GAME: Stanford Cardinal (1-3) Southern California Trojans (4-0)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, October 06 - 7:00 PM EST
SPREAD: Southern California -39.5 TOTAL: 58.5

Southern California did not play like a top-ranked team last week. Now the Trojans no longer are one.

Despite winning on the road in its last game, USC is not atop the rankings for the first time this season but hopes to show it should be with a dominant effort against the Pac-10's last-place team on Saturday versus Stanford.

Southern California (4-0, 2-0 Pac-10) fell to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 following a sloppy 27-24 win at Washington last Saturday. Though the Trojans had a 460-190 advantage in total yardage, the score was close for most of the game because they had three turnovers, 16 penalties - the team's most in two seasons - for 161 yards and a blocked punt.

"We can't play like that the rest of the season, or else we'll lose like a normal team," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "We're at fault totally. And we have to clean it up. Explanation? No, I don't have that."

The mediocre performance cost the Trojans 11 first-place votes and dropped them two points behind new No. 1 LSU, becoming the first team to fall out of the top spot in the AP poll after winning a game since it happened to Miami in 2002.

"I have no idea how the points work and how it all adds up," Carroll said. "It has no bearing on anything for us. It didn't before and it doesn't now. The reason it happened is the way we played, I guess."

Carroll's squad now returns home to face the last team to beat the Trojans at the Los Angeles Coliseum. USC has won 35 consecutive home games and 24 straight in Pac-10 play - both conference records - since a 21-16 loss to Stanford on Sept. 29, 2001.

However, that Cardinal team finished the season 9-3 while the current one has only two wins in its last 18 games overall. Stanford (1-3, 0-3) lost 42-0 at home to USC last season for its fifth consecutive loss in the series.

John David Booty threw for three touchdowns in that win, and now looks to bounce back from a poor performance. He completed 20 of 37 passes for 236 yards but had only one touchdown pass and a career-high two interceptions.

Booty threw for nine TDs with only two picks through the first three games of the season while Southern California outscored opponents by a 134-55 margin.

"I think it's fixable," Booty said of the offense's penalties, dropped passes and fumbled snaps against Washington.

The rushing attack, though, had another strong game last week and is averaging 237.0 yards per game to rank second in the conference to Oregon (278.0).

Stafon Johnson and senior Chauncey Washington both rushed for more than 100 yards at Washington and each scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the season.

That duo has been splitting carries, but it's possible Washington will carry more of the load this week with Johnson nursing a foot injury. The sophomore, whose 378 rushing yards and 8.2 per carry lead the team, had his foot stepped on twice in last week's win and wore a walking boot after the game but claimed "it's cool, it's nothing big."

Stanford is allowing a conference-worst 191.5 rushing yards per game, including 174 in last Saturday's 41-3 loss to Arizona State.

"We need to do a better job as coaches and our players need to execute better themselves," first-year Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Tonight was the first time I feel we haven't gotten better this season. I feel we need to regroup and keep working hard."

Stanford is the only Pac-10 team without at least two victories despite playing all four of its games at home. The Cardinal were 1-6 on the road last season, managing only 13.4 points per game.

Now Stanford's offense is likely to be without two top players.

Quarterback T.C. Ostrander had a seizure at a restaurant over the weekend, and though all tests came back normal, he will sit out this game as a precaution. Ostrander has thrown for 1,065 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions.

Sophomore Tavita Pritchard, who has attempted three passes since coming to Stanford, will make his first career start in Ostrander's place. Pritchard is facing a USC defense which has allowed a conference-low 817 passing yards.

Starting running back Toby Gerhart is expected to miss a third straight game due to a knee injury.

Fill-in Anthony Kimble ran for 119 yards in a 55-31 loss to Oregon on Sept. 22, but last week he was limited to 20 yards on 10 carries while the Cardinal were held to minus-2 yards rushing.