USC took last season off in order to resurrect the past, while Kansas State took a mulligan in 2001 so it could freshen up the present.

Last year, the Trojans didn't make an appearance in the Associated Press Poll for the first time since 1961. Of course, they haven't finished a season in the AP Top 25 since 1995 or closed shop in the top 10 since 1989.

USC has been a pundit's nightmare in recent years: A school with seven national titles, a rich tradition and a bevy of prep All-Americans that underachieves annually. The dusty, storied past has faded into a mire of futility. The Trojans look like they could be good ? then they go splat.

SDSU The Best 0-3 Team Around

Here's dubious praise: San Diego State might be the nation's best 0-3 team. If not that, the Aztecs sure are the most exciting winless squad. In last weekend's 39-28 loss at Arizona State, junior quarterback Adam Hall set a Mountain West Conference record with 516 yards passing. Receiver J.R. Tolver was the main weapon, catching 12 passes for 296 yards, another MWC record and the 13th best total in NCAA history. Tolver is a two-time All-MWC selection and an NFL prospect. Hall is a bit of a surprise. "Adam Hall is quickly establishing himself as one of the top quarterbacks on the West Coast," first-year coach Tom Craft said. The Aztecs rank third in the nation with 371.7 passing yards per game. Tolver is first in the nation with 533 receiving yards this season, while counterpart, Kassim Osgood, is fourth with 394 yards. Yet Craft's impressive offensive system -- Air Craft -- has produced only a bagel in the one statistic that matters. The Aztecs missed a late field goal to lose their season opener against Fresno State, failed to take advantage of multiple opportunities against Colorado and blew a 22-point lead with four second-half turnovers against Arizona State. Idaho should solve these woes this weekend. The Vandals are 0-3 with a simple story line: They've been whipped every which way at Boise State, Washington State and Oregon. The Aztecs surely are salivating over the Idaho defense, which is 115th in the nation in scoring (48.3 points per game) and is last (117th) in the nation against the pass. "They've struggled a little bit on defense," said Craft, trying to be diplomatic. Hall should feast this weekend in the Kibbie Dome and get the Aztecs a victory. A Texas transfer lost in the Major Applewhite-Chris Simms shuffle, he backed up Lon Sheriff during last year's 3-8 campaign and won the job during spring practice. "It wasn't even close, talent-wise," Craft said. This is a must-win for SDSU because the schedule isn't forgiving. After Idaho, the Aztecs play host to UCLA before opening their MWC slate at home against Utah. Five of their next seven games are on the road, including a non-conference tilt at Hawaii. SDSU has put up big passing numbers before -- Hall's 516 yards only ranks sixth on the school's all-time list. The big issue is translating yards into victories. -- Ted Miller

Kansas State ended up out of the national polls last year for the first time since 1992. Of course, the Wildcats finished ranked for the first time in school history in 1993.

When 11th-ranked USC pays a visit to No. 23 Kansas State this weekend, history won't be the only difference between the schools. USC has been featured on television twice with marquee matchups against SEC and Big 12 powers, while Kansas State has been anonymously thumping teams from Band Camp.

The Trojans' schedule could be the nation's toughest, with a typically rugged Pac-10 slate augmented by non-conference games against Auburn, Colorado and Notre Dame, not to mention the Wildcats.

USC is a battle-tested team. It leads the nation in total defense, yielding just 171 yards a game, while quarterback Carson Palmer appears to be finally living up to his immense potential.

Meanwhile, Kansas State has pounded three nobodies -- including two I-AA directional schools -- by a cumulative count of 179-16.

What do we know about the Wildcats, who welcomed back just 10 starters -- three on offense -- from last season's 6-6 team? Absolutely nothing.

That's the way coach Bill Snyder likes it. Since taking over the Wildcats in 1989, he's padded his schedule with non-conference patsies to go along with Big 12 guppies and has taken his chances for creating a special season with three or four games against tough conference opponents.

"Kansas State has a very good formula to put itself into the national standings," second-year USC coach Pete Carroll said. "Coach Snyder knows exactly what he's doing."

Sure he does. There's a good reason for Snyder's scheduling legerdemain. The last time a ranked non-conference opponent visited KSU Stadium was in 1988 -- the year before Snyder arrived -- and the Wildcats were blown out 45-10 by No. 17 Iowa. The last time Snyder faced a ranked non-conference opponent, the Wildcats were drubbed 56-3 at Washington in 1991.

