Seantrel Henderson, the manchild tackle from Cretin-Derham Hall High in St. Paul, announced Wednesday that he planned to attend USC. But he has yet to sign his letter of intent.

Henderson will wait until USC appears before an NCAA infractions committee from Feb. 19-21. The school is under investigation for possible rules violations involving the football and basketball programs.

Henderson, who has yet to qualify academically, has until April 1 to sign his letter of intent.

Henderson follows the path blazed by Terrelle Pryor in 2008 and Bryce Brown in 2009. Pryor delayed his college choice in part to concentrate on helping his high school basketball team's quest for a Pennsylvania state championship. He waited until March 19 before announcing that he would sign with Ohio State.

Brown's recruitment was more complicated because it included Brian Butler, his controversial trainer and recruiting adviser. Brown announced for Tennessee on March 15.

The top offensive lineman prospect in the nation is coming to USC.

Seantrel Henderson chose the Trojans over Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida, Minnesota and Miami. Henderson is a 6’8 300 lb. offensive tackle and considered by many the top recruit in the country.

This year's offensive line class has many play makers. While USC grabbed highly touted lineman in their 2008 class, a couple were busts and now Khaled Holmes and Matt Kalil must be able to step up as it seems they will be starting next season.

USC suffered major blows at the linebacker position last year with the de-commits of Manti "I was a Trojan the day before signing day" Te'o and Vontaze "Best LB in the Pac-10 in 2010" Burfict.  They recovered with commitments of Jarvis Jones, Frankie Telfort, and Marquis Simmons only to later discover of Telfort's rare heart condition during practices and ultimately ruling out Telfort from future play.  The 2009 class somehow kept its anti-linebacker disease through the 2010 recruiting class.

Having said that, USC will have one of the best classes it will ever have... On the offensive side of the ball.

Lets take a look at our commits after the jump...

This year's offensive class is incredibly incredible.  It's filled with play-makers in nearly every position and can be quite a force in the seasons coming.  Lets take a look at these wonders: (NOTE: I hate the star system, but eff it, I'm going to implement my own star-system the way I want it to be.)

Already Enrolled:

Kyle Prater (WR)*****:

This player should be dubbed "The next #1" (He's wearing #85).  Make no mistake about it, Prater is a tall, lean, ball-catching machine.  At 6-5, Prater has the size and vertical jump to catch anything that is heaved at him.  His hands are freakishly large and catching one-hand grabs is not rare; Just check out this video.  He wont out-run you, but with the proper conditioning drills that he will do over the next seven months, you better pre-order your #85 jersey now because they will sell out.

Dillon Baxter (RB)*****:

A man among men. Dillon is an emotional leader and will rub some of it all to others.  Baxter opened his recruiting (as did most) when Carroll left the program, but a week later solidified his commitment to USC and enrolled on Monday.  His running back skills are as good as anyone's, but he can add a few more pounds.  He also played QB for his school and was excellent at the position, even out-performed other quarter-backs in the Army Bowl All-American practices.  Having said that, watch out for the wild-cat play.

Committed:

Robert Woods(WR)*****:

Woods and Prater are the top two wide-outs in the nation.  With Woods, you get speed and great ball- catching skills. Don't be fooled by his size (6-1, 185), his leaping ability will kill corners (40 inch vertical).  His route-running abilities is what breaks away from all the other wide-outs in the nation, he will confuse the heck out of corners and safeties. I project him to be RoJo 2.0.

Xavier Grimble(TE)*****:

Has the size (6-6, 245) to be a small lineman, just to athletic to be one, though.  Xavier Grimble has soft hands and will punish linebackers once he receives it. Top tight-end in the nation.

DJ Morgan(RB)*****:

Probably the fastest out of the bunch.  Morgan's juking abilities are un-matched.  He was invited to the Army All-American Bowl Game but could not participate as he had a devastating knee injury.  Once recovered, look for him to return punts and more.

