Win over Arizona would clinch Pac-10 Conference

The top-ranked Trojans have won 29 of their last 30 games.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The goal expressed at Southern California every year under coach Pete Carroll is to win the Pac-10 championship and qualify for the Rose Bowl.
Nowadays, that's just the beginning -- and the Trojans are aiming at a different bowl this season.
No. 1 USC figures to have an easy time clinching the Pac-10 title Saturday night against lowly Arizona at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
"It's really fun for us after all of these games to now have an opportunity to play for a Rose Bowl bid," Carroll said. "It's an incredible accomplishment for us. We love that chance."
The Trojans (9-0, 6-0 Pac-10) hold a one-game lead over No. 5 California with two league games remaining. A win over Arizona would clinch the conference crown, since the Trojans beat the Golden Bears 23-17 last month.
If they beat Arizona, No. 24 Notre Dame on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and UCLA on Dec. 4, the Trojans almost surely will play for the national championship, to be contested in the Orange Bowl.
USC brings three impressive winning streaks into this weekend -- 13 in Pac-10 action; 18 overall, and 19 at the Coliseum.
The Trojans have won five games by 30 or more points this season and are favored by 35 points over Arizona. The Mike Stoops-coached Wildcats are 2-7, and have just one win in six conference games.
"Our kids will look at the film and see a team that is coached well and plays hard," Carroll said. "They have good, quality players that can make things happen. They make it hard on you. They pressure you well. They are well ahead of where we were at this time in our first year."
The Trojans went 6-6 in their first season under Carroll, including a 10-6 loss to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. They're 32-3 since that time, including wins in 29 of their last 30 games.
"I understand you have to have vision beyond what goes on day in and out," said Stoops, the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma for five years before taking over at Arizona. His brother, Bob, is head coach of the Sooners.
Recruiting is critical
"I think we have done some good things and we are showing progress in certain areas," Stoops said. "Some things are tough to overcome without talent, and that's something we will continue to work on. You get better by recruiting great players, and that's where we desperately need to have a great year in recruiting."
The Wildcats snapped a seven-game losing streak at Washington last weekend, beating the downtrodden Huskies 23-13. But Arizona has lost 24 of its last 29 games, and is 24-43 since going 12-1 in 1998.
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