Snyder only reluctantly agreed to sign a home-and-home contract with USC in 2000, relenting mostly because pollsters frequently cast a skeptical eye toward his determination to follow the path of least resistance toward national prominence.

"I've often said somebody caught me in a weak moment in order that we have (USC) any place because they're such a tremendously talented football team," Snyder said.

This is not to say that Kansas State isn't a quality program. After all, the Wildcats stymied the Trojans in a 10-6 victory last year, their first non-conference road game since 1997. It just seems unsporting to avoid competition.

Snyder and company figure to get plenty of competition from the Trojans, who completely dominated Colorado 40-3. They held the Buffaloes to just 61 total yards and four first downs, numbers that are stunning even when it's noted that Colorado was without its starting quarterback.

USC's defense has allowed only 96 yards over the last six quarters, and opponents are converting on just 16 percent of their third downs. Safety Troy Polamalu, perhaps the most dangerous defensive weapon in the Pac-10, leads a physical crew that would be the envy of any Big 12 unit.

Palmer has completed 73 percent of his passes and averaged 273 yards per game. The Trojans maligned offensive line plowed the Buffaloes, producing 181 yards rushing while surrendering no sacks.

Kansas State's typically stout defense likely has employed vanilla schemes in its first three games, but, nonetheless, the Wildcats can't be thrilled with the twin 80-yard drives and 324 yards they gave up to I-AA Eastern Illinois last weekend.

The Wildcats have a decided edge on special teams, where they've scored four touchdowns this year. The Trojans had a punt, field goal and PAT blocked against Colorado.

The Trojans have played alive before, winning their first three games in 2001 and rising to No. 8. Then they promptly lost five in a row and seven out of eight and coach Paul Hackett walked away with a boot print on his khakis.

The Return of Troy? Perhaps. But with this schedule and a semi-skeptical national media that's been charmed and then jilted before, many are still waiting for Achilles (particularly his heal) to show up.

Around the Pac-10

Arizona
With tailback Clarence Farmer, who led the Pac-10 with 111 yards rushing per game last season, the Wildcats looked in the preseason to be a strong running team, but they rank 109th in the nation with 73 yards per contest this season. Yet the offense is thriving because its passing attack has been brilliant. Arizona is second in the nation in passing, with 411.5 yards per game, while quarterback Jason Johnson is second in the nation in total offense with 378.5 yards per game. Farmer hasn't produced mostly because opposing defenses have stacked the line of scrimmage with schemes designed to stop him. The defense hasn't been bad, either. The Wildcats lead the Pac-10 in rush defense (73.5 yards per game). ... While Arizona has never played Wisconsin before, Wildcats' coach John Mackovic is 4-0 all-time against Wisconsin and 2-0 against current Badgers coach Barry Alvarez.

Arizona State
The Sun Devils are off this weekend before opening a three-game homestand and Pac-10 play on Sept. 28 against Stanford. Sophomore Andrew Walter looks to be the answer at quarterback. He came off the bench against San Diego State and threw for four touchdowns and 241 yards. Trailing 22-0 in the second quarter, Walter's first two passes went for touchdowns. ... The Sun Devils' comeback from a 22-point deficit was the biggest in school history. ... Redshirt freshman tailback Cornell Canidate, who rushed for 90 yards against SDSU, has moved to the top of the ASU depth chart, ahead of Mike Williams and Hakim Hill, after leading the team in rushing the past three weeks. Five other freshmen started in the victory over SDS. After struggling in the first half, ASU's defense held the Aztecs to six second-half points

California
After whipping No. 15 Michigan State 46-22, California is 3-0 for the first time since 1996 -- Steve Mariucci's only season before leaving for the 49ers. ... It was the Bears' first regular-season victory over a Top-15 opponent on the road in 27 games since a 31-14 win over No. 14 Illinois in 1974. During the preseason, a bowl ban that was part of NCAA sanctions for various misdeeds seemed irrelevant. Suddenly, the hottest topic in Berkeley is how the program will do when its appeal is ruled on in early November. "We can't control that," first-year coach Jeff Tedford said. "We felt like it was a pretty harsh judgment when this current administration wasn't even here." ... The Bears have to put the NCAA and their big win at Michigan State on the backburner. Air Force's potent option attack is coming to town and it leads the nation in rushing (368.5 yards per game). "If you're not prepared for them, they can embarrass you," Tedford said. ... The biggest reason for the Bears' turnaround? Cal had a minus-17 turnover margin last season, second-worst in the nation, but now is plus-10, second-best in the nation.

