COLLEGE FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : USC : Who’s on First Among Tied Teams

The Rose Bowl race:

--If USC wins the rest of its games and Oregon loses, the Trojans go to the Rose Bowl.

--If Washington State wins the rest of its games and Arizona loses, the Cougars go to the Rose Bowl.

--If Arizona wins the rest of its games and someone else beats Oregon, the Wildcats go to the Rose Bowl.

--If Oregon wins the rest of its games and someone else beats Washington State, the Ducks go to the Rose Bowl.

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Washington State coach Mike Price, on Saturday’s USC game:

“The USC game is one of the biggest games in my tenure here. The Arizona game was a big game, but there were still a lot of games left. . . . Beating USC is one of things our seniors want to do more than anything. USC is one team they haven’t knocked off yet.”

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USC Coach John Robinson is worried about the team’s depth at guard with Phalen Pounds out because of a knee injury and Chris Brymer possibly out with an ankle sprain. “We’d get down to scout team players if we had to replace anyone else,” Robinson said.

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Robinson said Tuesday what USC opponents have been saying all season, that Trojan offensive tackle Tony Boselli is having an exceptional season.

“He’s the best offensive lineman in the country,” Robinson said of his 6-foot-8, 320-pound senior left tackle.

“He sustains his block longer than anyone I’ve ever coached. . . . He spent a lot of time in the offseason, thinking about how good he wanted to be.”

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Washington State, which beat UCLA in September, has never beaten UCLA and USC in the same season. . . . Linebacker Errick Herrin moved into second place on the USC tackles list. He had six against California and now has 50, trailing only leader Jeff Kopp, who has 65.