The makers of these odds have clearly taken the “Stun Factor” into consideration. That’s my coinage for the strange spell that settles on USC’s early-season, non-conference opponents. It explains why quality teams with terrific athletes come into these September epics looking to make a statement, but end up looking like dynamited fish, belly-up and wondering what concussive force just rocked their world in yet another Trojans rout.

A brief history of the Stun Factor: In 2003, the Trojans dispensed with Auburn, BYU and Hawaii by the combined score of 109-50. A year later, Va. Tech, Colorado St. and BYU were outscored by the men of Troy, 115-23.

And then things got really ugly for ‘SC’s early-season cultural-exchange partners. Recall the Leinart, Bush and White-led vivisections of Hawaii (63-17) and Arkansas (70-17) in ’05. So morale-killing was the latter beatdown that it was likened by Reggie Herring, then the Razorbacks’ defensive coordinator, to “having your dog run over, your wife left you and your house burned down.” So when the Trojans hung only half a hundred on Herring & Co. the following season, Arkansas’ sports info office celebrated the “vast improvement” of the defense, which had yielded a stingy 472 total yards (down from 736!) If only Arkansas had played the Trojans a couple more times, the Hogs would’ve held them to negative yardage!

Then he offers a plausible explanation for why SC has performed so well against early-season opponents—and why they’ve stumbled against lesser foes.

What Small didn’t discern, and I don’t blame him, was the method to this madness. In the end, says Carroll, the ritual is about trust. “The preparation [for the upcoming opponent] is done. We want them to trust that everything’s OK, that we got everything right. There’s no need to be all uptight or afraid of making mistakes, cause that part’s done. Now it’s time to go out, relax, have a little fun, play a little Trojanball.”

This explains, for me, why the Trojans under Carroll have been so adept at taking the pressure that attends huge games, national games, and making it their ally. The bigger the stage, the better they play.

Their problem is the converse: The smaller the stage, the greater the likelihood that the Trojans get caught sleepwalking, as happened against Oregon St. in ’06 and Stanford last season.

Hopefully this’ll hold true against OSU but not against, say, Washington.

The buzz: Carroll has made USC arguably the premier program in the nation. Carroll’s 76-14 record in eight seasons gives him the best winning percentage of any Division I coach with at least five years’ experience. He has won 74 of his past 83 games along with a share of two national titles and a record six consecutive Pac-10 championships.

But wait—here’s a list that puts Carroll at #2.

2. Pete Carroll : USC : Talk about tough. How hard is it to put this guy into the 2 slot? Easily the most respected team in the country amongst his coaching brethren, year in and year out. Pete has built an absoulute MONSTER in South California since his arrival 8 years ago. In his 7 years as head coach, the Trojans are merely 76-14. And that includes his 1st year with a 6-6 record with a very poor team. Take away the 1st year dagger, and Pete is 70-8 over 6 years. He also has 2 National Titles to claim (although LSU fans will debate that). Since his 2nd year in LA, Pete has held the Trojans as serious National Contenders in EVERY SINGLE YEAR. Bar none. His recruiting has been 2nd to none. His coaching, could be questioned, but I don’t know that I could. The absolute talent that he has brought into LA is unquestioned. Simply the best of the best in the country.

So who’s #1, and why? Jim Tressel, because

Pete’s record at USC may look to be more impressive, but his legacy has some certain conspiracy rivaled around it right now as well. Mr. Tressel has no contenders to the cleanest and best run program in the nation right now. NONE. Sure, he has had his few stragglers, but for the large part, “The Vest” has brought in solid young men who want to play football and get an education at the same time. That has to be respected.

There you have it. I’m not sure what it means that Pete’s legacy has some certain conspiracy rivaled around it, but whatever it means, it was enough to knock him from the top spot. That and the academics, apparently, even though USC’’s program has a higher graduation rate.

This shouldn’t be a news flash. USC already has won six Pac-10 championships in a row, dominating the league like it never has been dominated before. Since its iron-fist run on the conference began in 2002, USC is 34-6 in the Pac-10. And this is happening in an era when parity is supposed to rule.

There are many things working in the Trojans’ favor. That USC is far and away more talented than any other team is reason enough to think the Trojans will run roughshod over their Pac-10 brethren again. Sure, USC has issues on offense—including solidifying its line—but a killer defense should help cover rough patches the Trojans’ offense incurs while taking shape.

