It’s All in the Risk

USC is accustomed to playing a late-November game against a tough nonconference opponent.

With rare exceptions, the matchup is against traditional rival Notre Dame.

Tonight, however, top-ranked USC steps away from tradition when the Trojans play host to 16th-ranked Fresno State at the Coliseum.

“We welcome all kinds of competition,” USC running back Reggie Bush said. “Just the fact that they’re ranked is going to add a little extra juice.”

Fresno State defeated USC in the 1992 Freedom Bowl and lobbied long and hard to play the Trojans since Pat Hill took over as coach in 1997.

Hill got his wish in February when USC begrudgingly agreed to play the upset-minded Bulldogs so it would not have three weeks between Pacific 10 Conference games against California and UCLA.

From the day administrators agreed to the matchup, which guarantees Fresno State $500,000, the game has been viewed as a potential hazard for USC in its quest for an unprecedented third consecutive national title.

The Trojans have won 32 consecutive games and 25 in a row at the Coliseum.

But to finish the regular season unbeaten -- and assure a berth in the bowl championship series title game -- USC must defeat 8-1 Fresno State tonight and 9-1 UCLA on Dec. 3.

“We don’t need to have a varying degree of opponents,” said Coach Pete Carroll, whose USC teams are 15-0 in November. “We need everybody to be tough, every step of the way.”

Under Hill, Fresno State adopted the motto “Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere,” and the Bulldogs have defeated several Pac-10 opponents and other traditional powers.

In 2001, they opened the season with victories over Colorado, Oregon State and Wisconsin en route to a 6-0 start. Fresno State then lost to Boise State and Hawaii and finished the regular season 11-2.

“That team had never been through the hype that comes along with winning,” said Hill, who has compiled a record of 72-39 in eight-plus seasons.

Last season, Fresno State knocked off 12th-ranked Kansas State on the road during a 3-0 start before losing three consecutive games.

“That team didn’t have the maturity to handle it,” Hill said.

Fresno State has since won 14 of 15 games. The Bulldogs defeated Division I-AA Weber State in their opener this season before losing at now-No. 10 Oregon, 37-34, on Sept. 17.

Fresno State is coming off a 27-7 victory over Boise State, a win that ended the Broncos’ 31-game conference winning streak. But Boise State is the only Western Athletic Conference opponent with a winning record that Fresno State has played.

Carroll said the Bulldogs’ close loss to Oregon was a good indicator of their ability. A week after that game, USC traveled to Autzen Stadium. The Trojans trailed Oregon by 13 points before coming back to win, 45-13.

“We were down at that game so it is a pretty good barometer,” Carroll said. “[Fresno State] had no trouble matching up with them, none at all.”

Fresno State features a balanced offense led by senior quarterback Paul Pinegar, who has a 30-9 record in four years as a starter.

Running back Wendell Mathis is averaging 103.6 yards rushing a game and Bryson Sumlin also is a threat out of the backfield.

Fresno State’s defense is the best in the WAC, but the Bulldogs must cope with a USC offense that is among the best in college football history.

The Trojans, who are averaging a nation-leading 577.6 yards a game, routed Cal, 35-10, last week without Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart throwing a touchdown pass.

Fresno State has played a top-ranked team only once: The Bulldogs lost, 55-28, at Oklahoma in 2003.

But Hill said his players are prepared for the challenge of playing USC.

“They are more mature, they have greater focus, they understand what they have to do and the urgency in which they have to do it,” Hill said of his team.

To aid the Bulldogs, more than 20,000 Fresno State fans are expected to travel from the Central Valley to be part of the sellout crowd at the Coliseum.

“This is the best team they have had in a long time,” Carroll said. “They have an opportunity to do something that would separate them from the crowd. They are going to be revved up and as ready as you can get.”