After two weeks of the college football season, some things look familiar at Tailback U. Of course, you will not hear about it from the East Coast biased media, but USC looks good.

I know, it was only one game and it was not against a very good team, no disrespect to Arkansas. But, do you remember when the Trojans lost Carson Palmer to the NFL and a nobody named Matt Leinart was named the starting quarterback? How did that work out?

Well, a national championship, a split national championship and a tackle away from a three-peat. Let us not forget that Leinart was a Heisman winner too.

Before the season began, all that was talked about was how USC lost Leinart, Reggie Bush, and a host of other players that contributed to their championship run.

No one mentioned that the Trojans still had Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett, the best wide receiver combo in college football. And it is not like their new quarterback is a true freshman. John David Booty has studied Pete Carroll’s system for three years.

Now I am not saying USC will win a national championship, that will probably go to Ohio State, but USC playing in a BCS bowl game is not out of the question. I actually think it will happen. Why? USC could lose only one game, to Notre Dame. I say maybe because that is one of the few good teams that they play and that game is in Los Angeles.

USC does play a couple of good teams, from the Pac-10. I know, good teams from the Pac-10 sounds crazy, but it is true. Oregon is a good team, but again that game is at the Coliseum, which is a huge help for USC.

Cal is also a good team that the Trojans will battle, but again it is at home and Cal is not the team it used to be.

That leaves the Irish, which will be USC’s toughest test. It will not be easy, especially with Notre Dame remembering what happened in South Bend, Ind., when Bush pushed Leinart into the end zone, winning the game for USC.

Now, the Irish will want this game probably more than anyone else on their ridiculously easy schedule. Taking nothing away from the Irish, they are a good team. They have Brady Quinn, who is a legitimate Heisman contender, and Charlie Weis, who is a good coach. But Notre Dame is not the great team that everyone says. They barely beat Georgia Tech and it took the Irish a half to get going against an overmatched Penn State team.

One huge difference between USC this year and USC last year is this team has a good defense, maybe the best in the country. They are athletic, good tacklers and sick of being told it was their fault for losing to Texas in last year’s Rose Bowl.

It is obvious that USC will win the Pac-10 and probably go undefeated in conference, but I want to be the first one to say this. Southern Cal will beat Notre Dame and have the best shot of beating the Ohio State Buckeyes.

You can say I am delirious and do not know anything about college football, but we will wait and see who is smiling when Bowl Season starts.