This is nothing new, but we came across these renderings on architectural firm RTKL's site.

RTKL made its name in sports by helping HOK Sport (now Populous) fit Camden Yards into inner-city Baltimore in the early 1990s, but since 1999 they've been cooking up the master plans behind LA LIVE, which reaches its completion in early 2010 with the opening of a 54-story building that houses a JW Marriott Hotel, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton Residences and a 14-screen Regal Cinemas.

Back to the LA Coliseum... besides the NFL logos we can't help but see how this would be a drastic improvement to our Trojan sanctuary.

First there is respect for the original structure. The oversize jumbotrons plopped atop the Peristyle have been removed and replaced with jumbotrons exhibiting a more modern screen. The Miller Lite game clock removed to bare the Olympic rings. AT&T, Muscle Milk, and other garbage banners hanging from the colonnade are non-existent.

The roof canopy can provide shade to those in the bleeders and channel the awesomeness that is the noise of 93,607 down onto the field. Works for those fuckers up in Oregon.

The luxury boxes, eh... it's not really college football. But Ohio State's Horseshoe is a magnificent stadium. And it has suites and does a great job of balancing the modern with the classical, specifically the outer facade with the modern interior. Additionally, luxury boxes could open the way to bring booze back to the Coliseum. There's already booze at events that rent out the space below the Peristyle and just like the Founders Room at Galen Center, money would buy access to influence. And everyone lucky enough to know someone could go there at halftime and get back under the influence.

One more image of the improved Coliseum after the jump.

The Trojans will have to survive a real house of hunts with a raucous Halloween night crowd, rain and wind in the 1st half and an Oregon team that is operating at the top of its game.

The fourth ranked Trojans have not left the state of Oregon with a victory since 2005 and will have to play together and disciplined in all phases of the game to for them to leave with a victory.

5 things to keep track of plus the obvious:

1- USC’s Defensive Line vs. Oregon’s Offensive Line: Oregon’s offensive line is fairly inexperienced and has yet to play a top tier defensive line. The Trojans must get penetration early and break-up Oregon’s offensive rhythm. The key to stopping any spread attack is linebackers being able to stay home and cause havoc on the short passing game and mis-directional running plays.

The emergence of the spread offense has led defensive coaches to really focus on it in the offseason and will see if that hard work pays off on Saturday.

2- Force Oregon into obvious passing situations: The Oregon offense is very potent when they are running the ball 2/3 of the time and not forced into throwing situations longer than 10 yards. Oregon only averages 157 yards passing a game. The hurry up aspect of Oregon’s offense is based on a solid running game where they like to hand it off or throw a pass behind the line of scrimmage 85% of the time.

Oregon prefers to throw the ball less than 20 times and Masoli is a weak mid to deep thrower under pressure. Evidence of that was clear in USC’s 44-10 victory over Oregon in the Coliseum last year.

Oregon tailback LaMichael James might be the second best back in the conference behind Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rogers. He is a great cut-back runner and has the ability to make a big gain at the blink of an eye. Containing James will be the key to forcing Oregon into 3rd and long situations.

(More of what to look for after the jump)

Jeff Fellenzer, a professor at USC's Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, sat down with Matt Barkley for a very candid Q & A session. Here is a link to that interview and two excerpts

Fellenzer: Have you experienced any special moments when your older teammates really showed faith in you as a leader?

Barkley: At Ohio State, right before we got the ball back for that fourth-quarter drive, [linebacker] Chris Galippo and [safety] Taylor Mays each came up to me at different times, saying, 'We're gonna get the ball back for you. We believe in you.' That was confirmation for me right there, getting all the guys in the mind-set that it doesn't matter who we are or what age we are, hey, we can do this. But I'll remember those two guys coming up and saying that stuff. That was pretty cool.

Fellenzer: What stands out among the things you've learned so far from Pete Carroll?

Barkley: I love everything he says and I try to apply everything, and even try to echo him in interviews . . . just because they're the right things to say. [Laugh] We have three rules: 'Be early' -- it can apply to everything, to class, to outside settings, but especially for football. It shows respect. 'Don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses,' from Coach [John] Wooden. These all can apply off the field, too. 'Protect the team.' It's simple, but it goes a long way. Also 'protect the ball' is a huge part of the philosophy. It's made me change for the better, just being mindful that if we have control of the ball, obviously they don't . . . and they can't score. That's been a huge thing. Competing is another central theme of the program. I've always been a competitor, but just to hear that reinforced every day, and to have the defense hearing it, too, so they're competing right back . . . it's making me a better player. Being even-keeled, not underestimating your opponents, treating them the same every week. I love all that stuff he says.

