Final draft [ESPN Insider]

Four former Trojans—linebacker Junior Seau and quarterback Matt Cassel of the New England Patriots and wide receiver Steve Smith and defensive tackle Manuel Wright of the New York Giants—have made it to Super Bowl XLII on Sunday, Feb. 3, in Glendale, Ariz… continue

No matter what happens in two weeks, the Trojan Family will add some Super Bowl rings to the collection. Here's how USC alums fared in this weekend's NFL conference championships:

Steve Smith (WR - New York Giants) made two caches, of 14 and 11 yards, in a 23-20 OT victory in Green Bay.

Junior Seau (LB - New England) had six tackles and made the Pat's only sack in a 21-12 win over San Diego.

Matt Cassell (QB - New England) didn't take a snap against New York, but will back-up Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. He may become the first person to ever win a college national championship ring with an undefeated season AND a Super Bowl ring with an undefeated season (we haven't double-checked the undefeated Dolphin's roster, though). He already holds the rare distinction of backing up two Heisman Trophy winners (Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart) and an NFL MVP (Tom Brady).

Norv Turner (Coach - San Diego) heads home after the Bolts ended a second straight season with a loss to the Patriots. Turner, in his first year in San Diego, oversaw an impressive turnaround that took the Chargers from 1-3 to 11-5. Including the post-season, they rode an 8-game winning streak into New England. To see how Turner's popularity changed throughout the season, click here.

Reserves Oscar Lua (LB - New England) and Manuel Wright (DT - New York) will probably enjoy a view of the Super Bowl from the sidelines.

Despite his game, Steve Smith's talent was often over-shadowed at USC. At six-feet tall, Smith was smaller, quieter and often less flashy than his counterpart, Dwayne Jarrett. Smith, the steady clutch-receiver, would often get burried behind Jarret's highlight reel plays. Still, everyone who saw Steve Smith play knew he was a true baller. And as Jenny Vrentas, staff writer for the Star-Ledger, reports in her article Smith Makes the Big Leap, Smith's teammates on the Super Bowl-hopeful New York Giants are starting to take notice.

There was a point in late October when Giants wide receiver Steve Smith just wanted to put his rookie season to rest. It was the week before the team's game in London, and he had just returned to practice after breaking his scapula in Week 2 -- only to promptly pull a hamstring.

"I was talking to the trainer, and I was like, 'Man, just put me on IR, I'll come in next year,'" Smith remembered yesterday. "I'm really happy they kept me focused, they kept me going."

From an AP report on yesterday's Nets-Blazers game:

The loudest cheer of night went to Giants wide receiver Steve Smith when the scoreboard showed him in the stands for the game.

Smith, a USC alum, has been performing well after returning from injury. His New York Giants will face Green Bay this week to decide the NFC's representative in the Super Bowl.

According to a forum on WeAreSC.com, Smith was wearing a Trojan hoodie and sitting next to former teammate LenDale White.

White has his first 1,000 yard rushing season this year for the Tennessee Titans, who announced today that offensive coordinator Norm Chow has been fired. Chow's name had been circulated last week in connection with the Hawaii job.

He's back, healthy and making a name for himself at the next level. Three weeks ago, the rookie Smith hauled in a few impressive passes in the regular season closer against the Patriots. Last weekend he did it again, to help Eli Manning and his New York Giants beat Tampa Bay and move past the wildcard stage of the NFL playoffs. In Sunday's playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys, the former USC receiver put it in gear catching a key pass on third-and-six midway through the third quarter, to keep Manning's scoring drive alive.

Steve Smith caught four passes for 48 yards in the Giants 21-17 victory over the Cowboys, moving the team within one game of the Super Bowl.

Sammy Knight (S - Jacksonville) had his busiest game of the year with 13 tackles (10 solo), one of which was for a loss. The Jags beat the Steelers 31-29.

Lofa Tatupu (LB - Seattle) made 12 tackles (6 solo) in a 35-14 victory over Washington.

Steve Smith (WR - New York Giants) caught the ball 3 times for 29 yards. One catch was a clutch 21-yarder on third down during a 2nd quarter touchdown drive. The Giants beat the Bucs 24-14.

LenDale White (RB - Tennessee) had a big first half, but eventually an injury-depleted Titans team fell to San Diego 17-6. White had 69 yards on 19 carries and lost 3 on a reception.

Brian Kelly (CB - Tampa Bay) made 3 tackles in the loss to the Giants.

Troy Polamalu (S - Pittsubrgh) tried to play despite a knee injury. He had two tackles (assisted) in the loss to Jacksonville.

Carson Palmer (QB - Cincinnati) didn't make the playoffs, but he is making waves.

Coaches Corner: A big share of the NFL's post-season brain trust has ties to USC. Former Trojan players Mike Holmgren (Seattle Seahawks) and Jack Del Rio (Jacksonville Jaguars) both coached their teams to victory this weekend, as did former Trojan assistant coach Norv Turner (San Diego Chargers).

