeks...

...Some tacklers reached the USC backfield untouched, and the passing game was more vanilla than in years past.

Now, Stanley Havili's left leg is fully healed and he has the luxury of entering his freshman season with some college game experience under his belt. Because he was injured so early last year, Havili was able to redshirt in 2006.

The Trojans are hoping he can help jazz up an offense ...

Big hurdles await Lua in Pats' camp - Brockton Enterprise
...Patriots rookie inside linebacker Oscar Lua has found the beef.

“There's a lot more beef in the middle right now,” the seventh-round draft pick answered when asked the biggest adjustment he's had to make in his transition to pro football. “In college, some of the linemen were smaller...

...this much has become clear: Lua is eager to sink his teeth into and make an impression on the Patriots' defense...

...To this point, Lua appears to be making the most of his opportunity at the Patriots' Gillette Stadium training camp, exhibiting savvy and instincts that go well beyond the 128 career tackles he made as a collegian...

Also, Lua just a young pup - Attleboro Sun-Chronicle

Trojans report: Notes, quotes - CBS Sportsline
KEY EARLY-SEASON GAME: at Nebraska, Sept. 15 -- The Cornhuskers want desperately to be nationally relevant again, and this is the chance for Big Red to do it. The Trojans handled Nebraska 28-10 at the L.A. Coliseum early last season, so there will be a bit of a revenge factor in play, too...

...THE TROJANS WILL SUCCEED IF
The defense becomes the kind of shut-down unit the 2004 team had when it won the national championship. Ten starters return, and new starter Brian Cushing is an athletic upgrade from Dallas Sartz...

...THE TROJANS WILL FAIL IF
They don't figure out their crowded running back situation and a "big" receiver doesn't emerge...It seems likely that both issues on offense will be resolved satisfactorily given the talent on hand...

Also, Trojans report: Inside slant - CBS Sportsline
Trojans report: Strategy and personnel - CBS Sportsline

Freshman McKnight dazzles at USC camp - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
Second day, same as the first. Just more of freshman Joe McKnight for the Trojans to incorporate -- and appreciate.

"We're watching him absorb a lot of things," Coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday, ticking them off one by one: running back, wide receiver and a receiver in motion.

"We haven't found anything he can't do," Carroll said of the 6-foot, 180-pound top recruit...

...Carroll amended that. McKnight "hasn't blocked yet."...

Turner takes leadership role with receivers - LA Times
USC receiver Patrick Turner aggressively stations himself at the front of the line for every drill, symbolizing his new status for the Trojans...

...with former USC and NFL receiver Curtis Conway keenly eyeing them from the sideline, Trojans receivers took another small step...

..."It's cool to have a guy like Curtis Conway come back," said Turner..."He'll tell us some tips."

Turner and sophomore Vidal Hazelton began training camp as starters...

Also, USC LB Maualuga hoping for more big hits - LA Daily News
Pac-10 preview: USC - Arizona Republic

[Forde] Quarterbacks enter 2007 with much to prove - ESPN
...1. John David Booty, USC
The question: Palmer, Leinart … Booty?
The first two guys have their names on the Heisman and their places in USC history secure. Palmer led the Pete Carroll renaissance and became the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Leinart turned the renaissance into a dynasty and became a first-round pick. Can Booty -- who is so Shreveport to the other two guys' Cali cool -- be a suitable heir? Can he win hardware in December and in January? Does the dynasty continue or crumble on his watch?...

2007 CFN All-Americans & Top Players - LBs - College Football News
...Rey Maualuga, Jr. USC
Maualuga's a 6-3, 250-pound freight train that intimidates with his intensity and bone-jarring hits. Entering his second season as the starter, he plays with reckless abandon and has impeccable instincts for the position. Few college defenders provide the pop he does...

...Keith Rivers, Sr. USC
Rivers is arguably the country’s top NFL outside linebacker prospect. He's a 6-3, 230-pounder who pursues well in all directions, including on blitzes, and is a standout in pass defense. Last year’s team leader in tackles with 85 would have been a high draft choice in 2008 had he foregone his final year of eligibility...

Also, 2007 CFN All-Americans & Top Players - Safety - College Football News
2007 CFN All-Americans & Top Players - DTs - College Football News

The players speak - CNNSI
We asked one starter from each of the 119 Division I-A teams the following questions about college football and the upcoming season...

...1. Who is your preseason favorite to win the national championship?

USC: 48.7%...