There is no goal that USC's Matt Barkley won't pursue [LAT]

Many fans immediately thought about 2005 when more time allowed the famous “Bush Push”. Would this be the same situation in reverse? Fortunately for the Trojans, the usually clutch Clausen threw his 4th straight incompletion inside the 10 yard line and the Trojans hung on to win 34-27.

After performing a pretty disciplined and dominating 3 quarters, the Trojans almost let it slip away in the 4th quarter. Fortunately the phenomenal effort of true Freshman Matt Barkley, who threw for 380 yards and 2 Touchdowns in leading the Trojans to a 34-14 lead was preserved despite untimely unsportsmanlike penalties and mental mistakes that helped Notre Dame score two consecutive touchdowns in the 4th quarter.

Thoughts on Barkley, Bates and McCoy after the jump…

Moment of truth for Weis, Clausen - Wetzel

Notre Dame's aim: Win USC game to regain name - Dodd

Notre Dame and QB Jimmy Clausen must rise to occasion against sixth-ranked USC- Weiss

As you can see everyone in the press is tired of ND getting smacked around year in and year out...They want to see a competitive game.

As noted in our post below this could be the make or break game for Weis. Win and the pressure could be off. Lose and who knows...Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick says a loss to USC doesn't mean the sky is falling. He might want to talk to the boosters and fans who pump a lot of money into ND's kitty.

Heck, even the LA press thinks the USC-Notre Dame rivalry should be back to old form. I don't know about that, old form wold be the teams trading victories that are close games. We haven't seen that in a few years now.

Now finally, after seven years of lopsided USC drubbings, Saturday's game between the two teams in South Bend has a chance to be good. Meaningful. And, um, competitive.

How can you tell?

The team's 4-1 records and national rankings are a good start. But there's more to it. A tension, a testiness. Competitive juices flowing that only really get moving when there's a real competition on the field.

Last year at the Coliseum, the teams fought on the field before the game.

Afterward, defensive tackle Fili Moala said, "They thought they were hyped and they weren't as hyped as us.

"It started in the tunnel. They started talking and we were talking. We bit before they did and their bite wasn't hard."

Shelburne is reaching here with the whole tone of her piece. Yeah ND is 4-1...those wins came against teams with losing records and Notre Dame's one win was against a Michigan team that is 4-2. UM has their issues as well but they are still 4-2.

The fact remains that Clausen will face the toughest defense he will see this season. USC hopes to shut down Clausen like they have in the past. That means containing WR Golden Tate and TE Kyle Rudolf. That also means that USC has to get pressure on Clausen and the ND refuses to get ‘Manhandled' no more...We'll see.

Maybe they will maybe they won't but they will be in for the fight of their lives...

Regardless, Pete Carroll continues to keep focused on the task at hand...

"You have to have a really over-arching plan," Carroll said. "You need to have a plan to handle the challenge of the transition. You can't deviate from that plan.

"You have to approach the job with a vision so that you're not going to a mystery place. You have to know where you're going, accept the challenges and take it all in stride."

The Trojans do better than just take things in stride. They take things on a dead run.

They replace a Heisman Trophy winner (quarterback Carson Palmer, 2002) with a Heisman Trophy winner (Matt Leinart, 2004), and then the next year had a third Heisman Trophy winner (Reggie Bush) at running back.

With Carroll in charge, the Trojans have had 53 NFL draft picks, 14 in the first round. In that same period, Notre Dame has had 35 players selected, and two — center Jeff Faine and quarterback Brady Quinn — in the first round.

During Holtz's 11-year regime, the Irish had 75 players chosen in the NFL draft, 12 in the first round. Receiver/kick returner Tim Brown was the only Heisman winner.

Carroll said a diligence to the execution of the grand plan keeps the program on track.

Another part of that Plan is reloading the talent pool. Much has been made of Pete Carroll not being able to get back to MNC game with all the talent he has amassed. But look at ND Weis continues to draw big time recruits but he does verry little with them...I will address this more in another post.

It all comes down to the quarterbacks. Jimmy Clausen is finally living up to expectations (hype?) and even though he is just a true freshman Barkley acts like an old rookie.

