No. 1 USC Not There Yet

Wendell Barnhouse at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is one of the first to report on the upcoming game:

"We can beat anybody in the nation, that's just how it is," center Kyle Young told The Fresno Bee after the Boise State game.

That confidence has been instilled by Fresno State coach Pat Hill. In his eight seasons, the Bulldogs' nonconference scheduling philosophy has been "anyone, anytime, anywhere."

In the 1992 Freedom Bowl, Fresno State upset a ranked USC team. That made most Pacific-10 teams -- the Trojans in particular -- leery of scheduling the upstarts from the San Joaquin Valley.

Under Hill, the Bulldogs have played at least two teams from BCS conferences every year. During Hill's tenure, Fresno State is 4-7 in games against Pac-10 teams. This year's only loss was at Oregon, 37-34, in Week 2.

"This is the best team they've ever had," Trojans coach Pete Carroll said.

If there's a team that can be BCS busters, a team that can wreck perfection this season, it's Fresno State.

If this any sign of the reporting to come, there is going to be a lot of interest nationwide in this game. We're on the map.