...Quotable: A Pac-10 player on why USC will win the national championship: "Every year they're stacked, and with everyone they have coming in, they're going to be stacked for the next five years."...

...3. Which coach besides your own would you most like to play for?

Pete Carroll, USC: 28.6%...

Also, [Mandel] Straight from the source - CNNSI

[Waldner] Sarkisian chose family over ego - Daily Breeze
...Ask Steve Sarkisian.

Ask him about how very close he came to becoming coach of the Oakland Raiders...

...Sarkisian understands where Thomas Jefferson was coming from when he wrote those spine-tingling words, "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

His decision was about happiness. It was about now. It was about his life and the life of his family now. It was about being a young man who does not have a runaway ego.

If Sarkisian had been working in Buffalo, not USC, would he have taken the Raiders' offer?

"I would have taken the job," he said...

Raiders' Williams hopes weight ... er ... wait is over - Contra Costa Times
...few envisioned such a bumpy ride for a player who totaled 176 receptions for 2,569 yards...in his two seasons at USC.

His troubles began when he hired an agent and declared himself eligible for the 2004 draft...

..."That is a value, obviously," Kiffin said, "his size and being able to keep people away from him. That goes back to when he's right, he's a dangerous red-zone player. ... There are good ways to use him down there. But he's got to get better."

Signs of Williams' progress showed during a recent practice when he beat standout cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha on two plays that he turned into touchdowns. He has made a habit of catching everything thrown his way...

USC gets first chance to impress - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
... How about at the half-dozen seniors who came back with a shot at All-America honors but who seemed to be saying through spokesman, and nose tackle, Sedrick Ellis, that they'd never "felt this kind of enthusiasm"?

"I think that is the seniors,"...John David Booty said, "I know that's how I felt tonight. To make this our team and show it."...

...Freshmen Joe McKnight and Ron Johnson...got their numbers called often Monday.

So did sophomore tailback Allen Bradford, on a pair of nifty touchdown runs and then an earth-shaking stiff-arm on freshman defensive end Everson Griffen...

Also, Trojans' Mustain struggles in debut - LA Daily News
Trio of tailbacks is off to a running start - LA Times
Returnees a boost - OC Register

[Feldman] All eyes on McKnight as Trojans open practice - ESPN
...The biggest buzz around the program on Day 1 focused on the Trojans' tailback situation, where the team has 10 scholarship players vying for playing time. The guy everyone was most excited about was Joe McKnight, the shifty Louisiana back who many have touted as the next Reggie Bush.

Privately, the USC coaches have been giddy about what they've heard from some of the upperclassmen regarding McKnight's performance in summer workout...

...On Monday, McKnight didn't disappoint as he made several eye-popping runs, juked defenders and blew past guys who thought they had angles on him. A few times he did get popped by defenders and ended up having to pick himself off the grass, but mostly he left defenders grabbing for air...

He's looking out for No. 1 - Rocky Mountain News
There was the weight issue and the hamstring injury, then plummeting all the way to No. 45 in the 2006 draft, the Tennessee Titans grabbing him in the second round.

Then came an incident at practice in which he allegedly spit on a teammate during a skirmish, a move that left him suspended for the first preseason game and apologizing afterward.

While White vows to "show the world" this year how good he can be, there's no question the pressure is on as he enters Year 2...

...That leaves White, despite his accolades at USC, in the middle of another skirmish, to settle who will carry the load for the Titans.

How much faith did the Titans have that White could do that?..

Leinart focused on becoming A-list QB - East Valley Tribune
It’s easy to forget that Matt Leinart is a football player. What with his cameo in an upcoming Adam Sandler movie, his Hollywood friends and the dispute with his son’s mother...

...Leinart has become a modern-day version of Joe Namath, sans the panty hose commercial.

“I hate that guy. He’s so stuck up,” Cardinals guard Deuce Lutui said.

For a second, you wonder if jealously is going to come between Leinart and his offensive line. Then Lutui starts to laugh...

Also, Offensive line earns early kudos - East Valley Tribune

Cassel won’t pass on chance - Boston Herald
To Matt Cassel, training camp is no prelude and preseason games are no warm-up act.

This is the time for a backup quarterback to prove himself. Once the season starts, his practice reps will take a serious hit and his game snaps - barring a blowout or an injury - will become nonexistent.

So while some players work to survive this time of year, Cassel has to thrive, especially on days like yesterday, when starter Tom Brady was given a day to rest his arm and his backup was given all the first-team reps.

“It’s an opportunity for me to go out and showcase to the coaches that I’ve learned...