Nobody on the Southern Cal campus takes Barkley for granted.

He's led the Trojans to four victories. Their only loss, to Washington, came with Barkley sidelined with a shoulder injury.

He got that injury in the win at Ohio State. Though struggling with a bone bruise, Barkley completed three passes for 35 yards on a 14-play, 86-yard drive that ended with a game-winning TD run by Johnson and a conversion pass to Joe McKnight that made the final difference, 18-15.

That performance in a high-profile game served notice that this is no ordinary freshman at the controls.

"He really has something you're looking for," USC coach Pete Carroll said of Barkley. "The stuff that has really jumped out lately is that he anticipates so well, in throwing the football. He waits until guys get open. He understands the principles of guys getting open in the zone and man (defensive schemes). He throws the ball early.

"That's a tremendous asset, being able to get the ball to guys. It's an instinct he has."

"The one thing (Barkley) does very well is he knows who his playmakers are and he gets the ball in their hands," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said. "That is a good tact for a young quarterback to understand."

ESPN's Tood McSHay breaks down the QB's

CJ Gable injured his knee in practice yesterday but he will be available for the ND game.

ESPN debates USC vs. Notre Dame From ted Millers Blog...

A look at how prognosticators from around the country view this week's games.

Tim Sullivan, New York Post: Texas keeps plodding along. Oklahoma is 0-2 in its only true tests. Yes, Sam Bradford is back, but that's not enough for the Sooners. Take the Longhorns and give the points in the Red River Rivalry.

Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: Idaho can become bowl eligible with a victory against Hawaii. Don't worry about the points because the Vandals are going to cover with ease. In the Pacific 10, watch out for those Washington Huskies at Arizona State.

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Hlastradamus loves friendly Pete Carroll more than surly Charlie Weis, but business is business. Take Notre Dame and the points against USC.

Double D, Boston Herald: The conservative playcalling of Jim Tressel is to blame for Terrelle Pryor falling way short of expectations. Nonethless, Ohio State is overdue for an offensive explosion. Take the Buckeyes and lay the points at Purdue.

John Werner, Waco Tribune-Herald: Baylor's offense is still trying to find itself without Robert Griffin. Playing Iowa State should help. The Bears win, 27-24.

Chuck Carlton, Dallas Morning News: Texas Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield is mobile, just maybe not enough to avoid Ndamukong Suh. Nebraska wins, 41-36.

Phil Steele: The top 25 forecast calls for Virginia Tech to defeat Georgia Tech, 34-27. In Madison, look for Wisconsin to edge Iowa, 24-23.

College Injury Report: A look at who is hurt and who is healthy.

Get the latest college numbers from Doc's Sports. Also check Doc's for the latest NFL numbers.

For complete TV listings, check Matt Sarzyniak's Sports.

Visit the Wiz's Resources page for all your reference needs.

Browse more photos »

I hope everyone really enjoyed their bye week, but now it's time to focus.  Let's get a few particulars out of the way.

Current Weather Forecast for Saturday in beautiful South Bend, Indiana: 48 degrees and partly cloudy (expect this to change about a dozen times before kickoff)

Line: Southern Cal by somewhere between 8 and 11, depending on where you're looking.  I'm going to guess that ticks its way up to around thirteen or so by the end of the week.

Anticipation Level: 16 out of 10

As I wrote last week, this is the game that frames the last five games and the rest of the season.  Is Notre Dame a great team that was just finding its footing and got screw jobbed at Michigan, or is it an average, mediocre team that can't stand up against the elites of college football?  A close loss to Southern Cal isn't the end of the world, but a blowout loss would leave the taste in most Irish fans' mouth that this season is just like every other one after 2005.  A win?  A win and everything is roses and candy and puppies and sunshine for a week (until the inevitable letdown "HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!" loss to BC the next Saturday).  I want that win and that feeling like everything is right in the world.  I want to see everything about the team humbled - from the sunglasses-wearing band to Traveler to Carroll to Barkley. 

Can the Irish pull it off?  We'll get into this in more detail as the week goes on, but over the bye week I watched some of Southern Cal's games on the incredibly useful ESPN360.  A few quick observations from going through a couple of halves without too meticulous of scrutiny:

* Matt Barkley, as he comes across in interviews, is a cool customer.  He's not asked to do a whole lot in that offense yet, but the arm and confidence are there to be a great quarterback for a long time.  In the Ohio State game he was in an incredibly hostile environment but had the benefit of being in a very low scoring game, meaning the Trojans could always rely on their running game, even late in the fourth quarter.  If the Irish can get a lead and the crowd gets cooking..... maybe.  We'll see.  He looks a little like Dick Casablancas from Veronica Mars, so take from that what you will.