Randall Telfer(TE)*****:

With Xavier being the most physical, Telfer is the most athletic.  Very tall and lean, Kiffin is going to be a very happy kid when he implements his top two tight-ends.

Jesse Scroggins(QB)*****:

The 6-2 quarter-back is known for his accuracy and athleticism.  What he's not know is his arm, but he proved everyone wrong when he showed scouts he could throw the ball 70 yards down the field.  No people, that was not a typo.  Matt Barkley may be the QB for now, but Lane's "clean slate" speech will bring Barkley the competition.

Giovanni Di Poalo(OT)*****:

Mid-size offensive lineman who has terrific blocking abilities on the running game.

Matt Darr (K)*****:

Punter who regularly kicks 50-yarders at ease.

DEFENSE:

George Uko( DT)*****:

A defensive tackle who will bull rush you with top effort.  Top three defensive-tackle in the nation. Watching Uko play is very similar to that of Sedrick Ellis.  He has terrific size and should see a great amount of playing time at the defensive tackle position. If only Uko played in the Stanford game...

Dion Bailey (DB)*****:

A real ball hawk.  Will have a field day when his time comes in the tampa 2.  He's a safety that lacks top-speed, but his strength will over power mid-sized receivers.

Demetrius Wright (S):

My favorite recruit of the class.  Wright showed everyone on national television that recruits should enroll at a school not for the coach, but for the school itself.  The day Carroll departed, Wright did not flinch and wanted to be a USC Trojan.  Has very similar skills and build like Bailey, but has more upside and a larger frame that may even put him as an outside linebacker.

Anthony Brown (ATH):

Position player who is able to do parts of everything. He is a great tackler, great ball catching ability, great speed, lacks size.

Dak Smith (DT):

An overweight lineman who will probably see playing time at goal line.  That's a compliment.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now for some rumors and visits from recruits:

Kiffin came to USC and quickly began his first mission, to have the best recruiting class in the nation.  He kept all but one of the recruits intact, which is an incredible feat, and him and coach Orgeron are on a tear.  Markeith Ambles (WR) visited USC last weekend and from the quotes I've read, he's all USC.  Why should you get excited? This per scouting Director Greg Biggins:

Honestly, I would put Prater, Woods, Ambles as the top receivers in the nation in that order.

Like I said before, this year's linebacker class is thin, but that wont stop Kiffin from getting top linebacker in California, Josh Shirley.  Kiffin told him he will put him at WILL, which is his natural position. Shirley had a great visit to USC and Kiffin had an in-home visit with Lane yesterday, which he said "went great".  Most of the top linebackers are in the East and we have virtually no shot at any of them. Christian Jones (Top 5 outside linebacker) was going to visit USC this weekend.  But it appears that he's going to cancel. He has FSU written all over him, though.

Top lineman Seantrel Henderson is getting blitzed by Kiffin and Orgeron.  Lane Kiffin is probably talking with him at his house as we speak as his in-home visit is today.  Most scouts say Ohio State is the leader, but in recent days, they get a feel that it is USC.  Baxter and Henderson are close friends,they met last at the player of the year award ceremony and were teammates at the Army Bowl Game. Henderson's father, Sean, even got to say that they hung out with Baxter's parents.Henderson is regarded as the best player this year.

Chaz Green is not far from Henderson.  The second best lineman in the nation has been recruited hard by Florida in recent days, but is visiting USC this weekend and has USC "high" on his list.  Fans worry that Green wont join USC because of Henderson. Henderson plays left tackle, Green plays right. Get that cleared people.  Arie Kouandijo is also a regular 4-star lineman that will visit USC this weekend, if only our coaches will be this focused on the linebacker position.