What does it take to win a Heisman? - Northwest Arkansas Times
...“The SID’s role is vastly overrated, ” said USC SID Tim Tessalone, who’s orchestrated the winning campaigns of Carson Palmer (’ 02 ), Matt Leinart (04 ) and Reggie Bush (05 ). “ Players perform and win the Heisman. We can only enhance that a little bit. Ultimately, it’s not us, it’s them.”...

...Prior to Carson Palmer winning the Heisman in 2002, USC had vigorously promoted its candidates during the preseason. A robust campaign preceded Charles White and Marcus Allen winning the Heisman in 1979 and 1981.

While they were highly touted during the run up to the season, Palmer wasn’t esteemed enough to merit a spot on the Trojan’s media guide. Safety Troy Polamalu graced the cover of the 2002 edition after Palmer had thrown more interceptions than touchdowns to go along with a 16-16 record during his first three years at USC...

2007 CFN Preseason Rankings - College Football News
...This is the best defense Pete Carroll has had at USC. The second-team linebacking unit would start at about 100 other places, while the starters from one to 11 are, at the very least, All-Pac 10 caliber. There are at least seven defenders worthy of All-America consideration, and enough talented depth to quickly step in if and when one of the future millionaires gets hurt. Offensively, John David Booty is now a crusty veteran after having been in the program, seemingly, since the John McKay days. The skill players might not be known names quite yet outside of recruiting circles, but if you're not a five-star running back or receiver prospect, you needn't apply for a spot on the two deep depth chart, and three deep in some cases. It's not a stretch by any means to consider this team the most talented, at least in terms of high school prospects, in the history of college football. At this point, around the country, other teams are comparing their star players by saying they likely could've played at USC...

Also, 2007 CFN All-Americans & Top Players - QBs - College Football News
2007 CFN All-Americans & Top Players - OTs - College Football News

[Maisel] Savory Southern fare highlights 2007 season cookbook - ESPN
...The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.

So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.

USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster...

...USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess...

[McGuire] Too good to be No. 2? - Albany Times-Union
In yet another rookie-on-rookie training camp battle last week, wide receiver Steve Smith made a sharp cut on corner Aaron Ross, quickly established inside position and began to pull away.

The pass went to the other side of the field.

On this play, Steve Smith was the other guy. Again.

Since earning playing time as a freshman at USC, Smith has always been the other guy, the complementary player -- the No. 2, just like the jersey number he wore for the Trojans...

...Smith was a second-round pick. C'mon: Steve Smith isn't even the best receiver in the NFL named Steve Smith...

Also, Steve Smith making big play at New York Giants training camp - AP via USA Today

Trojans enter camp as nation's No. 1 again - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
Here they go again. Wire to wire, anyone?

The USC Trojans managed to pull it off in 2004, ranking No. 1 from the start of practice to the end of the season. Then they missed by 19 seconds the next season when they tried to repeat, as Vince Young and Texas snatched the crown at the very end.

Now for the third time in four seasons, the Trojans get a chance to run the table as the nation's top-ranked team. But a lot can happen from the start of practice Monday to the BCS championship game Jan. 7 in New Orleans.

And much will take place on the road, with five of USC's six toughest games away from the Coliseum...

Also, USC freshmen to get a chance early - LA Daily News
Booty could engineer a happy 'dome-coming - LA Times
The search for answers begins - LA Times
USC: Just the right fit - OC Register
No sneaking up on anyone this year: Trojans No. 1 - Decatur Herald & Review
Booty carrying on USC's quarterback tradition - USA Today

[Boclair] Numbers don't tell story of Matthews - Murfreesboro Daily News-Journal
There was no real way to compare Bruce Matthews' career to that of any other offensive lineman in the league. After all, they don't keep track of how many times a guy correctly picked up a blitz or blocked multiple players on a single play or got lower than the opposing defensive lineman on a short-yardage or goal line play.

Yet, in the case of Matthews, one of six players enshrined (the first who played as a Tennessee Titan) Saturday, it was obvious that his career was beyond compare. And he actually has the numbers to prove it.

He played under six different head coaches and blocked for 27 different running backs...He started at least a season's worth of games at every position: 99 games at left guard, 87 at center, 67 at right guard, 22 at right tackle and 17 at left tackle...

Also, INSIDE THE SPEECH: Matthews - Canton Repository
Class worked just as hard in practice - Canton Repository
Matthews credits family, others for his success - Canton Repository
This night was just right - Canton Repository

Coaches tab USC as team to beat - USA Today via Asbury Park Press
...traditional powerhouses are prominently represented. The top four teams … No. 1 Southern California, No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Texas … each have a BCS title in the last four years. It's the third time USC has started No. 1 in the last four seasons.

