Los Angeles, CA (Best E Casino) - For the third time in the last four years, the USC Trojans enter a football season ranked atop the national polls. The top-ranked Trojans will begin defense of that lofty ranking when they welcome the Idaho Vandals to the L.A. Coliseum this weekend.

Pete Carroll's squad missed out on the national title game last year, but did capture its fifth consecutive Pac-10 title. The team went 11-2 overall and 7-2 in league play, edging out California for a Rose Bowl berth thanks to a 23-9 victory over the Golden Bears in mid-November. In all, the Trojans posted some huge wins, routing Arkansas, Cal and finally Notre Dame. The only losses on the year came against Oregon State (33-31) and at UCLA in the regular season finale (13-9). The Trojans rebounded nicely in the Rose Bowl however, knocking off Michigan, 32-18.

Dennis Erickson spent just one season at Idaho this time around and the result was a 4-8 overall record, including a 3-5 mark within the WAC. Robb Akey is now the head man in Moscow and the former Washington State assistant certainly has a big job ahead of him.

These two teams were former Pacific Coast Conference rivals, but it has been nearly 80 years since they have met on the gridiron. USC has won all seven previous matchups.

The Vandals struggled offensively in 2006, ranking 103rd nationally in scoring offense (16.9 ppg). Akey will be forced to start over under center, with freshman Nathan Enderle and senior Brian Nooy. Another freshman is likely to make his debut on the large stage in the Coliseum in RB Deonte Jackson, although the 5-8, 181-pounder isn't built for the long haul. That's where sophomore Jayson Bird (6-0, 221) comes into play. The WR positions are another issue, with Max Komar being the top returner with a mere 17 grabs for 313 yards a season ago. Lee Smith will also see the ball come his way and a lot is expected of freshman Eric Greenwood, who at 6-6, could be a viable threat in the red zone.

There is a little more stability on the defensive side of the ball, as nine starters return. Senior linebacker David Vobora finished 2006 as the team's leading tackler (134 stops), ranking second in the WAC. Fellow senior Brandon Ogletree will take some of the pressure off Vobora in the middle of the field. Senior cornerback Stanley Franks has asserted himself in the secondary as a leader and led the nation with 0.75 interceptions per game. His nine INTs were returned for a school-record 220 yards. Another DB of note is junior college transfers Breyon Williams, who could help solidify things in the secondary. Freshman Shiloh Keo started all 12 games for the team and came in second with 72 tackles at safety. He is poised for a solid sophomore season.

Changing of the guard is the norm at USC and this year will be no different. The good news is that this is an offense that resembles a vending machine. Take someone out of the lineup and there are plenty of options to fill the void. This season the team loses its top two receivers as Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith will now be catching passes in the NFL. There is no reason to worry though, as Heisman hopeful John David Booty will ultimately find other options in the passing game. In his first year as a starter, Booty threw for 3,347 yards and 29 touchdowns against just nine interceptions. Those number may be hard to match in 2007, but Booty won't be far off. Another norm at USC is big receivers and it looks to be the same way in 2007, with junior Patrick Turner (6-5, 220) and freshman David Ausberry (6-4, 225) on the outside. The backfield for USC lacks a legitimate game-breaker, but senior Chauncey Washington and sophomores C.J. Gables, Stafon Johnson and Allen Bradford provide options. Freshmen Joe McKnight is a wildcard here. The 6-0, 180- pounder has all the intangibles to be the next great runner in a Trojan uniform, but may need some time to emerge as a star.

It has been a while since the USC defense was the talk of the town, but that is what is happening this year. The Trojans return all 11 starters from last year's team which held opponents to just 15.2 ppg and 295.8 total ypg. The linebacking trio of Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga and Keith Rivers is as good as it gets on the national level. Rivers and Maualuga led the team with 85 and 78 tackles, respectively, while Cushing posted a team-best 13.5 TFLs with 4.5 sacks. In the trenches, the biggest returning starter is Sedrick Ellis (6-2, 305). Ellis collected 4.5 sacks a year ago, and is regarded as one of the nation's finest interior linemen. Senior end Lawrence Jackson is a steady performer and should provide constant pressure off the edge. Another freshman getting rave reviews is Everson Griffen (6-3, 265), who already has the body to get plenty of snaps along the defensive front. The secondary will feature some flexibility at cornerback with Josh Pinkard, Cary Harris and Terrell Thomas all worthy of starting, while Taylor Mays and Kevin Ellison will hold down the safety positions.