As if we're not already stacked in the safety position, USC offered scholarships and are currently recruiting Latwan Anderson (S, Ohio) and Eddrick Loften (S, Texas), and Demar Dorsey (S, Flo).  Latwan Anderson is a top-five player in the state of Ohio, regarded as the best defensive-back.  He is currently committed to West Virginia, but told sources that USC is his "dream school". Watch his video, you will wish he commits.  Loften is a hard hitting, ball hawk safety.  He was recruited by Willi Mack Garza.  Demar Dorsey is the fastest safety in the nation.  A ball hawk that was clocked at 4.32 on his 40.  Both will be visiting this weekend.

Second rated tight-end Christian Thomas (Cali.) will also be visiting this weekend.  He has high-interest in USC and participated in the Under Armour Bowl Game.  If USC gets his signature, USC will have the top tight ends in the nation.  Like I've said, best offensive class in the nation.

Corner-back Nickell Robey is getting serious looks from Monte Kiffin.  He will officially visit USC this weekend. Robey is the top corner for the state of Georgia, the school he is currently committed to.  The Atlanta Journal Constitution blog said he wont be committing to Georgia and is open-game.

The drama with Dietrich Riley continues.  He said he will make a decision after signing day.  He's a safety that has a wide frame to add muscle.  He isn't the fastest safety but a hard hitter and has higher upside than most safeties. It's a USC-UCLA battle for Riley. 

Sean Parker is the most physical safety in the nation that has high-interest in USC.  Only problem is that Michigan wont quit on Parker and that is the school most scouts think he's leaning on.  Michigan - SC battle.

More to come...

Today is not the day to use the word "seismic," but there aren't many adjective too strong for the shift in college football over the last three weeks. If you fell asleep on the night that Alabama beat Florida and Texas beat Nebraska to end an unusually uneventful regular season on Dec. 5, and didn't wake up to survey the landscape until sometime next August, you'd think almost 10 years had passed.

Since Christmas alone...

Urban Meyer suddenly retired, then un-retired despite legitimate health concerns that could keep him from returning to the sideline this fall; Mike Leach was suspended and then fired by Texas Tech for allegedly isolating Craig James' concussed son in not one but two separate enclosed spaces; Adam James subsequently released a creepy, dubious cell phone video from inside the infamous closet, and pass-happy Texas Tech hired a coach with an old school philosophy based on running and defense; Jim Leavitt was fired by South Florida for allegedly grabbing and slapping a player who later admitted to lying on his coaches behalf to save Leavitt's job, which Leavitt immediately demanded back; Pete Carroll abruptly resigned to follow his NFL dreams, just days before news emerged that major NCAA sanctions against the program he led for nine years could be mere months away; within a few hours, Carroll had been replaced at USC by the sport's biggest lightning rod, Lane Kiffin, whose departure nearly sparked riots in Tennessee, and who immediately set about reassembling the regime that oversaw the scandal that put the Trojans in the NCAA's crosshairs in the first place.

Somewhere along the way, Bobby Bowden coached his 417th and final game at Florida State, Ohio State ended a decade-long Big Ten losing streak in the Rose Bowl, Boise State completed an undefeated season and Alabama won a national championship in a game in which a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist was knocked out on his team's fifth offensive snap. Lately, that's what qualifies as mundane.

I hesitate to predict an end to the thunderclaps, with the Tennessee and South Florida jobs still open and three frantic weeks to go until recruits officially sign on to their respective schools, but it's certain already that the first season of the new decade will kick off with a landscape reminiscent of the flattened tress following the Tunguska Event. The reigning juggernauts on either coast, USC and Florida, will both be wracked by major attrition, uncertainty and, if Meyer fails to return, a potentially crippling regime change; their mantle of sustained dominance has apparently been assumed by Alabama. The two most unique and consistently entertaining coaches in the country, Pete Carroll and Mike Leach, each vacated his post under wildly different circumstances within days of one another. The most feted quarterbacks of the last three years, Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford, will be struggling for respect in the NFL. Notre Dame's latest (and most promising) reclamation project is underway. Boise freakin' State has a significant chance to open the 2010 season ranked in the top five, and to close it at No. 1. So does Oregon, which not that long ago would have seemed every bit as awkward in the frontrunner role as Boise.