Oregon
Oregon has never lost a non-conference game at home under coach Mike Bellotti, and it doesn't figure to slip this weekend against I-AA Portland State. The Ducks have a bye the following weekend before opening Pac-10 action with consecutive road games at Arizona and UCLA. ... Tailback Onterrio Smith leads the Pac-10 with 117.3 yards rushing per game despite toe and hamstring injuries.

Oregon State
Last year, amid stratospheric expectations, 10th-ranked Oregon State lost its season opener to Fresno State and quarterback David Carr, 44-24. Fresno held the Beavers to just 27 yards rushing and registered five sacks. While OSU is 3-0, coach Dennis Erickson is holding off on any significant pronouncements about his team. "We haven't played anybody yet," he said. "We'll find out a heck of a lot about ourselves against Fresno." ... Oregon State didn't surrender a first down in its 47-17 victory over UNLV until 7:15 remained in the second quarter. Sophomore quarterback Derek Anderson has been brilliant thus far. He's third in the nation in pass efficiency, with 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions. He's completed 66 percent of his passes for 329 yards per game. ... Jayson Boyd, the Beavers' third-leading receiver through the first two games, missed the UNLV game with turf toe in his right foot but he is expected to play against Fresno State. OSU is last in the Pac-10 with an average of 11 penalties for 119 yards per game.

Stanford
Stanford is off this weekend, but will begin Pac-10 play on Sept. 28 at Arizona State. Though Stanford freshman quarterback Kyle Matter replaced injured starter Chris Lewis (thigh bruise) and led five scoring drives against San Jose State, Lewis remains the starter. The Cardinal rolled to a 63-26 victory, but only led 28-26 early in the third quarter. ... Stanford has picked off seven passes in its first two games, including two by defensive tackle Matt Leonard.

UCLA
UCLA is 4-0 against Colorado, though their last meeting was in 1984. Colorado quarterback Craig Ochs will not play again this weekend (concussion), so Robert Hodge, who completed just one of nine passes against USC, will get the start. ... After beating Oklahoma State, UCLA is 10-1 in September over the last three years and has won nine consecutive non-conference games. ... Despite losing tailback DeShaun Foster to the NFL, the Bruins lead the Pac-10 with 202.2 yards rushing per game and are averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Moreover, Foster was fumble-prone; UCLA hasn't lost a fumble this year. ... UCLA coach Bob Toledo said he is considering moving sophomore safety Matt Ware back to cornerback, the position he played as a true freshman. The 6-foot-3 Ware figures to do better against the tall receivers scattered throughout the Pac-10. "You have to have a bigger cornerback to match up with those people," Toledo said. True freshman Jarrad Page would replace Ware at safety.

USC
Senior wide receiver Kareem Kelly caught four passes for 36 yards against Colorado and moved into a tie with Keyshawn Johnson for second place on USC's career list with 168 receptions. Johnnie Morton tops the list with 201 receptions from 1990 to '93. Senior guard Zach Wilson, who missed the Auburn game with a foot injury, saw limited action against Colorado and could take over for Eric Torres against Kansas State. ... Freshman offensive tackle Winston Justice will log his second-career start against Kansas State. ... Tailback Justin Fargas, who had one carry against Colorado, should see significant playing time against the Wildcats. He was slated to be the starting tailback before he suffered a hamstring injury during preseason practices.

Washington
Despite Wyoming's lackluster 0-3 start and 3-22 record under coach Vic Koenning, Washington coach Rick Neuheisel claimed he was "leery" of the Cowboys. "They'll look at this as an opportunity to right their ship and they'll throw caution to the wind," Neuheisel said. "I don't think there's any question we'll get their best shot." He has at least some reason to fret. The Huskies trailed San Jose State 10-0 at the half before rolling to a 34-10 victory. The UW has yet to score a point in the first quarter, so a fast start is a point of emphasis this week. "We can't waste 15 minutes of action and think we can come back from it," Neuheisel said. ... The Huskies have won 15 consecutive home games. Tailback Rich Alexis (111.5 yards per game) and quarterback Cody Pickett (332.5 yards per game) both rank second in the Pac-10 in yardage at their respective positions.