USC received no votes lower than No. 3...

[Maisel] Sarkisian: Nice head start but early arrival no guarantee - ESPN
With the benefit of four years of hindsight, USC quarterback John David Booty can see the folly.

Never mind that the Trojans were coming off an Orange Bowl victory and a top-five finish. Never mind that the guy who won the job, a third-year sophomore by the name of Matt Leinart, would go on to win a Heisman Trophy. Or that another quarterback, Matt Cassel, would be drafted off the USC bench by the New England Patriots in 2005.

When Booty arrived in Los Angeles in January 2003 from Shreveport, La., fresh from the recruiting wars, he believed he could play right away...

[Celizik] Carroll could be the next Rockne - AP via MSNBC
When I think about Pete Carroll, the name that keeps jumping into my head is Knute Rockne. I keep telling myself that there have to be better analogies, and there probably are. But my brain won’t cooperate. It keeps whispering “Rockne.”

This isn’t an opinion based on careful analysis. It’s a gut feeling. If it were anything else, I’d flippantly fling it in the recycle bin and move on.

It shouldn’t be hard to do. Carroll isn’t anything like Rockne, college football’s first celebrity coach. Rockne was born in Norway and worked in the U.S. Post Office in Chicago before enrolling at Notre Dame. He was a star end at the age of 25 on the team that beat Army in 1913 and introduced the nation to the forward pass...

Also, [Video] Trojan Pride - MSNBC

USC: Leader of the Pac - Daily Californian
...“I think they should be in that league I was so successful in,” said new Arizona State head coach Dennis Erickson, referring to his unsuccessful stints as an NFL head coach...

“USC’s not only the best team in the country, but maybe the best team in the history of college football,” Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh said of USC’s 2007 squad.

While the new Cardinal head coach’s praise may be a bit overstated, there is no denying the fact that in many preseason polls, the Trojans are the top team in the country. USC is projected to be so good that it garnered only the third unanimous No. 1 conference ranking in the 46-year history of the media poll. The other two teams? The 2004 and 2005 Trojans which featured Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and LenDale White...

[Maisel] Carroll's coaching propels USC to top of decade ranking - ESPN
...Mix all of that together and it's a recipe for two consecutive national championships -- and a few seconds away from a third.

USC got off to a slow start in the last 10 years. Carroll didn't arrive until December 2000, and anyone who recalls that the coaches in the previous four years were Paul Hackett and John Robinson either is a diehard Trojan or needs a hobby.

The point is that you could make the case that USC didn't dominate the decade long enough to deserve to be No. 1...

...USC has been a member of the Pac-10 in its various forms since 1922. Over the last decade, however, the Trojans have been in a league of their own.

[Buchanan] No. 1 Southern California - Yahoo Sports
...Southern California doesn't have a 1,000-yard rusher returning, and no wide receiver on the roster managed even 30 catches in 2006. But the Trojans...aren't too concerned...

...Some believe the 2007 Southern Cal defense could be the best in school history. That seems like a stretch considering the defensive units that John McKay and John Robinson put on the field in the 1960s and 1970s. Yet, there is no debate that the Trojans defense should rank among the best...

...Assistant coaches keep coming and going, but Southern California keeps winning. In fact, the Trojans have posted at least 11 victories in five of their six seasons under Carroll, who has shown he can recruit and strategize with the best of them...

No. 1 Trojans' toughest test may be Pac-10 - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
...Outside the conference, USC enjoyed double-digit wins over Southeastern Conference West champ Arkansas (50-14), Notre Dame (44-24) and Michigan (32-18) in the Rose Bowl.

"That just goes to show how good the Pac-10 is," said Arizona State senior center Mike Pollak, despite LSU coach Les Miles' recent disparaging comments about the ease of USC's conference schedule.

Having faced LSU in 2005 (a 35-31 loss), Pollak said: "I would say USC is tougher (physically) than those guys."

But how much better will USC be against an encouraged and experienced Pac-10 that returns, according to Commissioner Tom Hansen, 165 starters?...

Also, Pac-10's assignment is to go the extra mile in '07 - LA Times
[Withers] Trojans' competition limited to rhetoric - Seattle Times
2007 CFN Pac 10 Preview - College Football News

As Usual, U.S.C. Is Loaded, but Now It’s on Defense - NY Times
...The Trojans enter this season with inexperienced receivers and tailbacks around the senior quarterback John David Booty, so the team’s identity, especially early on, will come from a defense that returns 10 starters...