* Damian Williams is a beast, in the Mike Williams/Dwayne Jarrett mode of just eating defensive backs alive.  Packing the box and attempting to cover him on an island could result in a very, very long day.  He also is a huge threat on punt returns.

* Taylor Mays is some sort of human-velociraptor hybrid.  Against Cal he picked off a (horrible) Kevin Riley pass in the endzone on the first possession of the game and cut down Jahvid Best on a third and short pitch late in the second quarter.  He's everywhere you do not want him to be.

* Joe McKnight is very fast.  If the Irish don't improve at tackling very quickly - that's what bye weeks are for! - he's going to have a Reggie-in-2005 type day because he has the breakaway speed and shiftiness to go yard every time.  He's not the best back for a consistent pounding attack at this point in his career, which was where Stafon Johnson came in as a great complement to the rushing attack.  Johnson will miss this game as he continues to recover from that very scary weight lifting accident, so expect to mostly see McKnight and Allen Bradford.

* The Irish are going to have a difficult time just lining up and running at the Trojan front.  Look at this listing of tackles for loss, it is absurd.  I was avoiding watching the Washington game because I wasn't sure how much it was worth taking notes on a game where Barkley and Mays didn't play, but I think I'm going to have to to see how the Trojan defense handled the best quarterback on their schedule up until this point.  Kevin Riley played like he had a serious head injury for four quarters and there were tomes written about the poor offensive gameplan of Ohio State, but Locker put a nice little game together.  The Huskies only scored 16 points, but Locker was solid (21-of-35, 237 yards, no TD's, no picks).

* This is not a particularly disciplined Trojan team on offense.  They average eight penalties for seventy yards a game, they are 113th in the country in third down percentage, minus on turnover margin for the year and only average in the red zone.  If Notre Dame were to go into a sort of shell defense and make Southern Cal dink and dunk their way down the field and not score on big plays, I feel like there will be potential for some drive-halting mistakes by the freshman QB.  Possibly not, but there's potential.

* The Southern Cal offensive line is very good, and was blowing Ohio State off the ball by the fourth quarter.  It'll be imperative for the Irish offense to give their defense some time to rest and for the Irish defense to tackle, because if they don't, Barkley can just hang back and hand the ball off for an easy win.

* Despite the lop-sided nature of the final scores the last couple of seasons, the Irish defense has played pretty well.  In 2008 the Trojans really struggled to score until the Notre Dame defense was just too gassed due to offensive failure after offensive failure.  Even in 2007, the season of infinite sorrow, it was only a 7-0 game partway into the second quarter.  The defense has been fine, it's the offense that needs to avenge itself if Notre Dame wants to pull off the home upset.

Defense highlights:

History repeats itself for the Golden Bears; they enter the season with lots of hype, only to fold like a bad hand in poker. Time for them to enter hibernation!

Cal's Heisman hopeful tailback, Jahvid Bust, was held to a season-low 47 rushing yards against USC. Meanwhile Joe McKnight looked the best out there, rushing for 119 yards and two touchdowns.

Cal's quarterback, Kevin Riley, really outdid himself this time. Just when you thought his passing completion rate of 38.7% against Oregon could not get any worse, he sunk to a new low against the Trojans with a completion rate of 37.5%.

Sign up with BetUS... they've got our game.

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Penn State (-7) over Illinois

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Alabama (-17) over Kentucky

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Miami (+7) over Oklahoma

Illinois lost to Ohio State 30-0. And over 80% of people on Covers.com are taking Penn State. Florida drubbed Kentucky at Kentucky 41-7. Why should Alabama at Kentucky be any different? Miami is bad ass. Just go their website. Does that look and sound like a team that is going to lose to sissy ass Oklahoma sans Sam Bradford at Land Shark Stadium by more than a touchdown?

Staying away from USC because this Cal grad (Dr. Bob) is jinxing us (after the jump) and we think Barkley pulls out another barnburner that is closer than the spread.

"We definitely are working very hard to get him better, for him and for the rest of his fans," said Dr. Gudata Hinika, trauma director at California Hospital Medical Center. "So we expect him to be on the football field at some time."