Actually, the idea of a Ducks-Broncos rematch for the 2010 title would be all too appropriate: They kicked off last fall with the only moment of the regular season that matched the last few weeks for surprise and sheer unbelievability, and would make it abundantly clear to the world how thoroughly the old order has been overthrown. Maybe we're not there yet -- the other likely favorites will be more familiar powers Alabama and Ohio State -- but the changing of the calendar has done a remarkable job of reminding us to check our assumptions at the door.

Consider this: a down year for Notre Dame and Michigan is finishing 3-9. A down year for Pete Carroll's USC is finishing 9-4 and comfortably in the Top 25. If finishing 9-4 and remaining in the Top 25 is a down year for USC, I'll take it!

One man's trash is another man's treasure. To translate that, one bad season for USC is another team's dream season. This year the Temple Owls had their best season in 30 years. Guess what their record was? 9-4. Illinois had their miracle season in 2007 when they made it to the Rose Bowl (and was blown out by USC 49-17). Their record was also 9-4. And there are plenty of other teams, too many to count, who wish they finished 9-4.

You can see exclusive video highlight reels of two of the players who've indicated they may make their decisions today -- the talented wideout Chris Dunkley of Pahokee, Florida (almost surely SEC-bound, but said to be considering USC) and the beast linebacker Jordan Hicks of Lakota West, OH (who's deciding between USC, Alabama, Texas, Florida and Ohio State) -- after the jump.

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

BROOKLYN -- If Texas wins the national championship, are the Longhorns the team of the decade?

My answer is no.

A win in Pasadena will give UT two national championships this decade, a Fiesta Bowl and a Rose Bowl win for a perfect 4-0 mark in BCS games. The Longhorns won two Big 12 championships and regardless of the outcome of the title game, they'll finish the decade with eight Top 10 finishes.

With two great quarterbacks and loads of other NFL-caliber talent, Texas has won 110 games and is 7-2 in bowl games, including five straight wins. Certainly Texas has enjoyed a great run.

As the Tim Tebow era comes to a close in Gainesville, the Gators can boast a pretty strong resume as well. If the category was "The Team Of The Second Half Of The Decade," by all means, the Gators would get it.

Florida has won 99 games in the 2000s, two national championships and three SEC championships, all while playing in what has become in the last five years the sport's toughest conference. Florida is 3-0 in BCS games this decade, but 4-5 overall in bowl games.

The Gators have two 13-win seasons under their belt, and are a very impressive 47-7 in the last four years under coach Urban Meyer. Unlike Texas, Florida does have a Heisman Trophy winner in Tebow.

My team of the decade is USC. The Trojans won a national championship, shared one with LSU and almost won a third. They are difficult to beat in January, as evidenced by their 6-1 record in BCS bowl games this decade. Those six wins have come by an average margin of 22 points.

USC has won 101 games and is 14-4 vs. Top 10 teams. The Trojans won at least a share of seven consecutive PAC 10 championships, a streak that ended this season in what is a considered a terrible year in which they only won eight games.

With three Heisman Trophy winners just this decade, USC finished in the Top 10 seven times, and with Pete Carroll at the helm and Matt Barkley returning for his sophomore season, look for the Trojans to be a national title contender again next year.