Others, however, disagree.

Southern Cal will not win the Pac-10.

I’m picking only one USC to have a shot at their conference title this year, and if you read above you can see it’s not the powerhouse Trojans. Once again the Men of Troy are stocked with NFL-caliber talent, but the rest of the conference is catching up, and I don’t think the past couple seasons are an indication that Southern Cal has what it takes to make it eight in a row in the Pac-10.

QB Mark Sanchez did fine last season filling in for John David Booty and RB Joe McKnight is a playmaker that’ll have people soon forgetting all about Reggie Bush. Still the Trojans lost some good talent, especially on defense, from a squad that dropped two games last year — including the shocker to Stanford.

I wouldn’t expect another clunker like that out of this team but anyone who thinks they can look past Oregon just because Dennis Dixon is gone might be in for a surprise. Combine that game with a date the very next weekend against last year’s conference co-champion Arizona State and the Trojans have a tough time ahead if they expect to hold on to the crown.

Of course out-of-conference schedule doesn’t go very far in determining the Pac-10 winner, but to say Southern Cal has a huge game in week three when they host Ohio State is a massive understatement. If the Trojans lose that game they’ll be waiving goodbye to their national title hopes before they’ve even started their conference schedule and it could be the catalyst that eventually sends them down from the Pac-10′s top spot.

We’re not going to predict a national title game berth, as some have, but the conference championship seems relatively safe. After all, couldn’t you say the Trojans lost some good talent, especially on defense, from a squad that dropped two games last year pretty much every year? And we’ve certainly lost later than week 3 and still been in contention for the national title.

SC fans planning on traveling for the game: follow the link for gameday poster ideas.

4. I predict the Buckeyes will launch their run at a third-consecutive national-title game by taking down USC at the L.A. Coliseum on September 13 in what will be the lowest-scoring game of the season for both teams. Laurinaitis, fellow LB Marcus Freeman & Co. will stifle the Trojans’ rushing attack, inviting first-year starter Mark Sanchez to beat them with the pass. He won’t.

The news isn’t all bad, though: The View from the South points us to Vegas’s over/unders on 2008 win totals, and it looks like USC is tops with 10.5.

1. Pete Carroll, Southern California

Yep. It’s Pete. If OSU dominates the Big-10, I don’t think they’ve invented a name for what Carroll and USC does to their conference. Obliterate, maybe? The way he’s going, by the time he’s retired, they’ll have to fit his toes for Rose Bowl Rings / Pac-10 Champion Rings, because he won’t have any fingers left!

While the fact that he ran a loose ship for many years that appears to have led to some player-agent contact kind of makes me nervous about Carroll, it looks as if he’s made the sidelines and locker room off-limits to those slime balls and they have to get to the players to give them money the way agents do at every other school: through the boosters!

Seriously though, it’s hard not to respect what Carroll has accomplished at USC. The program was absolutely dormant before he came along, and now he’s the coach with the definition of a reloading roster. His team recruits itself. He wouldn’t have to work too hard if he didn’t want to, but he does. I know the departing Pac-10 Commish didn’t mind the dominance of USC. It provided him with a lot of security and a lot of money for the conference.

All the man does is win football games, and he just happens to win more of them, more often, than any other coach in college football. He owns the best winning percentage of any coach in college football, and he’s done it in what has been the second or third toughest conference in college football year in and year out. His teams always play a decent out of conference schedule (well, accept Notre Lame), and his bowl record is outstanding (5-2 … hey, just as good as Mark Richt’s!), but what is more outstanding is that he’s been to 6 straight BCS Bowl Games, yes, SIX STRAIGHT BCS Bowls in his seven year career.

Unlike Bobby Bowden, Carroll survived the departure of his offensive coordinator whom many thought was mainly responsible for his success and proved that no, Carroll is responsible for Carroll’s success. Without Norm Chow, USC has kept rolling along, obliterating the Pac-10 and destroying Rose Bowl opponents.

Any list of coaches without Carroll at the top is an illegitimate list, and that’s a fact. It’s science. It can’t be argued with.

We’d also like to point out, as we have before, that in addition to the six consecutive BCS appearances, Carroll and the Trojans also have six consecutive seasons of 11 wins or more. That’s never been done before.