The question is whether that's at USC or in the NFL -- university compliance officials said Johnson could successfully apply for a medical hardship that would grant him a fifth year with the Trojans in 2010, but an NFL scout told the L.A. Times the league has enough film and would only need to get a clean bill on Johnson's recovery. Observers around the program think he's a goner if he recuperates in time to go through pre-draft workouts.

• What's in the pot, Terp fans? Mmmm, head coach. The slow, almost imperceptible simmer under Ralph Friedgen's seat at Maryland the last two years is in full blaze after a 1-3 start that includes a futile blowout at California, a near-miss in overtime over I-AA James Madison, a second consecutive loss to Middle Tennessee State, a turnover-filled debacle at home against equally reeling Rutgers, and now an open inquiry into Friedgen's contract situation by the Washington Post:

But what is Maryland -- and more specifically [athletic director Debbie] Yow -- to do? Friedgen is owed about $4.5 million for the two remaining years on his contract. Regardless of how this season unfolds, buying Friedgen out of his remaining two years is considered unlikely, particularly given economic conditions.

When asked Tuesday if Friedgen would return as coach next season, Yow said: "I will evaluate the status of the program after we play the entire season, not now, with eight games remaining. My focus is on supporting the team and our coaching staff. That focus will continue [until] season's end."

"... at which point we break out the guillotine." Actually, Maryland is an unusual "hot seat" situation because of the clear succession plan from Friedgen to offensive coordinator James Franklin, who could move up somewhat seamlessly with a passing of the torch in place of a messy denouement. But never underestimate Friedgen's ability to pull his feet from the fire: The vultures were out last September, too, and the Terps recovered to win eight and were a touchdown against Boston College away from the championship game in the wide-open ACC. Who else you got in the Atlantic Division?

• Oklahoma! Where the coach plays coy with quarterback plans. Sam Bradford "looked good" again in his second day back at Oklahoma practice Tuesday, according to coach Bob Stoops, who still wouldn't give any indication about the Sooners' plans at quarterback Saturday night at Miami. Bradford has reportedly been splitting first-team snaps with Landry Jones, and Stoops indicated it might come down to a game-time decision against the 'Canes.

Stoops also tentatively suggested during his Tuesday press conference that the obscure NCAA rule keeping OU linebacker Mike Balogun off the field for his senior season "needs to be revisited," but played politician on the question ("It's your question, you're bringing it up, not me, and since you brought it up ...") rather than open up on a bogus clause with barrels blazing.

• The Pinstripe Bowl? Per a press release keep an eye out today for a "MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT" about the rumored bowl game at Yankee Stadium, reportedly featuring teams from the Big East and Big 12. The as-yet-untitled game (at last check, they were going with "Yankee Bowl") is gunning for 40,000 visitors beginning in 2010; a press conference with NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg and various Yankee bigwigs is scheduled for later this morning.

Quickly ... Oregon cornerback Walter Thurmond, a four-year starter, is out for the season with ACL, MCL and PCL tears in his right knee, ending his college career. ... Two Texas players, receiver Brandon Collins and safety Christian Scott, are academically ineligible for the rest of the season, but will continue in practice and should be back next year. ... Iowa State defensive end Rashawn Parker, a starter, is out for the season with an ACL tear. ... Iowa's All-Big Ten tackle, Bryan Bulaga, will be back on the line Saturday against Arkansas State after missing three games with a thyroid condition. ... With other high-profile quarterbacks going down all around him, Colt McCoy ain't afraid of no injuries. ... New Mexico's HR department is taking a closer look at Mike Locksley's pugilistic encounter with an assistant coach. ... Division II is moving away from Division I and toward Division III by cutting season lengths and practice times in a number of sports, including football. ... A business is Kansas was ordered to pay more than $600,000 in attorneys' fees and court costs for selling bootleg Jayhawk gear. ... The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal's story on Texas Tech's suspension of lineman/captain Brandon Carter drew 10 times the usual page views and comments. ... Video of the "hit" that got Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman suspended for next week's game with Indiana is up. ... And Joe Paterno is not interested in your local angles, Illinois reporters.

Today's game against Washington St. is the perfect medicine to try and get things back on track. But lets be honest here...The spread is 45+ plus points, WSU is still rebuilding even though they had an inspiring win last weekend. USC will not cover the spread but they don't have to. SC just needs to have a solid game tonight. They need to protect Matt Barkley, they need to protect the ball and they need to get the bad taste of last weeks loss out of their mouth. We have been down this road before...there is no difference between last week, OSU in 2008 and 'furd in 2007.

