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The last time USC had as few as three players selected in an NFL draft, as did they did last weekend, the Trojans were coming off a 6-6 season in Pete Carroll's first year on the job.

That was April 2002.

Cornerbacks Kris Richard and Chris Cash went in the third and sixth rounds, respectively. Thus, the common reaction would be to dismiss that year as having nothing to do with this one, when Matt Kalil and Nick Perry each went in the first round and then only tight end/fullback Rhett Ellison was taken among the remaining 231 selections.

But that would be incorrect.

The two years actually share a lot of similarities -- starting with the fact that the talent on both the 2001 and 2011 squads was overwhelmingly backloaded with underclassmen. The lack of draftable talent in 2002 -- along with the success the 2002 team would go on to have -- foreshadowed the five players who would be taken in 2003, including two in the first round.

And the lack of draftable talent in 2012 should foreshadow the many players likely to be selected in 2013, including three potential first-rounders.

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USC's spring practice is done and football is officially over until the first week of August, so we're going over the five biggest things we learned this spring, avoiding basic topics like who surprised and who disappointed in favor of broader, longer-term issues.

We went over De'Von Flournoy's surprise spring yesterday. Today, our second thing is this: This team's defensive back depth might actually be one of its biggest strengths, contrary to what recent history would have you believe.

Here's a good example of how the USC secondary is so much deeper this year than it has been in any recent season.

The coaches used to have to switch trackster Tony Burnett back and forth from corner to safety during his first two seasons with the program to add temporary depth wherever it was lacking. This spring, there was so much depth there that they moved Burnett to an entirely new position: strongside linebacker, where he looked to be thriving in the final week.

That's the kind of luxury all this depth is going to give new defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders and the Kiffins in 2012.

All the starters return at corner and safety, and then four or five more potential starters also return or enter in behind them, depending on how you look at it. There is simply a ton of depth across the board, so much so that an incoming signee like Kevon Seymour might be forced to redshirt as a freshman because of a sheer lack of available snaps.

Last year, it wouldn't have been farfetched to expect Seymour to come in and start right away.

What will USC be able to do because of that extra depth? Well, it's going to make redshirts more likely for Seymour and fellow incoming freshman Devian Shelton. But it may also allow newcomers Josh Shaw and Gerald Bowman to learn the system without a rush to get on the field in camp.

For Bowman, in particular, that could be a key benefit. He has difference-making potential, but it would've been a lot easier for him to fulfill that potential if he enrolled in the spring. It also means Burnett's probably going to stay at linebacker for his final season. Even if he struggles some there, it just makes more sense from a get-on-the-field perspective.

Considering the other units across the board, the only other ones that come close to the overall depth of the defensive backs are the quarterbacks and the tight ends -- with experience still an issue under center and health a serious issue at tight end.

So, yes, things have changed in the USC secondary.

Check back Wednesday for the second thing we learned in the spring, involving USC's offensive tackles and something they still need to work on.

Josh Shaw can play for the USC Trojans in 2012, the NCAA ruled on Thursday.

Actually, more appropriately: Josh Shaw will play for the USC Trojans in 2012.

He's that good. If he's healthy, which he hasn't been this spring, the Florida transfer will likely challenge for a starting spot with this year's squad and will be a virtual lock to get significant playing time in the secondary.

It's conceivable he could succeed Jawanza Starling as the starting strong safety, where he'd also have to fend off junior Demetrius Wright. It's also possible he could beat out Isiah Wiley for the second cornerback spot or slot in right behind him as the nickel back.

Regardless of where exactly he fits in, Shaw, who has been bothered by back and rib injuries in the spring and has not practiced, is going to provide a good amount of defensive back depth. With him, Wright, incoming junior-college signee Gerald Bowman and the four incumbent starters, USC is going to have seven playmaker-caliber upperclassmen in the secondary -- enough to pretty much play every snap if everyone stays healthy.

Add in talented-but-injury-prone players like Anthony Brown, Brian Baucham, Torin Harris and Drew McAllister, and the Trojans actually have a lot of people there. There shouldn't be any situations like last year, when USC was literally down to two corners at times and struggling to play the packages it wanted.

Then there's Shaw's experience level. He played for Florida for a full season last year, not starting but participating as a key backup. It has been a while since the Trojans have brought in someone with legitimate SEC experience onto their squad.

Coach Lane Kiffin was asked after Thursday's practice if Shaw could come in and start right away for USC -- or at least play significant snaps in a rotation.

"Sure he could," Kiffin said. "He's somebody that already played down in the SEC and has all the right tools.

