Text messages from press row. . .

Pete Carroll and his injury-riddled USC football team will have to make history if they’re to reach the Bowl Championship Series title game in January. . . .

Since the inception of the BCS in 1998, only one team lower than sixth in the season’s initial standings has made it to the championship game -- Louisiana State in 2003 -- and no team lower than 12th has made it. . . .

USC was 14th in the initial standings released Sunday. . . .

Speaking of USC, with Joe McKnight enjoying a breakout performance Saturday against Arizona, Trojans fans might be interested in Bruce Feldman’s book, “Meat Market: Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruiting.” . . .

The author was given behind-the-scenes access to the recruiting operation of Mississippi Coach and former USC assistant Ed Orgeron, who made a strong pitch to sign McKnight, and the book makes several references to USC. . . .

UCLA fans might paint the town if face-painting backup quarterback Patrick Cowan can face-plant 10th-ranked California on Saturday at the Rose Bowl. . . .

If nothing else, new Angels General Manager Tony Reagins should be an inspiration to interns, who won’t be ignored under his leadership. . . .

With the Colorado Rockies sitting around waiting to see whom they’re going to play next week and the Cleveland Indians on the verge of eliminating the Boston Red Sox, director of operations Steve Vanderpool of Stats LLC notes, “Let me be the first to dub the 2007 World Series ‘Cleveland-Rox!’ ” . . .

One thing about Jerry Buss, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers: They’re never boring, even when they’re only cleaning out their lockers. . . .

Or not. . . .

Manu Ginobili, who averaged a career-high 16.5 points in 27.5 minutes for the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs last season, was the only player in the NBA who averaged more than 15 points in fewer than 30 minutes a game. . . .

Corey Maggette, who averaged 16.9 points in 30.5 minutes for the Clippers, could do that too -- if he were interested in becoming a full-time sixth man. . . .

But he is not interested, especially in a contract year. . . .

Speaking of contracts, if Maggette and Elton Brand opted out of theirs next summer and somehow wound up with the Lakers, Bryant was moved and Lamar Odom remained, the Lakers of 2008-09 could be the Clippers of a few seasons ago. . . .

Some might say they’re already headed in that direction. . . .

In his worst game this season, Tom Brady completed 57.9% of his passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions, in a 34-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 7, compiling a quarterback rating of 105.7. . . .

So far, an average game for the New England Patriots quarterback in 2007: 72.5% accuracy, 295 yards, 3.5 touchdowns, 0.33 of an interception. . . .

Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears has scored 11 touchdowns in 25 NFL games, among them a 92-yard kickoff return to open the Super Bowl last February, and only one has come on a play covering fewer than 73 yards. . . .

The average length of his scoring plays: 85.6 yards. . . .

Not bad for a second-round pick. . . .

By the way, Hester’s nickname, “Anytime,” is a tribute to friend and mentor Deion Sanders, who was known as “Prime Time.” . . .

Weren’t the Kings supposed to be better this season? . . .

Sometimes, adding a name to your jersey is not so simple. . . .

Says UCLA basketball player Lorenzo Mata-Real, formerly Lorenzo Mata, “I did it for my mom, Reyna Real. My dad hasn’t lived with us since he left when I was little, so she wanted me to take my dad’s name off, but I didn’t really want to do that, so I just added hers so both sides of the family could be happy.” . . .

Only David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough and all-time leader Richard Petty have won more races on NASCAR’s premier circuit than Jeff Gordon, whose 81st victory Saturday at Concord, N.C., moved him 68 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson in his quest for a fifth championship. . . .

Gordon, 35, will never catch Petty, whose 200 victories are 95 more than Pearson’s total, but looming around the next turn are Yarborough, who won 83 races, as well as Waltrip and Allison, who each won 84. . . .

Petty and Dale Earnhardt each won seven championships.

jerome.crowe@latimes.com