ShareThisWell, well.The USC faithful can stop fretting the Oregon State loss, after all. Put down the chocolate comfort food and crawl out from underneath those baby blankies, folks. You're going to Miami! OK, it's not guaranteed. Just looking really, really good. The first BCS poll arrived this week and the Trojans debuted at No. 5, setting themselves up for a nice run to one of the top two spots and the Jan. 8 title game. USC will have to knock off its last six opponents, of course, all of who should be at least two-touchdown underdogs. And three of the four teams in front of the Trojans will have to do a face plant. But we have lots of faith in that. No. 1 Texas still has a pair of undefeated teams -- Oklahoma State and Texas Tech -- to play, and the Big 12 title game if it survives them. No. 2 Penn State has to win at Ohio State on Saturday for the first time since it became the 11th team in the Big Ten. No. 3 Alabama has to go to LSU, meet traditional rival Auburn and survive an SEC title game. No. 4 Oklahoma has the same cow-patty-strewn path to travel as Texas. Those are just the tough games. Everybody has their own Oregon State to negotiate, as well. History tells us that the top five will be scrambled eggs in the next seven weeks. USC only has to finish at 11-1, and celebrate as three of the top four in front of it trip, stumble and plummet. The Trojans aren't faring well with the BCS computers, but they have strength where they need it -- with the voters. USC's still-alive streak of 138 unanswered points over their past three games is the kind of catchy hook that impresses people more than machines."It's been a good run for our defense," said USC coach Pete Carroll earlier this week. "It's fun for the kids, fun for the coaches. That's a nice source of pride, putting a string like that together." A nice source of votes, too. As long as the Trojans comb their hair and brush their teeth the rest of the way, the ballot box won't fail them.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Trojans fans can make reservations for Miami
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