"We've seen him run around and move around before he got hurt and so it'll be great. Not just on defense but obviously special teams."

He'll be a player to watch over the summer and in fall camp beginning in August.

Here are notes from Tuesday's practice that won't make it into our other posts off the session:

• The MVP of the day, coach Lane Kiffin said, was junior safety Demetrius Wright, who took the place of Jawanza Starling at first-team strong safety after lighting up the special-teams portion of practice. Wright has backed up Starling for much of the last two seasons.

• Starling, in turn, produced the play of day when he knocked back Victor Blackwell after the receiver caught a pass thrown to the middle of the field. Blackwell got sandwiched between Starling and corner Anthony Brown, really, but Starling provided the big hit.

• Strongside linebacker Dion Bailey missed practice after undergoing dental work earlier Tuesday, but he watched from the sideline. Senior Tony Burnett has been switched to linebacker from safety and took Bailey's place with the first-team defense in scrimmage drills. We'll have more on Burnett's move later in the week.

• Injury report: A few once-injured players returned to practice, including center Khaled Holmes (calf), cornerback Ryan Henderson (concussion) and fullback Soma Vainuku (back). But receiver George Farmer (hamstring) and tight ends Xavier Grimble (toe), Randall Telfer (hamstring) and Junior Pomee (foot) all stayed out, with Farmer doing individual work at the start of practice, Grimble and Telfer doing rehab activities and Pomee sitting out altogether.

• Kiffin said Pomee's right foot injury is not a re-break of the same foot he broke last August, but he said the doctors have not figured out anything else on it. Pomee, a redshirt freshman, underwent more tests Tuesday.

• Senior safety Drew McAllister was the only player to come out of practice with an injury, having complained of hip pain midway through practice. McAllister has been bothered by other nagging injuries this spring and has had serious hip problems in the past, including an injury that forced him to miss 2010 spring practice and most of the regular season.

• Final notes: Former USC receivers Patrick Turner and Damian Williams visited campus and participated in the individual portion of practice, which Kiffin said helped give the Trojans' quarterbacks more targets to throw to with so many pass-catchers sidelined. ... Sophomore J.R. Tavai worked at three-technique tackle for the first time this spring, with Kiffin saying that redshirt freshman Antwaun Woods has shown continued improvement at nose tackle. Tavai could back up both tackle spots. ... Sophomore Aundrey Walker continued to work as the left tackle with junior Kevin Graf staying on the right side.

We’re doing position previews in the weeks leading up to spring practice, breaking down one group’s depth chart each day, paying special attention to things that can change in the spring.

We’ve looked at the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers and cornerbacks so far. Today, we analyze the safeties.

T.J. McDonald will start at one safety spot for the USC Trojans in 2012. Will Jawanza Starling?

Most likely. The two players, seniors-to-be both, have essentially held down their respective starting positions for the last two years. Starling had a rough final stretch of the 2010 season but rebounded to be a steady presence throughout 2011.

But, based strictly on personnel, Starling is due to get some intense competition for his spot. Drew McAllister is going to be a senior; Demetrius Wright will be a junior.

Josh Shaw, a Florida transfer, is clearly starter-caliber as a defensive back. It's just a matter of (1) whether he'll be eligible in 2012 and (2) whether he'll play corner or safety. And Gerald Bowman was probably good enough to start in the Pac-12 last season while he was a ju-co player.

New defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders is going to have to give all these guys at least a shot at unseating Starling, but it's going to be interesting to see how it's approached.

The safety position is also a perfect example of a bigger question surrounding the Trojans. In general, what time of approach are they going to take to this year's spring practice? Is it going to be treated strictly as a venue for young players to get better, or is a big focus going to be placed on the position with new coaches getting acclimated to a new style?

Will players like McDonald and Starling get a lot of rest so that Sanders can see as much of Wright and Shaw as possible?

USC did do some of that last spring when linebacker Chris Galippo sat out the entire month to keep his back healthy, but that arguably ended up hurting him when he lost his starting spot in November. There's definitely a benefit to sitting out some of the spring as a returning starter (or at least taking it easy), but it's also a cost that has to be weighed in contrast.

McDonald's a perfect example of a rest candidate.

Check back Monday for the special-teamers and our final spring-practice preview before it officially starts Tuesday.

Former Florida defensive back Josh Shaw was a hotly-recruited prospect out of Palmdale High in the Class of 2010 and chose the Gators over the Trojans. After sitting out his first season because of a knee injury but playing considerable snaps this past year, the 6-2, 195-pounder decided to transfer closer to his home in nearby Palmdale because of health issues within his family.