TEAM BLUR
Note: Some players have the same jersey number, but won't be on the field at the same time.
No. Player Pos. Ht., Wt. School (State) College
1 Chris Dunkley WR 5-11, 170 Pahokee (Fla.) Undecided
1 Joshua Shaw CB 6-2, 181 Palmdale (Calif.) Florida
2 William Gholston DE 6-7, 250 Southeastern (Mich.) Michigan State
3 Kadron Boone WR 6-1, 197 Trinity Catholic (Fla.) Texas Tech
3 Lamarcus Joyner CB 5-8, 165 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) Undecided
4 Dietrich Riley S 6-1, 196 St. Francis (Calif.) Undecided
5 Michael Dyer RB 5-9, 200 Little Rock Christian (Ark.) Auburn
5 Cody Riggs CB 5-8, 154 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) Undecided
6 Jordon James RB 5-10, 188 Corona (Calif.) UCLA
7 Christian Jones OLB 6-4, 215 Lake Howell (Fla.) Undecided
7 Antonio Goodwin WR 6-1, 170 Booker T. Washington (Ga.) Auburn
9 Tai-ler Jones WR 6-0, 182 Gainesville (Ga.) Notre Dame
9 Alec Ogletree S 6-3, 214 Newnan (Ga.) Georgia
10 Demarco Cobbs WR 6-1, 200 Tulsa Central (Okla.) Texas
11 Shaun Lewis OLB 6-0, 197 Hightower (Texas) Oklahoma St.
11 Chase Rettig QB 6-3, 201 San Clemente (Calif.) Boston Coll.
12 Brandon Coleman WR 6-6, 200 Bishop McNamara (Md.) Undecided
14 Blake Bell QB 6-5, 212 Bishop Carroll (Kan.) Oklahoma
15 Jesse Scroggins QB 6-2, 189 Lakewood (Calif.) USC
17 Nick Dew S 6-2, 190 First Colonial (Va.) Virginia Tech
21 Ryan Ayers CB 5-10, 175 South Paulding (Ga.) Georgia Tech
21 Da'Rick Rogers WR 6-2, 205 Calhoun (Ga.) Georgia
22 Kip Smith K 6-0, 200 Legacy (Colo.) UCLA
43 Jackson Richards DE 6-4, 235 Carroll (Texas) Texas Tech
44 Konrad Zagzebski ILB 6-3, 220 D.C. Everest (Wis.) Wisconsin
48 Jeff Luc ILB 6-1, 241 Treasure Coast (Fla.) Undecided
51 Michael Taylor OLB 6-0, 193 Westlake (Ga.) Tennessee
52 Shane McDermott C 6-3, 265 Palm Beach (Fla.) Miami
55 Corey Lemonier DE 6-4, 221 Hialeah (Fla.) Undecided
56 James Kittredge DT 6-4, 250 Don Bosco (N.J.) Vanderbilt
56 Kolton Houston OG 6-5, 265 Buford (Ga.) Georgia
64 James Stone OG 6-5, 297 Maplewood (Tenn.) Undecided
68 James Hurst OT 6-5, 285 Plainfield (Ind.) North Carolina
70 Ja'Wuan James OT 6-6, 305 North Gwinnett (Ga.) Tennessee
71 Brent Benedict OT 6-5, 280 Bolles (Fla.) Georgia
72 Cam Feldt OT 6-5, 290 Pilot Point (Texas) Arkansas
73 Michael Thornton DT 6-1, 273 Stephenson (Ga.) Undecided
75 Chaz Green OT 6-5, 286 Tampa Catholic (Fla.) Undecided
76 Torrian Wilson OG 6-4, 300 Miami Northwestern (Fla.) Stanford
77 Louis Nix III DT 6-3, 318 Raines (Fla.) Notre Dame
80 Xavier Grimble TE 6-5, 241 Bishop Gorman (Nev.) USC
81 Dakota Mosley TE 6-4, 250 Little Rock Christian (Ark.) Auburn
88 Blake Barker TE 6-6, 238 B.B. & Nichols (Mass.) Harvard
90 George Uko DT 6-4, 299 Don Antonio Lugo (Calif.) Undecided
91 Bronson Kaufusi DE 6-8, 240 Timpview (Utah) BYU
93 Corey Miller DE 6-4, 231 James Byrnes (S.C.) Tennessee
95 Todd Chandler DT 6-1, 283 Miami Northwestern (Fla.) Miami

