COLLEGE FOOTBALL / THE BOWL GAMES : No-Win Game for USC : Freedom: Trojans are expected to beat Fresno State tonight at Anaheim Stadium.

On the whole, USC would rather be in Pasadena.

Or Tempe.

Or Miami.

But, after squandering their chance to earn a holiday game in a more prestigious football locale, the Trojans will settle for Orange County, where tonight they will play Fresno State in the ninth Freedom Bowl at Anaheim Stadium.

“We’re not happy to be here, but since we are, we’re going to make the most of it,” USC quarterback Rob Johnson said.

The Trojans put themselves in this position by losing two of their last three Pacific 10 Conference games and finishing tied for third place in the league standings.

Victories in all three games would have put them in the Rose Bowl. Winning two would have earned them a share of the Pac-10 title and might have put them in the Fiesta or Blockbuster Bowl.

“It’s a fact that USC is not going to be as excited to play us as they would be to play, say, Penn State, and that’s understandable,” Fresno State quarterback Trent Dilfer said. “That doesn’t offend us.

“But we’re also not treating this like a national championship game. We’re playing another football team. We’re not intimidated. We’re not in awe of the tradition or the aura of USC. We’re looking at the film and saying, ‘OK, this is a good football team, probably the best team we’ve played all year. This is what we have to do to beat them.’ ”

The Trojans might wish they were elsewhere, but Dilfer doesn’t expect them to lie down.

“They have to have some motivation, because if they lose this game, it’s a huge loss,” he said. “They can’t afford to do that, so that should be motivation in itself. They’ve got to win this game to have respect.

“L.A.’s going to rip them apart if they lose, and they know it.”

In what might be its last game with flanker Curtis Conway and linebacker Willie McGinest, both of whom will announce during the next week whether they will give up their senior seasons to make themselves available for the NFL draft, USC (6-4-1) will face the only team that lost to Oregon State

Fresno State (8-4) also lost to Washington State and Western Athletic Conference rivals Hawaii and Brigham Young, but Coach Jim Sweeney’s team won its last five games and earned a share of the WAC title in its first season after moving from the Big West.

Led by Dilfer, who passed for more than 2,800 yards, the Bulldogs averaged 40.5 points and led the nation in scoring for the second season in a row. They also averaged 482.6 yards and ranked second behind Houston in total offense.

Sixteenth in the nation in both rushing and passing, Fresno State was the only team in the country that finished among the top 20 in both categories.

Dilfer passed for 21 touchdowns. Fullback Lorenzo Neal and tailbacks Ron Rivers and Anthony Daigle ran for a total of 33. Flanker Malcolm Seabron caught 41 passes, averaging 23.8 yards a reception, and scored nine touchdowns.

“We’ve never had a stronger offensive team,” Sweeney said.

The Bulldogs’ shortcoming is their defense, which was 98th among the nation’s 107 Division I-A teams. They were 95th against the run and 73rd against the pass, giving up almost 30 points a game.

They gave up 46 points to Oregon State, which averaged 11.7 points in its 10 other games.

“We don’t have a strong defense; that’s just a fact of life,” Bulldog nose guard Zack Rix said. “But we’re comforted by the fact that our offense is awesome.”

Intimidated by USC?

Not at all.

“BYU’s every bit as good as USC, and they beat us late in the football game,” Sweeney said.

Trojan Notes

Organizers expect a crowd of about 60,000, which would break the Freedom Bowl record of 51,422 set in 1986, when UCLA defeated Brigham Young, 31-10. . . . Fresno State sold about 25,000 tickets, USC about 8,000. . . . USC is making its 35th bowl appearance, more than any school other than Alabama, which has played in 44 bowl games.

USC is 22-12 in bowl games for a winning percentage of .647, fourth-best among the 46 schools that have played in at least 10 games, but is 1-5 since Jan. 1, 1985, when it defeated Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. . . . Fresno State is 5-2 in “major bowls” recognized by the NCAA.

USC linebacker Willie McGinest, asked if he expects a high-scoring game: “For us.” . . . Tony Boselli, USC’s two-time all-conference offensive tackle, will not play because of an ankle injury.

USC Coach Larry Smith was 0-2 against Fresno State when he was at Arizona. . . . Fresno State Coach Jim Sweeney was 0-7 against USC when he was at Washington State. . . . Each of the schools will be paid at least $650,000.

HIGHLIGHT: ROB JOHNSON Freedom Bowl Numbers Fresno State (8-4-0) vs. USC (6-4-1)

In 1991, El Toro graduate Rob Johnson was the first true freshman in the post-World War II era to start a game at quarterback for USC. In ‘92, he became the focal point of the Trojans’ offense, throwing for 2,023 yards and 12 touchdowns. He started fast, completing 20 of 33 passes for 278 yards and four touchdowns against San Diego State. And he finished the same way (27 of 41, 302 yards, one touchdown) against Notre Dame. Johnson, who played wide receiver as a junior at El Toro before moving to quarterback as a senior, also caught two touchdown passes on trick plays for the Trojans.

SEASON STATS First Downs FSU: 299 USC: 199 Rushing Yards FSU: 2,717 USC: 1,287 Passing Yards FSU: 3,074 USC: 2,358 Punts/Average FSU: 46/37.8 USC: 75/38.5 Rushing FSU: ATT: 534 AVG: 5.1 TDs: 37 USC: ATT: 485 AVG: 2.6 TDs: 13 Passing FSU: ATT: 347 CP: 185 TDs: 24 USC: ATT: 301 CP: 175 TDs: 15 Penalties/Yards FSU: 88/783 USC: 56/495 Fumbles/Lost FSU: 19/8 USC: 17/7 Interceptions/Yds FSU: 16/127 USC: 10/35 Scoring by Quarters

1 2 3 4 TOTAL FSU 188 88 81 129 486 USC 61 69 55 72 257