Washington State
Washington State had a hangover from its 25-7 defeat at Ohio State. First, offensive tackle Josh Parrish broke his leg and will be out at least six weeks. Then offensive lineman Billy Knotts and defensive lineman Rien Long were suspended indefinitely for an "incident" that occurred once the team arrived back in Pullman. Knotts is Parrish's backup. With Phil Locker also out, the Cougars' offensive line, once a strength, will be a thin against Montana State. Receiver Jerome Riley and linebacker Will Derting also are not expected to play this weekend. ... The Cougars have posted 53, 54 and 64 points on the Bobcats in their last three meetings. ... WSU opens Pac-10 play on Sept. 28 at California.

Around the Mountain West
Air Force was off last weekend, so the Falcons got to see California's dominant victory over Michigan State. One advantage for Air Force: it's option attack takes advantage of over-aggressive defenders, like Bears' pass-rush specialist Tully Banta-Cain. "Our offense is predicated on people who play that way," Falcons coach Fisher DeBerry said. ... Air Force is 13-10-1 following open dates under DeBerry. ... The Falcons haven't played Cal in 25 years. ... BYU lost 31-28 to a Nevada team it beat 52-7 last year. The Cougars passed for just 192 yards and had 15 first downs. Cougars coach Gary Crowton benched quarterback Bret Engemann after a poor first half (6 of 16 for 80 yards with an interception) in favor of redshirt freshman Lance Pendleton, but said Engemann remains the starter. ... The Cougars will play their second of four consecutive road games this weekend at Georgia Tech. ... Colorado State has a bye this weekend after surviving a scare against Louisville. The Rams led 36-14 with five minutes left but Louisville scored 19 points in 1:41 to cut the final margin to 36-33. ... In relief of starter Bradlee Van Pelt, redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Holland completed 5 of 6 passes for 94 yards and led the Rams on two touchdown drives. ... The Rams play Nevada on Sept. 28, a game that appears far more challenging after the Wolfpack's upset of BYU. ... New Mexico and New Mexico State square off for the 93rd time this weekend. The Lobos have won the last four meetings, but they lost running back Quincy Wright for the rest of the season when he tore his ACL in the victory over Baylor. Wright was the nation's third-leading rusher with 158.3 yards per game. Dontrell Moore replaced Wright and rushed for 93 yards. ... The Lobos shutout New Mexico State 53-0 last season. "We got after them pretty good," New Mexico coach Rocky Long said. "I'm sure there will be a revenge factor." ... San Diego State hasn't won a road game since beating Colorado State 14-7 on Sept. 22 of last year. The Aztecs beat Idaho 40-21 in their only other meeting in 1996. ... J.R. Tolver and Kassim Osgood are the only two Mountain West Conference players with two games over 100 yards receiving. Tolver had a conference record 296 yards against Arizona State, while Osgood had 178 yards against Colorado. ... Utah coach Ron McBride called a Pac-10 official's waving off a late Utes' touchdown against Arizona the "worst (call) I've seen in 40 years" of coaching. The Utes lost 23-17, and the canceled touchdown -- a diving catch by Josh Lyman in the back of the end zone -- would have given them the victory if the PAT was on target. ... The Utes visit another angry team, Michigan, which lost to Notre Dame 25-23 last weekend. The teams have never met before. ... Defensive end Jason Kaufusi was named MWC defensive player of the week after he had 11 tackles, five tackles for a loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles against Arizona. ... UNLV beat Toledo 30-13 in the 1984 California Bowl, the teams' only meeting, but the Rebels had to forfeit the victory because they used ineligible players. Toledo lost to Minnesota 31-21 last weekend. ... UNLV's defense has forced zero turnovers but it leads the MWC with 11 sacks. UNLV has outrushed its opponents 618-292. Tailback Joe Haro has scored a touchdown in each of the first three games. ... Wyoming tied its school record with its 11th consecutive defeat last weekend against Boise State, and relief doesn't appear on the way this weekend with a visit No. 13 Washington. Little is going well for the Pokes. They are averaging just 13.3 points per game (103rd in the nation) and are surrendering 38 (110th). They are minus-1.67 in turnover margin per game. Junior quarterback Casey Bramlet has completed just 48 percent of his passes with five interceptions and five touchdowns. The Cowboys are averaging just 77.3 yards rushing and 292.3 yards of offense per game. An opposing running back has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in nine consecutive games against Wyoming. "I don't know if I've been inhaling too much carbon monoxide -- I thought we were going to have a good football team this year," said coach Vic Koenning, whose record stands at 3-22. "We should be better."

Ted Miller covers college football for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.