He considered UCLA but chose the Trojans earlier this month and quickly enrolled in school and began participating in team strength-training workouts. Shaw has been an active participant in the unofficial players-only throwing sessions that took place Tuesday and Thursday of this week, lining up at corner and defending receivers like Marqise Lee and Victor Blackwell in one-on-one situations.

ESPNLosAngeles.com caught up with him after Thursday’s throwing session.

Question: You’ve been here for two weeks. How do you feel? Can you see yourself being comfortable here?

Answer: I’m just out here trying to get my feet wet. I really haven’t lined up at corner in about a year, so I’m just out here trying to get my feet wet. I feel pretty comfortable though, especially with an All-American back there in T.J. (McDonald), my roommate, who can navigate me through everything. It’s a start.

Did you come here to play corner? You’d be one of the bigger corners in college football.

The coaches know I can play both. They know I can play safety and they know I can play corner also. But I would rather play corner, definitely.

Why?

I just like what I can bring to the team. I’d bring another physical corner over there with Nickell (Robey) on the other side. He’s a physical guy himself, short and all but with so much heart. I can bring another physical presence to the perimeter over there.

Have you seen another college corner like Nickell? He seems pretty unique.

I’ve never seen anything like him. He’s the real deal. I’ve heard about him back in Florida, but seeing him out here on Thursday -- man, he’s the real deal. Also I got with him and told him, ‘Show me the ropes. You’ve started here for two years. Show me the ropes and I’ll follow them.’

Do you think you’d have an easier chance to play early at corner or safety?

Really both. Whatever the team needs, to be honest. Because I know I can do both. And my confidence level is pretty high right now. You know, at Florida we didn’t do 7-on-7 like this. So with me doing this right now, it’s giving me a lot of good prep for spring ball, I feel like.

On that note, how important is it for you to be able to participate in spring practice? You can practice regardless of whether or not your hardship waiver is granted, but it would obviously change the focus a lot.

Once the NCAA rules, if it’s granted or it’s not, then the coaches will have a better idea what to do with me. Right now, of course, I’m ineligible because there hasn’t been a ruling yet. And if I am declared eligible then they can mess with me out there in the spring.

Do you feel sort of weird about the whole waiver process? You know, putting your fate in someone else’s hands and all.

I have no control over it at all, and this is the first time in my life I’ve been in this type of situation, coming from playing last year to maybe sitting out right now. I’m not taking anything for granted, man. I’m out here getting older and I realize that. I’m training myself as if I am going to be able to play. I have a good case. I came home for a reason.

Reports on this have varied from definitely-going to not-close-at-all. What’s the truth -- how close were you to going to UCLA after you decided to transfer from Florida?

I was pretty close to going to UCLA. But after weighing all my options, me and my family, we decided it was best for me to come home. I always felt like USC was home. If there was one place that was home, it was this place. I grew up watching 'SC football. That being said though, I think I’ll be the first player from my high school to come here to USC, which is pretty cool.

So, you’ll now have spent time at two of the biggest athletic schools in the country. Compare them a bit. What’s Florida like?

Man, basketball’s pretty big at UF. I’ve heard the team is not too good here. But I’ll check it out one time when they play a big team. And, honestly, down there, they live and die with football. I got to see some of the best atmospheres all around in college football in LSU, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina. You see it all. I haven’t played in the Pac-12 yet, so I don’t know. But, rooming with T.J., he tells me that when they played at Oregon it was crazy and everything, so I’m looking forward it.

So there’s now four kids with Florida ties on the team: You, Nickell, running back Javorious Allen and safety Jawanza Starling. It’s kind of funny that three of you are defensive backs, no?

Yep, Jawanza. It’s his last year out here and he knows the defense too. All I’m trying to do right now is receive. Keep my mouth shut, work hard and earn some respect from the guys. But this was a good decision for me, coming in, because I know a lot of the guys. As a transfer, you want to go somewhere where you’re comfortable. And I’m definitely comfortable here.

With the spring semester at USC beginning Monday, five of the Trojans' class of 2012 recruits are expected to begin taking classes this week or next: safety Gerald Bowman, defensive end Morgan Breslin, linebacker Scott Starr, offensive tackle Chad Wheeler and defensive end DeVante Wilson.

Going along with our end-of-year lists that looked at the top performers from the 2011 season and the top questions facing USC in 2012, we're now profiling each of the five players, beginning Monday and continuing through Friday. Here's No. 1, Bowman, a product of nearby Pierce College.

Bowman's the most college-ready of any of the five players USC's been bringing in, and will probably be the most college-ready of anybody in USC's entire 20-person recruiting class. He could start at a number of schools across the country next year, and he probably was going to start for the Trojans if T.J. McDonald declared early for the NFL draft.