TEAM NITRO
Note: Some players have the same jersey number, but won't be on the field at the same time.
No. Player Pos. Ht., Wt. School (State) College
1 Aaron Benson OLB 6-2, 205 Cedar Hill (Texas) Texas
1 Justin Hunter WR 6-4, 172 Ocean Lakes (Va.) LSU
2 DeMarcus Milliner CB 6-0, 185 Stanhope Elmore (Ala.) Alabama
2 Mike Davis WR 6-0, 176 Skyline (Texas) LSU
4 Toney Hurd Jr. CB 5-9, 179 Thurgood Marshall (Texas) Notre Dame
4 Darius White WR 6-3, 195 Dunbar Senior (Texas) Undecided
5 Jonathan Dowling S 6-3, 180 Southeast (Fla.) Florida
5 Nick Montana QB 6-2, 177 Oaks Christian (Calif.) Washington
7 Demar Dorsey S 6-1, 180 Boyd Anderson (Fla.) Florida
7 Devin Gardner QB 6-4, 198 Inkster (Mich.) Michigan
8 Adrian White CB 5-11, 175 DeSoto (Texas) Texas
10 John Fulton CB 6-1, 180 Manning (S.C.) Undecided
10 James Louis WR 5-11, 180 Atlantic Community (Fla.) Ohio State
11 Solomon Patton WR 5-10, 175 Murphy (Ala.) Florida
14 Phillip Sims QB 6-1, 218 Oscar Frommel Smith (Va.) Alabama
15 LaDarius Owens DE 6-2, 225 Jess Lanier (Ala.) Auburn
15 Corey Brown WR 6-0, 171 Cardinal O'Hara (Pa.) Ohio State
18 Cody Parkey K 6-0, 190 Jupiter Community (Fla.) Auburn
19 Corey Nelson OLB 6-1, 195 Skyline (Texas) Texas A&M
23 Luke Muncie S 6-2, 200 Klein Oak (Texas) LSU
32 Jordan Hicks OLB 6-2, 210 Lakota West (Ohio) Undecided
32 Storm Johnson RB 5-11, 210 Loganville (Ga.) Miami
33 Leon Orr DT 6-5, 315 Gulf (Fla.) Florida
33 Mack Brown RB 5-11, 185 Martin Luther King (Ga.) Florida
35 Alfy Hill DE 6-4, 240 West Brunswick (N.C.) Alabama
40 Dakota Royer DE 6-3, 220 Manheim Central (Pa.) Penn State
41 V.J. Fehoko ILB 5-11, 210 Farrington (Hawaii) Undecided
41 Travis Dickson TE 6-3, 230 Ocean Springs (Miss.) LSU
45 Taylor Bible DT 6-3, 280 John H. Guyer (Texas) Texas
47 Dominique Easley DE 6-3, 260 Curtis (N.Y.) Penn State
50 Jake Holland ILB 6-1, 220 Pelham (Ala.) Auburn
54 Miles Dieffenbach C 6-5, 277 Fox Chapel (Pa.) Penn State
55 A.J. Cann OG 6-3, 260 Bamberg-Ehrhardt (S.C.) South Carolina
72 Luke Joeckel OT 6-6, 280 Arlington (Texas) Texas A&M
75 Evan Hailes DT 6-1, 315 Oscar Frommel Smith (Va.) Penn State
75 Evan Washington OT 6-6, 286 DeSoto (Texas) LSU
76 Eric Mack OG 6-4, 318 Calhoun County (S.C.) South Carolina
77 Ian Silberman OT 6-5, 256 Fleming Island (Fla.) Florida
79 Chad Lindsay OG 6-3, 307 The Woodlands (Texas) Alabama
82 Brian Vogler TE 6-6, 245 Brookstone (Ga.) Alabama
83 Adrian Hubbard DE 6-7, 227 Norcross (Ga.) Undecided
85 Ashton Dorsey DT 6-2, 275 John Tyler (Texas) Texas

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…