SC just needs to get back on their horse and ride...

So, lets start with some news about the defense specifically Taylor Mays. It was announced earlier this week that Mays would start this weekend.

[a] day after announcing that Barkley would start Saturday night against Washington State despite a sore shoulder, Coach Pete Carroll on Thursday made a similar call regarding Mays, who is recovering from a knee sprain.

"He's ready to go," Carroll said.

Mays, though, said it was "50-50," and that it might be a game-time decision.

"I think I'm going to play unless something goes wrong," he said.

Just another day with the 12th-ranked Trojans, who are trying to rebound from last week's 16-13 upset loss at Washington and the free-fall in the polls that followed.

Neither Barkley nor Mays played in the defeat at Seattle because of injuries suffered in USC's Sept. 12 victory at Ohio State.

Mays, wearing a brace on his right knee, participated in most drills Thursday after sitting out early in the week.

"I don't feel rusty at all," he said. "I actually feel good, feel refreshed. Like I had a bye week."

Of course there were some questioning this move because they thought Mays should sit out another week to get ready for Cal because they expect an easy win against WSU.

Again, I am not going to question the moves of the coaching staff...they have far more information and insight that any of us do. Mays at 50-50 is better than no Mays at all. Not having him on the field last week, especially on that last UW drive was telling as some of the new faces in the secondary who have moved up the depth chart are still feeling their way through.

The linebackers will see Jordan Campbell get his first start replacing the injured Malcom Smith...

Campbell, a third-year sophomore, said this week that he worked diligently to harness his desire to freelance on the field, a flaw that prevented coaches from trusting him to carry out assignments.

"When I first came in to USC, I'd see the ball and just want to go fly and make the play," he said. "You have to realize, at the end of the day, that you have to fall back sometimes.

"I learned to slow down."

Shane Horton will back up Campbell at the weakside spot.

Luthur Brown did not practice because of back soreness, and his status for Saturday's game is questionable, Carroll said.

Uh...Brown needs to sit for a bit after celebrating last weekend in the face of defeat. Spicer too. I just wanted to throw that in there.

Nick Perry who has been an absolute monster out there will start tonight. Perry is tied for the lead in sacks in the Pac-10 and is 7th nationally. That is impressive for a redshirt freshman!

I really can't complain about the defense. They have some injury issues in the secondary but the front seven has really played lights out. They got us into position to win in Columbus and they were asked to keep us in the game time and again in Seattle. Sure they were not able to stop that lst drive but you expect them to make every play.

- - -

As for the offense...

If Barkley is able to get the ball down the field look for a couple of new targets for him to throw to.

One is freshman wide receiver De'Von Flournoy...

De’Von Flournoy flashed big-time playmaking ability during training camp. Play-caller Jeremy Bates liked what he saw of Flournoy this week.

"He’s had a real good week," Bates said. "He had great one-on-ones (Tuesday), and he’s out there with the ones running some routes. We’re looking forward to getting him in."

Coach Pete Carroll recognizes Flournoy’s talent but still isn’t sure he knows the offense well enough to be a major contributor at this point. It isn’t for lack of trying, on both ends.

"We are really forcing it down his throat almost with everything that we can throw at him to get him ready and try to find a role that he can fit," Carroll said. "He’s a playmaker. We can already sense that in the work that he has given us. He’s just a long way behind, and he’s unsure of himself. You can’t play fast if you are unsure of yourself.

"The coaches are feeling better about him, and he has been studying like crazy. He stays out here late and all that stuff.

USC needs a deep speed threat with RoJo out. Ausberry is not the answer and it looks like that Travon Patterson is never going to see the field at this point in any significant capacity.

Another weapon we might see tonight is Cameron Jordan...

junior wide receiver Jordan Cameron (Newbury Park High) met with USC coach Pete Carroll this week to discuss his shrinking role with the Trojans. Cameron contended for the No. 3 wide receiver spot in training camp but did not even make the travel squad for last week's game at Washington.

"He's been quiet," Carroll said. "He's working hard and all. I said something in our staff meeting about him. We haven't dug very deep in our ranks."

Cameron said he was pleased with the meeting.

"(Carroll) said I'm close to getting on the field but I need to show more, make the right reads and block the right people," Cameron said.

