Hancock Will Give His Knee a Test

A knee injury kept Brandon Hancock on the sideline for top-ranked USC’s last two regular-season games, but the sophomore fullback said Wednesday that he would play in the Rose Bowl against fourth-ranked Michigan.

Hancock intends to test his left knee today when the Trojans practice in full pads for the first time since their regular-season finale against Oregon State on Dec. 6. The Trojans are scheduled to scrimmage before taking two days off.

“I’m going to go ahead and push it and see what happens,” said Hancock, who suffered a torn ligament in his knee against Arizona on Nov. 15. “Once in a while it still scares me somewhat, but for the most part I feel pretty confident now.”

Coach Pete Carroll said the scrimmage would feature starters against starters.

“We’re going to make sure we get it cranked up to full tempo,” Carroll said.

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If USC defeats Michigan, Wolverine Coach Lloyd Carr said he would still vote for the winner of the Sugar Bowl as the national champion.

Oklahoma and Louisiana State are playing in the bowl championship series’ designated national title game. Coaches who participate in the USA Today/ESPN poll agreed to vote for the winner of the title game as the national champion when the BCS was created in 1998.

“I would like to be able to vote for the team that I feel deserves the national championship, but, by the same token, we agreed to this system,” Carr told Associated Press earlier this week. “Until it is changed, I think that is what we should do.”

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USC employs one of college football’s most accessible practice policies.

Starting today, however, workouts will be closed to all but immediate family members of players and coaches.

“There was a guy watching practice today, and he was on a cellphone and I didn’t know who he was,” Carroll said. “We don’t need to be worried about that. So it’s time.

“We’ve been open and, I think, really readily accepting of having people come by and enjoy it. We just want to get real serious about our finish.”

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Freshman tailback LenDale White, who suffered a knee bruise on Monday, took part in light drills and said he would try to participate in today’s scrimmage. White said he might wear a knee sleeve for protection. “It ain’t no Matt Leinart brace,” he joked.... Tight end Gregg Guenther performed a series of running drills for the first time since suffering a knee injury against Oregon State. Guenther is expected to play in the Rose Bowl but might not practice until the last week before the game, Carroll said.... Freshman running back Chauncey Washington is out for the Rose Bowl and will not practice until spring drills because of an ankle injury that was originally sustained against Hawaii on Sept. 13.... Senior defensive end Omar Nazel, who had surgery to repair torn ligaments in his thumb last month, might be considering a return from what was thought to be a season-ending procedure, Carroll said. “If he can get going we’ll see where he is,” Carroll said. “He’s been a big part of our football team and he’s paid his dues over the years. If he was able to do that