Trojans Move Up to No. 10

USC was idle over the weekend, but that did not stop the Trojans from moving into the Associated Press top 10 for the first time in more than two years.

The Trojans on Sunday jumped one spot to No. 10. The last time they were ranked that high was Sept. 30, 2000, when they were No. 8 going into a Pacific 10 Conference game at Oregon State. USC lost to the Beavers, 31-21, and dropped to No. 18 the next week.

This is USC’s highest AP ranking this late in a season since 1989.

USC, 6-2 overall, 4-1 in the Pac-10, resumes practice today in preparation for Saturday’s conference game at Stanford.

The Trojans had hoped to get some help last week in the Rose Bowl race from Arizona State, but the Sun Devils lost to conference-leading Washington State, 44-22, on Saturday at Pullman, Wash.

Washington State (8-1, 5-0) moved up three spots to No. 5 in the AP poll and took over sole possession of first place in the Pac-10 with conference games remaining against Oregon, Washington and UCLA.

USC is tied for second place with Arizona State (7-3, 4-1). The Trojans must win the rest of their conference games, and Washington State must lose at least twice for USC to have a shot at the Rose Bowl. The Trojans, who lost to Washington State in overtime Oct. 5, have remaining Pac-10 games against Stanford, Arizona State and UCLA.

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USC has not defeated Stanford since 1998. In 1999, the Trojans blew a 21-0 first-quarter lead and lost, 35-31, at the Coliseum.

Two years ago, Stanford scored 12 points in the last 5:22 and defeated the Trojans, 32-30, when quarterback Chris Lewis connected with Jamien McCullum on a 20-yard touchdown pass play with no time left. Last season, Stanford built a 21-0 lead and held on for a 21-16 victory at the Coliseum.

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Offensive tackle Jacob Rogers, who sat out last week because of a sore right knee, will rejoin workouts and is expected to start against Stanford. Receiver Kareem Kelly, who is a nursing a sprained right ankle, also will practice and will play Saturday.