...The most talent-rich position may be linebacker, where U.S.C. is so deep that a backup last year, Oscar Lua, was selected by New England in the seventh round of the N.F.L. draft. This year’s linebackers include three players in contention for the Bednarik Award, which is given to the top defensive player in college football. In Phil Steele’s positional rankings in his preseason magazine, he has outside linebackers Keith Rivers and Brian Cushing ranked as the No. 1 and No. 2 outside linebackers in the country and Ray Maualuga as the third-best middle linebacker...

Also, It's unanimous: USC favored in Pac-10 - LA Times
Pac-10 coaches come not to bury the Trojans but praise them - LA Times
The greatest ever? - OC Register
USC the unanimous pick - VC Star
USC is lauded as all-time best - Sac Bee
Trojans draw universal praise - Spokane Spokesman-Review
[Forde] Harbaugh declaration delivers Pac-10 jolt - ESPN

The mystery of the Olympic champion - Vancouver North Shore Outlook
While searching microfilmed newspapers for something else, I spotted a tiny item in The North Shore Press of Aug. 2, 1932.

It read, “When news came through from Los Angeles that Duncan MacNaughton...had carried off first honors in the high jump at the Olympic Games, congratulations...were forwarded to MacNaughton...

...He then enrolled at the University of Southern California, a fortunate choice. That’s where he met high jumper Bob Van Osdel who became a lifelong friend. And the proximity to the site of the Olympics became critical...

...After more than three hours, the competition was captured by McNaughton...when Osdel, who informally coached McNaughton at USC, suggested the Canadian concentrate on his kick. It worked...

Miles still talking Pac-10 as he prepares for SEC media day - Monroe News-Star
...LSU coach Les Miles, meanwhile, has been ridiculing the Pac-10's and USC's schedules compared to those of SEC teams. He will take the pulpit on Friday....

...Miles has said he'd love to meet USC for the BCS national title...

..."I would like nothing better than to play USC for the title," Miles said recently. "I can tell you they have a much easier road to travel. They're going to play real knockdown drag-outs with UCLA and Cal-Berkley, Stanford — some real juggernauts there. They've got it good out there. I would like that path for us. The SEC provides much stiffer competition."...

Pac-10 teams, though, routinely play better non-conference opponents than the SEC...

Also, USC's seniors back to handle "unfinished business" - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
Miles downplays USC comments - Baton Rouge Advocate
[Gimino] THE BATTLE FOR NO. 2 - Tucson Citizen

USC's Top 10 Athletes in Photos - CNNSI
1. Marcus Allen
2. OJ Simpson
3. Cheryl Miller
4. Matt Leinart
5. Reggie Bush
6. Stan Smith
7. Lisa Leslie
8. Carson Palmer
9. Lenny Krayzelburg
10. Mark McGwire

USC 2007 Preview - Athlon Sports
It is a measure of how far Pete Carroll has taken the USC program that an 11–2 season, highlighted by a victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl, was considered a disappointment by many of the Trojans’ boosters.

Now, the expectations at USC now are the BCS Championship Game or bust. Missing it for the first time in three years was difficult for Trojans fans to take...

...But Carroll — with 15 starters returning, including 10 on defense, and a banner recruiting class overflowing with blue-chip athletes — should have the Trojans right back in the thick of the BCS title race.

The key will be juicing up a running game that sputtered badly...

[Dwyre] He is in hog heaven at USC - LA Times
..."It just got to the point where I knew it wasn't going to work out there," Mustain says. "Not this year, not ever."

Now, he is a Trojan, bringing to mind the theory that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em...

...It also means that Pete Carroll, the father of mother-lodes, keeps the quarterback feast coming, even though, about this time next year, he could be in for a tough decision on his next Heisman Trophy candidate...

...when '08 arrives and it is Sanchez's time, there will be Mustain, with a pedigree...and one more year of eligibility than Sanchez.

As Dick Enberg would say, "Oh, my!"...

Looking ahead: USC TROJANS - Seattle P-I
...Guess what? The Trojans should be even better this season. The defense is already being touted as one of the best ever with 10 returning starters from the '06 team. (Three others also saw some starting action.)

The linebacking corps is just sick. Brian Cushing, Rey Maulauga and Keith Rivers? You've got to be kidding me...

