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LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- In recent years, the non-conference portion of the Kansas State schedule consisted of schools such as Ball State, Temple and Indiana State. The 11th-ranked Wildcats will raise the bar in 2001, opening their season with a difficult game at Southern California. The upgrade in opponents will come in handy considering the Bowl Championship Series now puts greater weight on strength of schedule. A win over the Trojans, who already seem noticeably improved under Pete Carroll, could come help Kansas State later in the season. Sultan McCullough rushed for three touchdowns and a career-high 172 yards as the Trojans held off stubborn San Jose State, 21-10, last week. Carroll, the former coach of the New England Patriots, replaced Paul Hackett, who was fired after the Trojans finished last in the Pac-10 Conference for the first time in school history. USC will need a consistent performance from Carson Palmer, a highly touted quarterback who regressed last season. He was respectable last week, completing 21-of-28 for 213 yards with an interception. This season, Palmer is working under offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who worked wonders last season at North Carolina State after 27 years at Brigham Young. At Kansas State, coach Bill Snyder waited until this week to name Ell Roberson over Marc Dunn as his starting quarterback. The fan favorite is Roberson, who has excellent option skills. The Wildcats have won 11 games each of the last four seasons and return star receiver Aaron Lockett, who caught 36 passes last season. Kansas State and Florida State are the only schools to win at least 11 games every year since 1997. "The Kansas State game is a tremendous challenge for us," Carroll said. "They are a program that has leaped into the forefront of college football year in and year out." Carroll is facing a tough schedule that includes seven teams that played in bowls last season. Saturday marks the first meeting between the schools. Prior to Saturday's game, a bronze plaque of John McKay will be unveiled at Los Angeles Coliseum. McKay, who guided the Trojans to four national titles, died this summer.
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