Former USC assistant coach Joe Gibbs' Washington Redskins are headed home after their loss. Former player Jeff Fisher's Tennessee Titans are headed home, too, but Norm Chow was reportedly recommended by outgoing Hawaii head coach June Jones as a possible replacement (thanks to Gerrrg for the tip). Chow, of course, was Offense Coordinator at USC before taking over the role in Tennessee.

Justin Fargas (RB - Oakland) ran the rock 26 times for 89 yards and a score along with a seven yard reception. He now has 1,009 yard on the ground this season, marking a major milestone for the Encino native. Unfortunately, he left in the 4th quarter with a sprained right MCL. The Raiders fell 21-14 to Indianapolis.

Carson Palmer (QB - Cincinnati) was 19-of-31 for 251 yards in a 20-13 loss to San Francisco. He completed his first touchdown pass in three weeks, giving him 100 on his career. He's the fifth fastest NFL quarterback to reach that plateau.

Troy Polamalu (S - Pittsburgh) made ten tackles in a his first game back from injury. The Steelers fell to Jacksonville 29-22.

LenDale White (RB - Tennessee) was playing through pain, but ran for 93 yards on 24 carries. He also had a catch for no gain in a 26-17 victory over Kansas City. With two games to go, he just needs 40 yards to break the 1,000 mark.

Junior Seau (LB - New England) had nine tackles and two sacks in a 20-10 win over the Jets.

Sammy Knight (S - Jacksonville) made seven tackles (one for a loss) in the Jaguar's loss.

Lofa Tatupu (LB - Seattle) made seven tackles in a 13-10 loss to Carolina.

Billy Miller (TE - New Orleans) had three receptions for 39 yards in 31-24 victory over Arizona.

Steve Smith (WR - New York Giants) was active for the first time since week two and had an 8 yard catch in a 22-10 loss to Washington.

Chris McFoy (WR - Oakland) was promoted from the practice squad but didn't have any catches in the loss to the Colts.

Shaun Cody (DT - Detroit) made a tackle behind the line of scrimmage, but his Lions were thumped 51-14 by San Diego.

Mike Patterson (DT - Philadelphia) had one tackle in a 10-6 victory over Dallas.

Willie McGinest (LB - Cleveland) made a tackle in an 8-0 loss to Buffalo.

Also Played: Dominique Byrd (TE - St. Louis), Brian Kelly (CB - Tampa Bay), Manuel Wright (DT - New York Giants).

Monday Night Football: Kenechi Udeze and the Vikings are taking on Chicago.

From Scott Wolf @ DailyNews.com:

USC coach Tim Floyd said he met with guards O.J. Mayo and Daniel Hackett over the weekend after multiple sources told the Daily News Mayo punched Hackett during a pickup game last month.

"I brought O.J. into my office and asked him about it and I also spoke to Daniel," Floyd said. "They said it wasn't true."    

Hackett said Mayo accidentally threw an elbow after a rebound. Hackett broke his jaw during the incident, and it will be wired shut for at least four more weeks.

Although the incident occurred Sept. 28, Floyd has been out of town for several weeks and did not speak to Mayo about it until Sunday. Several sources, including a member of the basketball team, said Mayo punched Hackett during the game. No coaches were present.

"Yeah, he punched him," a player said. "They changed the story for the media."

I'm actually surprised it took Scott this long to get the story out.  A few weeks ago I received word that O.J.'s inadvertent elbow might have actually been a punch.  The tip came from a guy who's good friends with Daniel, so I considered the possibility of it being true.  Then yesterday there was a quote from Kevin Love, who's always been supportive of O.J., in a Sportsline.com article:

"An elbow? Yeah, right," said UCLA's Kevin Love when the subject came up at the Bruins' media day. "Dan's a good friend of mine, too. I'm never going to lay a hand or lay a fist or elbow on a teammate like that."

I don't know what actually went down, but I will say that if the rumors are true, Daniel is one hell of a teammate.  The media will obviously run with this given O.J.'s history, but these things happen every season (e.g. Steve Smith/D. Byrd, D. Hackett/Dwight Lewis, E. Griffen/Kyle Moore, etc.).  Boys will be boys and things will be back to normal once the season starts.

With the NFL season only a few days from kicking off, several Trojan rookies have officially made their team’s roster, and many have already begun to make an impact. The Giants’ Steve Smith, who was selected in the second round, is the backup wide receiver behind Amani Toomer going into Sunday night’s opener. He moved ahead of veteran Sinorice Moss during the preseason… continue

Charles Krupa/The Associated Press. As part of rookie hazing, the Patriots' Zach West, left, and Oscar Lua had their hair buzzed by veterans...

The game is bigger, faster and harder. With a whole new team and a whole new play-book, the incoming Trojan rookies are showing their youth when it comes to the NFL learning curve.

Inside: A player by player look at the Trojan rookies in the NFL.