For the third time in the last four years, USC begins the college football season No. 1 in The Associated Press top 25.

"It’s exactly where we hope and expect to be," Carroll said. "It’s a symbol of what we’re all about."

USC received 62 of a possible 65 first-place votes from a nationwide media panel and earned a

Still mulling over high schools, eighth-grader locks in his college

This is exactly the kind of encouragement parents holding second mortgages to pay for trainers and summer camps do NOT need:

For the second year running, Southern California basketball coach Tim Floyd offered a scholarship to an eighth-grader.

Not according to one writer. The Los Angeles Times’ Christine Daniels lists the region’s most popular sports teams and the Trojans come out third behind the Dodgers and the Lakers. Having lived in Los Angeles, I can definitely give the nod to the Dodgers here. Their appeal is universal and both Dodger Stadium and Vin Scully are public institutions.<

Brian Maddox Touted as one of the top backfield prospects in America this past recruiting year, Maddox, who possesses a good combination of size and speed for an incoming freshman, hopes to make an immediate contribution in the USC offense this fall. Read inside for the full transcript from this extensive interview.

Questi

The Pacific-10 Conference has announced that the future site of the State Farm Pac-10 Women’s Basketball Tournament will be the Galen Center on the campus of the University of Southern California, starting with the 2008-09 season.

At its recent summer meetings, the Pac-10 Council, which is comprised o