We told you last year to get used to these guys being number one. One season later, these Trojans only land one place away. Pete Carroll has too many things working for him, none less than SC’s top-rated recruiting efforts, now for two straight years. Watch for the QB change to possibly affect the Trojan’s offensive proceedings. But going from a Heisman winner to an unknown worked well as Carson Palmer vacated, so Leinart to Booty guarantees nothing, positive or negative. Booty’s numbers, in limited action, prove he is the shizz, but nothing reveals a QB’s true ability like a weekly starting nod. Look for him to soar if Bush and White return as the nation’s best RB tandem. Bush has laid claims that he will be back, but even without his RB-WR-PR-KR ability, Southern Cal has too/so many offensive weapons that Bush’ leaving wouldn’t detract from their scoring and ball-moving superiority. The team’s wealth at WR assures such, as does the limited turnover (and bulk of seniors/upperclassmen) on the line. The defense loses five starters, but healthy rotations mean many new faces won’t be green as they hit the ground running. The front seven, which struggled at times in ’05, will only get stronger. The secondary has the most potential for drop-off. Second half pass defense numbers make up for some marginal first and second quarters. Therefore, to be on the same level as they have over these last three years, the men from Troy will have to give 60 full minutes, or else they will likely again allow opponents close to a 40% third-down conversion rate. That, plus allowing squads like Arizona and Washington to hang in until the third, makes for a bad BCS precursor. But, hey, this is USC, and they can just as soon out-score an opponent to compensate for any shortcomings. Oregon, Cal and Notre Dame come into the Coliseum consecutively in November, and the ender with UCLA is only a cross-town trip. No home-and-home with Fresno must bring sighs to Trojan faithful. If they just don’t let past success go to their head(s), USC is a sure player in the title hunt.