Target No. 1

All summer around the Pacific 10 Conference, players have been glancing at their calendars.

To the north, in Oregon, tailback Terrence Whitehead points to the Ducks’ Sept. 24 game against USC and says: “There is a lot of excitement.”

To the east, Arizona State receiver Derek Hagan speaks of an Oct. 1 matchup against the Trojans in vengeful terms. “ ‘SC embarrassed us last year,” he says. “We’ve got to prove to them we are for real.”

The message is clear. For No. 1 USC, the path to a third consecutive national championship runs through a slew of teams itching to play the role of spoiler.

“We’re a team that everyone wants to play,” tailback LenDale White said. “We’re at the top of everyone’s list.”

Last season, the Trojans had it tougher in terms of ranked opponents, but benefited from two well-placed byes and a schedule that put the dangerous games in the Coliseum.

This fall, USC faces several formidable trips and a couple of traditional rivalries that might be heating up. Watching from afar, former defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, now the coach at Mississippi, figures that trouble lurks somewhere along the way.

“I just know that last season there were several games that were really close,” Orgeron said. “Stanford, Virginia Tech, Cal coming down to the last play. It was tough. They’re going to have to find a way to win those games.”

Five dates stick out as potential stumbling blocks:

* Sept. 24 at Oregon. The Ducks have been mediocre since Joey Harrington departed to the NFL three years ago and Mike Bellotti, the dean of Pac-10 coaches, is beginning to feel the heat. It doesn’t help that he enters this season with an untested offensive line.

But Oregon, hovering near the preseason top 25, has a veteran backfield with Whitehead and quarterback Kellen Clemens, and a standout defensive tackle, Haloti Ngata. Just as daunting, Autzen Stadium -- with fans pushed right to the sidelines -- rates as the loudest and least-welcoming stadium in the conference.

* Oct. 1 at Arizona State. The week after Oregon, the Trojans go back on the road to face a 20th-ranked Sun Devil team that doesn’t figure to suffer too much from the loss of quarterback Andrew Walter.

Sam Keller, a junior, stepped in nicely when Walter was hurt late last season, guiding his team to a 27-23 victory over Purdue in the Sun Bowl. He has veteran protection up front and top-notch receivers in Hagan and tight end Zach Miller, the 2004 Pac-10 freshman of the year. The defense should be solid.

* Oct. 15 at Notre Dame. There is one reason to expect better times for the Fighting Irish, who finished 6-6 last season: Charlie Weis. The former New England Patriot offensive coordinator arrives with a reputation as a masterful game-planner and some tough talk.

“I can tell you this,” he said during an introductory news conference. “You’re going to have a hard-working, intelligent, nasty football team that goes on the field because the attitude of the head coach will be permeated through the players.”

Receiver Rhema McKnight said he and his teammates like the “nasty” part. “That means football to me,” the senior said. “That’s what football is all about -- playing big, acting tough and having a nasty attitude on the field.”

* Nov. 12 at California. With due respect to traditional rivals UCLA and Notre Dame, this has become the game in recent seasons. Coach Jeff Tedford has a knack for torturing USC, dating to his days as offensive coordinator at Oregon. His Cal teams beat the Trojans in Berkeley in 2003 and fell just short, missing on four last-minute plays from close range, last season.

No. 19 Cal must replace numerous starters, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers, running back J.J. Arrington and conference sack leader Ryan Riddle. The running game should be strong with sophomore tailback Marshawn Lynch.

* Dec. 3 vs. UCLA. Before last year’s game, Coach Pete Carroll blew up at his team, angry that they weren’t taking the underdog Bruins seriously. The next day, the Trojans proved him right, barely escaping with a 29-24 victory to secure a berth in the Orange Bowl.

That game rekindled a cross-town rivalry that had gone cold. Just listen to Bruin tailback Maurice Drew, who this summer insisted that “there is no gap” between the teams.

If nothing else, USC players are using such talk as motivation, knowing they will have a target on their backs all season. If it isn’t one of these five games, it could be a mid-November matchup against No. 24 Fresno State.

So which dates do the Trojans have circled on their calendar?

“Honestly, I don’t even know who we play,” White said. “I know we play Hawaii first because that’s who we’re working on right now.”