"That's what he said and I have to believe him. He said every receiver should be talking to him because our passing game is not balanced with our running game."

We'll see...if Barkley can't throw it down field with any significant results it won't matter. Heck, I could suit up and be just a effective.

- - -

Gary Klein points out seven issues surrounding USC right now...

The Trojans, as they always do after stumbling against previously unranked conference opponents, are expected to rebound tonight with a victory over Washington State, a 45 1/2 -point underdog at the Coliseum.

Beyond that, the only thing that can be said with certainty about the Trojans is this: They have issues.

At least seven of them.

They might not show up against the undermanned Cougars, but they must be resolved before the Trojans head off to play October road games at California, Notre Dame and Oregon -- before this turns into possibly the worst season under Pete Carroll since the Trojans' 6-6 finish in 2001.

Not that USC's players, accustomed to 11- and 12-win seasons, can fathom that scenario.

Winning will cure some of these as it will build confidence..I am not really going to belabor the points that Klein points out.

The more important thing I need to see is how SC comes out after last weekends loss. Unfortunately they have been down this road before...

Any way we will see how it goes!

Here are some links...

Brad Budde: USC Offense Needs Identity –
Interesting take...

USC freshman transitions with playing career cut short - Rivals.com
Great article on Frankie!!

The Skinny: Efficiency and Improved Passing Game Key vs. Cougars - TrojanWire

USC Trojans can't afford loses as long as Pac-10 prejudice exists - George Schroeder - SI.com
I may look at this a little more later

I will have more later and a game thread up this evening...

Though the Cougars are coming off an exciting come from behind overtime win against SMU, they are limping into the Coliseum and will have a tough time putting up much of a fight against the Trojans.

The main goals for the Trojans are to work on eliminating crucial mental mistakes that plagued the team in Seattle (penalties and turnovers) and making progress in the passing game.

Six things to look for in the Coliseum on Saturday:

1-Dominant defensive performance: The Cougars started the season with the dubious distinction of having the least amount of talent in the Pac-10 and just three games into the season they are already down 4 starters on the offensive side of the ball. They have lost two starting offensive lineman, the #1 Wide Receiver left the team to focus on track and the starting Running Back injured his knee against SMU and is out for the year.

USC’s Defensive Line will absolutely dominate the line of scrimmage allowing them to pressure the QB while being able to drop the Linebackers into coverage. The Trojans should also be able to man-up the Wide Receivers in tight coverage allowing the Linebackers and Safeties to make plays on the ball. The Trojans should come up with at least 2 to 3 turnovers.

-What to look for offensively after the jump!

Despite an early touchdown drive where the offensive line opened up huge holes, the Trojans reverted back to the same recipe for disaster that annually costs them a game in Pac-10 play: Turnovers, Penalties and Questionable offensive play calls. It is very difficult to overcome these problems when you are playing the second of back-to-back road games and are without your starting QB Matt Barkley and All American Safety Taylor Mays.

The Trojans had the ball within or near the red zone six times and only walked away with 13 points and turned the ball over 3 times. They were a combined 0-11 on 3rd and 4th down and could only muster 110 yards passing, the lowest in the Pete Carroll era.

The offensive coaching staff botched an attempt to get a field goal off at the end of the first half by running the ball with no timeouts left and played not to lose at the end of the game instead of rolling Corp out and trying to attack the end zone.

(Potential offensive solutions after the jump)

The Trojans are playing the second of back-to-back road games and this game comes after a huge emotional win over Ohio State. The coaches and players have been battling a bit of the flu bug with McKnight missing the last two practices and the Trojans are most likely starting a new Quarterback this week and All-American Safety Taylor Mays is banged up.

Also, the Huskies are more talented than they get credit for and have possibly the most dynamic QB in the country in Junior Jake Locker. He is a step up from Ohio State coach Tyrelle Pryor. "Jake is one of the best players I've ever seen in this conference in all the years we've been here. He's the most extraordinary athlete at his position that we've seen. I saw that as a freshman. Said USC Head Coach Pete Carroll "So now with Sark's coaching and the scheme and everybody all pumped up around him, that makes him extremely dangerous."

Forget about last season's 0-12 record. Before Locker got hurt last year the Huskies were competitive (lost by 1 pt. to #15 BYU on a controversial celebration penalty) and the team gave up on lame duck coach Tyrone Willingham. Though Willingham was not the right coach for Washington, he did do a very good job of recruiting top skill position players.