But McDonald will be back in 2012, as will his counterpart at safety, senior Jawanza Starling. Those two will have those spots fairly locked down. Bowman, then, becomes one-half of the Trojans' safety combination of the future with junior Demetrius Wright, who once challenged Starling for his spot but fell behind because of injuries.

The only problem: He's not officially in school yet, still needing to finish winter inter-session classes up at a local school in the interim to meet all the qualification requirements at USC. The deadline to begin attending spring-semester classes at USC is Jan. 27, giving him about two and a half weeks to get everything arranged.

If he does, he'll be able to participate in team meetings and workouts immediately. If he doesn't, he'll still be a 2012 recruit but will be set back quite a bit as a juco player. A redshirt would be a real possibility if he didn't get to USC until the summer, as he does have three years to play two.

Bowman took a roundabout route to end up in Southern California after going to high school in Philadelphia. Now some recruiting services' No. 1-ranked junior college player, he clearly has the speed and size to succeed at the position. He's 6-1 and 210 pounds and reportedly runs a 4.45 40-yard dash. His ball-hawking instincts could use work, but he consistently plays aggressively on film, showing a McDonald-like tendency to step up to ballcarriers and knock them back.

Check back Tuesday for our profile of Breslin, the other junior-college player of the five.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley led a group of Trojan honorees from the school's annual awards banquet Monday night, as he was named the team's 2011 MVP. Other top award-winners included Christian Tupou as most inspirational player, fullback/tight end Rhett Ellison as the winner of the leadership award and offensive tackle Matt Kalil and defensive end Nick Perry as the offensive and defensive linemen of the year.

Here are the rest of the winners:
Perimeter Players of the Year: wide receiver Robert Woods (offense), safety T.J. McDonald (defense)
Special Teams Player of the Year: fullback Ross Cumming
Service Team Players of the Year: offensive guard Cyrus Hobbi (offense), linebacker Anthony Sarao (defense)
Player of the Game vs. Notre Dame: cornerback Nickell Robey
Player of the Game vs. UCLA: wide receiver Marqise Lee
Jack Oakie “Rise and Shine” Award (year’s longest run): running back Curtis McNeal (79 yards vs. Washington)
Howard Jones/Football Alumni Club Academic Award (overall academic achievement): linebacker Augusto Alonso
Bob Chandler Award (underclassman with outstanding athletic ability, academic achievement and character): linebacker Hayes Pullard
John McKay Award (underclassman with the most competitive spirit): Robey
Joe Collins Walk-on Award: punter Kyle Negrete
Courage Award: McNeal
Co-Lifters Award: Ellison, safety Jawanza Starling

USC coach Lane Kiffin had a smart, quick answer when he was asked after the Trojans' Thursday practice what he was thankful for this Thanksgiving season.

"Our quarterback," Kiffin said.

True enough. But Kiffin also had some more insight to offer on his players' and his own Thanksgiving Day celebrations later Thursday. The 36-year-old Trojans coach didn't plan on going home until 6 or 7 p.m., but then he'd get a chance to eat, drink and be merry for a bit with wife Layla and the rest of the Kiffin clan.

And, most importantly, not talk any football for a few hours.

"Not at all," Kiffin said. "Really it's the last thing we want to do. We don't want to talk about football when we finally go away from here.

"But a lot of our family is here, on both sides, so it's good."

Kiffin and his staff checked with all of the players, too, and everybody's either going back home to spend time with family or congregating at certain players' homes for a makeshift Thanksgiving Day feast. A number of players' families -- including receiver Brandon Carswell and safety Jawanza Starling -- flew in to Los Angeles to celebrate out here.

The only challenge, then, is making sure some of the players don't come in a little, uh, overweight for Friday afternoon's walk-through.

"We talked to our big guys," Kiffin said. "It's going to be hard to monitor them. Unless we go from house to house.

"We just have to trust them, but I don't think that's going to go over very well."

EUGENE, Ore. -- Whether the USC Trojans win or lose, Lane Kiffin's usually all business after his team's games -- in and out of the press room, in and out of the locker room and so on.

Not Saturday. After his Trojans topped No. 4 Oregon, Kiffin lingered around Autzen Stadium much longer than normal. He smiled. He looked like a man pleased with his accomplishments -- and justifiably so, for his team had overcome its two-touchdown underdog status to beat the mighty Ducks.

"He enjoyed it today," safety T.J. McDonald said. "I think everybody enjoyed it."