...Don't think just because the middle of the field will be abuzz with activity that the other facets of the defense aren't stacked, as well...

...WHAT THE HUSKIES CAN EXPECT: I'm wondering when was the last time the Huskies got shut out at home… Nov. 6, 1976. Cal beat UW 7-0 in Don James' second year...

Still No. 1 - Tuscaloosa News
...last summer, as part of our countdown to the 2006 season, The Tuscaloosa News’ Best College Football Rankings attempted to measure the top programs in every imaginable way...

...Naturally, it created a stir, but provided fodder for attempting to answer the sport’s ultimate question: “Which school really has the best program?” or “Who’s No. 1?”

Last summer, our answer was Southern California...

...Rankings...Recruiting...Attendance...Pro potential...Academics...Bowl appearances....Associated Press national championships...The All-Time Associated Press Poll...College Football Hall of Fame inductees (players only)....Coaching legacy...

...So who’s No. 1?

Once again, it’s Southern California...

[Paris] Carroll swears there's no place like USC - NC Times
Fight on? There was plenty of that chatter Monday with USC coach Pete Carroll in town.

Dream on? That's Carroll's response to those speculating he'll someday return to the NFL.

"Please don't leave," a USC fan pleaded..."Don't go."

The charismatic Carroll chuckled.

"I'm not going anywhere,'' he said. "There is nothing better than being at USC."

Believe Carroll at your own risk...

When McNair makes pitch, USC gets catch - LA Times
Todd McNair is driving and talking and recruiting. He's always recruiting. Running backs, wide receivers, defensive backs. Even occasional doubters.

How in the world does USC, with a depth chart that wound up 10 deep — yep, that's 10 deep — at tailback, persuade high school All-American after high school All-American to sign with the school and believe, beyond a doubt, they'll play from the moment they step on the field?

"None of these guys are afraid of competition,"...

Ellis turns out to be just like Mike - Lindy's Sports
There was a feeling around USC that nobody would ever replace All-American nose tackle Mike Patterson, who now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. Patterson's quickness was his forte, confounding opposing centers and guards.

But if you ask USC coach Pete Carroll, there's been hardly any drop-off since Sedrick Ellis replaced Patterson. Ellis won the Morris Trophy last season, given to the Pac-10's top defensive lineman. The conference's offensive linemen voted on the award.

"He's simply a dominating player who gets past guys consistently with his quickness and speed," Carroll said. "He's one of the main reasons I'm so excited about this defense."...

[Dodd] McKnight's USC move leaves storm behind in Bayou - CBS Sportsline
...Joe McKnight is more than a traitor to those crazed LSU loyalists. Why John Curtis, McKnight's coach, was told he was "the most hated guy in the LSU community."

You can understand -- must understand -- because McKnight will never be Brock Berlin. Thank goodness. McKnight has more talent, more character, more of a future; the nation's best high school running back out of John Curtis Christian High School here in Jefferson Parish near New Orleans...and finally ended up signing ... with USC in February.

When McKnight went West, the reaction was swift and cruel...

...The recruiting hooks became the sunshine, USC's tradition and a desire to matriculate through the famed Annenberg School for Communication to become a broadcast journalist...

He's no mama's boy - Hamilton Spectator
Gotta pull for a linebacker who learned how not to pulverize ball carriers from his mother.

Gotta pull for a guy with the best nickname at Tiger-Cat training camp: Zeke (And Destroy) Moreno.

Gotta pull for a guy who is getting noticed as the possible answer to the Tiger-Cats' middle linebacker riddle.

That just might be Moreno, a 6-foot-2, 246-pound University of Southern California product who has played 61 NFL games...

...Moreno, 28, is also somewhat of a cultural pioneer. The Chula Vista Californian is one of the few Latinos to play pro ball...

No. 1: Trojans continue to be a BCS mainstay - Athlon Sports
How in the world does Pete Carroll continue to keep his team so stacked with talent year after year? How can the seven Parade All-America running backs at USC all believe they’re going to be the next star at Tailback U.? Why does quarterback Mark Sanchez, the 2004 Parade All-America Player of the Year, sit on the bench behind Matt Leinart and John David Booty — for three years? It’s the same story at just about every position on the team. If the Trojans lose a game this year, it’ll be their own fault.

With 15 starters back from last season, including 10 on defense, along with most of the top backups and another stellar recruiting class (they didn’t have a lot of scholarships to give this year, but the quality they reaped is ridiculously good), Carroll’s crew should roll from Sept. 1 through Dec. 1 and beyond...