trojans

This was the bowl game for on-probation USC, and Matt Barkley and the No. 18 Trojans made the most of it, holding off a furious Oregon rally to upset the No. 4 Ducks 38-35 in Eugene.

No. 4 Oregon can lock up a spot in the Pac-12's first title game with a win tonight against No. 18 USC. But Matt Barkley and the Trojans are trying to spoil the party.

They have a 14-0 lead.

Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz is doing everything possible to get a good look at Southern California -- he's even gone virtual.

Besides taking snaps in practice, Moniz has been taking on the Trojans regularly on his PlayStation 3 in hopes of getting a feel for the USC defense he'll face in real life Thursday night.

Southern California coach Pete Carroll says freshman quarterback Matt Barkley probably will start for the 12th-ranked Trojans against Washington State on Saturday.

Carroll made the announcement after USC's practice Wednesday night. The Trojans (2-1) feel Barkley's bruised right shoulder has healed enough to put him back in the lineup.

Pete Carroll is hoping the return of perhaps Southern California's two most important players will put the Trojans back on track after last week's loss at Washington.

Carroll is hopeful quarterback Matt Barkley and safety Taylor Mays will be able to play in Saturday night's home game against Washington State.

Another Pac-10 road opener, another feeble effort from the Trojans, writes Arash Markazi. One week after ending the nation's longest losing streak, Washington stunned USC 16-13.

Kevin O'Neill returned to the college ranks Saturday when he was announced as Southern California's basketball coach, taking over from Tim Floyd.

The school announced O'Neill's hiring in an e-mail. Floyd suddenly resigned June 9 amid allegations that he paid to have O.J.

Mayo delivered to the Trojans.