USC boasts the biggest BMOC, Matt Leinart

	USC students eat the famous bacon-wrapped hot dogs before the game, giving them energy to cheer throughout. Robert Beck/SI

AFTER 2 A.M.: Chanos. It's not the best Mexican food in LA, but it's the best you're going to get in the middle of the night around campus. Don't ask for the hours, because there are none -- they close down when things slow down, and they hardly do with oversized burritos going for just $3.

MUST-EAT: The famous bacon-wrapped hot dogs sold outside of the Coliseum are an institution around USC. The carts are often surrounded by a dozen people hoping to get a bite of the delectable dogs before the carts disappear once police come around patrolling the area for vendors without licenses. Breaking bread and the law never tasted so good.

DOSE OF CULTURE: Across the street from campus lies Exposition Park, which is home to the Natural History Museum of LA County, the California African-American Museum, the California Science Center, which houses the Aerospace Museum, and an Imax Theatre and the picturesque Rose Garden. Students of all ages and sizes could spend days at Exposition Park and not get tired of traveling through time and space.

RULE #86: Students like to shorten names of places in and around campus, so the 901 Club is known as the 9-0, the 24th St. Café is the 2-4, the 32nd St. Market is the 3-2, and so on.

MUSIC MUST-STOP: It may seem nerdy, but many students gather around the fences of Cromwell Track & Field Stadium during the late afternoon and listen to the raspy voice of legendary band director Dr. Arthur C. Bartner as he leads the Spirit of Troy, USC's Marching Band, through practice every day.

GETTING AROUND: There are school shuttles that take you around campus, but a car is more of a necessity than a luxury if you want to get around outside the friendly confines of USC.

TICKETMASTER: Tickets for football games used to be easy to get as most home games were half empty and tarps were places over entire sections of the Coliseum. Two national championships and over 30 straight wins later, students must enter lotteries for the privilege of buying tickets to games against teams like UCLA, Notre Dame and Cal. If you're down to spend well over face value you can try to find tickets on sites like stubhub.com and eBay, or you can try your luck with the dozens of scalpers lining the streets of Exposition and Martin Luther King Boulevard before the game.

ONLY AT USC: Heritage Hall. Step through the oversized glass doors of this historic brick-laced building and pay homage to the school's rich football tradition, with six Heisman trophies and 11 national championships on display. There is a good chance you'll run into a fair share of football players and coaches if you stop by during the afternoon, especially on Tuesdays when Pete Carroll and Matt Leinart conduct their weekly press conference.

PREGAME: Get your early-bird drink on at the 9--0 or at one of the houses on The Row before your start your own Trojan Walk. Start by walking past the Shrine Auditorium, home of award shows like the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys for past 50 years. Walk across the street to campus and pay respect to Tommy Trojan, who stands gallantly next to the Student Union. Join in the ceremonial kicking of the flag poles on campus, then cross the street to Exposition Park and pass through the beautiful Rose Garden and Science Center before finally arriving at the famed peristyles in front of the Coliseum, where tailgates abound. Simply showing a "Fight On!" victory sign is usually good for a few beers.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: UCLA Week prior to the big game on Dec. 3 at the Coliseum is one of the most exciting weeks of the year on campus. There is a constant buzz around school, with students hanging decapitated stuffed bears from their backpacks and wearing FUCLA shirts. Security guards stand vigil through the night defending Tommy Trojan, which is completely covered in duct tape during the week to prevent pesky Bruins from throwing powder-blue and yellow paint on the statue as they did years ago.

PACK YOUR: Alcohol-holding binoculars. After being the only school in the conference to serve alcohol at its home games for years, the Coliseum became a dry stadium on Saturdays this season. Most students have compensated by going at the beer pong extra hard before game time, but the old alcky binocs have also been a favorite in the student section.

RITE OF PASSAGE: Any student with a discretionary card, which is basically money on your student ID, must go down to the on-campus bar in the basement of the student union called Traditions, or "Tradys," and use up their "discresh" on pitchers of beer, tequila shots and car bombs. While you get hammered, say a toast to your parents, who think the money they put on the card is going to nutritious meals or books for your classes.

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