Fall of the Trojans?

Photo courtesy of the National Post.

On Saturday, the USC Trojans were upended by the underdog Washington Huskies 16-13. As a result, they fell from #3 to #12 in the polls, erasing their national title hopes. There has been much speculation on the net since that this may be the year the Trojan "dynasty" ends. While that seems premature, they sure haven't looked as dominant on defense as in years past and their quarterback situation is tenuous at best. Does Pete Carroll really want to start a freshman against Cal? The backup hasn't been very good either.

The October 3 game at Cal will effectively decide the Pac-10 title. Cal has a Heisman Trophy contender in Jahvid Best and the Golden Bears are ranked #6 in the country as of today. If USC wins, they'll probably end up going to the Rose Bowl for the 5th straight time. If Cal wins, USC would be out of the BCS for the first time since 2001. I'm not ready to say this is the end of the Trojan dominance on the West Coast, but if Cal wins and SC goes to a minor bowl, then one can say the balance of power is shifting.