Power Rankings

Carroll works magic at USC, has Trojans up to No. 3

By Stewart Mandel, SI.com

Pete Carroll's Trojans rolled into Auburn and emerged unscathed. AP

There's a truly remarkable story taking place in California that has nothing to do with Arnold Schwarzenegger or Gary Coleman.

In just over two years' time, Pete Carroll has reversed years of football mediocrity at USC. And it's not enough that the Trojans are back to being contenders in the Pac-10. Following their stunning season-opening blanking of a top 10 Auburn team, the Trojans have put themselves in position to chase that elusive West Coast national title.

Plenty of Pac-10 teams have had their moments in the sun over the past decade -- 1996 Arizona State, 1998 UCLA, 2001 Oregon, etc. -- but none were truly taken seriously by the rest of the country. That's not going to be the case with these Trojans, who have erased any doubts whether a Pac-10 team can be physical and play defense. Since the beginning of last year, they've beaten upper-echelon teams from the Big Ten (Iowa), Big 12 (Colorado) and SEC (Auburn).

USC's biggest enemy, though, is once again its schedule. Following home games against BYU and Hawaii, the Trojans open league play with consecutive road trips to Cal and Arizona State, then, after a one-week breather vs. Stanford, travel to Notre Dame and Washington. Yikes. If the Trojans can make it through that, though, the BCS is going to love them.

NCAA Football Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 Ohio St. Buckeyes (1-0) The 2003 edition of the Buckeyes looked pretty much as envisioned against Washington -- that is, more balanced on offense, still dominant on defense and beaming with confidence bred from a national championship. Next game: Saturday vs. San Diego State. 2 2 Oklahoma Sooners (1-0) Facing a legitimately tough North Texas defense, Jason White showed us exactly what we were hoping to see, which is a poised quarterback capable of hurting you through the air. OU's defense wasn't too shabby either. Next game: Saturday at Alabama. 3 10 USC Trojans (1-0) See, this is how it works. After an entire offseason of inexplicably loading up Auburn's bandwagon, we in the media will now spend the next few weeks pumping up USC's expectations to unattainable proportions. Next game: Saturday vs. BYU. 4 3 Virginia Tech Hokies (1-0) Frank Beamer's most talented team yet may be the antithesis of BeamerBall. The Hokies burned UCF with an army of playmakers -- Bryan Randall, Kevin Jones, Ernest Wilford, DeAngelo Hall -- but defensively looked a bit soft. Next game: Saturday vs. James Madison. 5 4 Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes (1-0) Would any other team in the country come away from a 48-9 victory with question marks? The Hurricanes looked great on defense, Frank Gore ran well, yet Brock Berlin's performance was a tad too ordinary for some tastes. Next game: Saturday vs. Florida. 6 5 Texas Longhorns (1-0) Hopefully this will be the last time all season a team slips a spot after a 66-7 victory, because there was really nothing to dislike about Chance Mock's debut, Roy Williams' heroics or Selvin Young's two return touchdowns. Next game: Sept. 13 vs. Arkansas. 7 6 Kansas St. Wildcats (2-0) It didn't seem possible, but Ell Roberson has taken his game to another level. The Wildcats will eventually play some opponents, however, where they can't afford to lose Darren Sproles for three quarters. Next game: Saturday vs. McNeese State. 8 7 Michigan Wolverines (1-0) One can't help but get the feeling that after two rather mundane years, the Wolverines' offense is ready to pour it on this season. When Chris Perry is running like he did Saturday, it makes John Navarre a lot more dangerous. Next game: Saturday vs. Houston. 9 8 North Carolina St. Wolfpack (1-0) It was worth the wait. His Wolfpack debut delayed two years by an administrative eligibility error, stud receiver Tramian Hall caught seven passes for 97 yards and a touchdown and returned a punt 67 yards for another. Next game: Saturday at Wake Forest. 10 12 Georgia Bulldogs (1-0) Is there a hotter defensive coordinator out there than Bryan Van Gorder? With a patchwork lineup -- albeit one that includes David Pollack -- the Dogs held Clemson to 199 yards of offense in completing the shutout. Next game: Saturday vs. Middle Tennessee. 11 13 Florida St. Seminoles (1-0) Bobby Bowden hopes the ?Noles have come full circle. Two years after a 41-9 defeat that first exposed chinks in the armor, FSU returned to Chapel Hill and delivered the kind of knockout that used to be routine. Next game: Saturday vs. Maryland. 12 11 Pittsburgh Panthers (0-0) A lot of great receivers ? Roy Williams, Mike Williams, Michael Clayton, Ernest Wilford -- put on a show this weekend, but don't forget about Larry Fitzgerald, who's right up there with the best of them. First game: Saturday vs. Kent State. 13 15 Tennessee Volunteers (1-0) Hard to say which was more encouraging coming off 8-5: a running game that showed renewed vigor against Fresno State, racking up 274 yards, or a restocked defense that held the normally high-powered Bulldogs to 119 yards. Next game: Saturday vs. Marshall. 14 -- LSU Tigers (1-0) His durability will always remain a question, but there's no doubt how good the Tigers' offense looks with Matt Mauck under center. His mobility always makes him a threat to run, and he's lethal with the deep ball. Next game: Saturday at Arizona. 15 16 Virginia Cavaliers (1-0) While an entire fan base waits with bated breath on the status of injured quarterback Matt Schaub, don't forget that the Cavs have a fantastic defense that could carry the team for a while if necessary. Next game: Saturday at South Carolina. 16 -- Wisconsin Badgers (1-0) This has the potential to be a very good team, though one that shot itself in the foot several times in nearly falling to West Virginia. Barry Alvarez has never had so many weapons to choose from on offense. Next game: Saturday vs. Akron.

Dropped out: Auburn, Maryland