That said, the win wasn't about now -- it was about later. Sure, it pushes the Trojans to a No. 10 ranking in Sunday's Associated Press poll, helps Kiffin's approval rating in the immediate and pleases program donors worldwide, but what it really does is put USC near the top of voters' minds come next preseason.

Never mind the low expectations of the last year and a half. Beginning as soon as next week's game against UCLA ends -- assuming it's a win, of course -- these Trojans are going to have high expectations around them for 2012 and beyond.

"The main thing this game does," safety Jawanza Starling said Saturday, "is set us up for next year.

"It shows that 'SC is back."

A number of players uttered those same final three words. Cornerback Nickell Robey said the same thing, apostrophe and all. Running back Curtis McNeal used "USC." McDonald and linebacker Hayes Pullard said similar statements with slight variations.

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EUGENE, Ore. -- Marc Tyler fumbled, Oregon recovered and the Autzen Stadium crowd went wild.

Down three points, the Ducks had two and a half minutes -- 151 seconds -- to score, needing a field goal for overtime and a touchdown for the win.

In Oregon-land, that's an eternity. And Chip Kelly treated it like one, declining to use a single timeout as his Ducks marched down the field with the game in the balance. He wasn't even afraid to run the ball, either. On the final drive, Oregon ran four run plays and got first downs on three of them.

The Ducks were more successful running than passing, really. But they couldn't get past the USC 18-yard line and were forced to kick a 37-yard field goal, and Alejandro Maldonado's attempt went wide left to give the Trojans the win.

For a team that so often scores so quickly, 151 seconds wasn't quite enough.

"We told them they were going to have to beat us with their kicker," cornerback Nickell Robey said afterward. "And that's what it came down to tonight.

"They tried to beat us with our kicker. We beat them with our defense."

If there were a win probability generator in college football like there is in baseball, the algorithm would have said the Ducks were favored when they picked up Tyler's fumble -- meaning there was probably about a 60-70 percent chance Oregon would win once it got that ball, statistically.

But the game's played on the field, and USC didn't give up any gigantic plays to the Ducks, so they were forced to try to grind it out. Kelly ran 15 plays on the final drive -- more than the Ducks had run on any other series in all of Saturday's game.

They weren't well-equipped to succeed in that situation, and they clearly didn't expect to be kicking the field goal. But USC expected them to.

"We have confidence in our special teams and our field-goal block team," safety Jawanza Starling said. "If the game's on the line, we're gonna make a play."

Maldonado was all set to kick a 42-yarder after Lane Kiffin used his last timeout to ice him, but USC left tackle Matt Kalil jumped offsides trying to block it and and the ball was moved five yards closer to the goalposts.

But it didn't matter. A number of USC players said the Oregon kicker was too flustered -- by the situation and by the prospects of USC's best-in-the-country field goal block unit -- to make the kick anyway. His attempt had the distance but hooked wide left late.

The Trojans didn't block it, but the players on the block unit didn't see the kick. Because they all went to the line, none of them knew what happened until they saw their teammates react.

"Once I saw our sideline and realized how quiet it was, I knew he missed it," Starling said. "Or it got blocked. One or the other."

It's unusual for the first practice after a large-margin victory, but the Trojans were missing quite a few starters and key reserves during Tuesday's session.

Safety Demetrius Wright (undisclosed) and defensive tackles DaJohn Harris (ankle) and Christian Tupou (knee) were out, and safety Jawanza Starling (rib), left tackle Matt Kalil (neck) and linebacker Simione Vehikite (neck) were very limited. Receiver Robert Woods (ankle) was also limited, sporting a yellow no-contact jersey once again.

"Unfortunately we had a lot of guys banged up today, even though it was a short game for us for the most part, meaning that our ones didn't have a lot of reps," Trojans coach Lane Kiffin said after practice.

All seven of those players suited up Saturday against Washington, with five fulfilling their traditional roles. Harris didn't start and was replaced by freshman George Uko; Woods started but was thrown to fewer times than he had been in any other game this season.

The weird part about the injury list: For most of the players, Saturday's game was the lightest load they experienced all season. USC was up 23-3 by halftime and Kiffin started transitioning in some backups in the third quarter.

"A surprisingly large amount of injuries for a game like that where we had a bunch of our guys only play 30-35 snaps," Kiffin said. "So hopefully we get them all back, we'll need them all for a very challenging week.

By very challenging, Kiffin is of course referencing the fourth-ranked Oregon Ducks, whom the Trojans will face on Saturday in Eugene.

USC expects most -- if not all -- of the seven guys to play against the Ducks. The players least likely to suit up are probably Vehikite and Harris.

A number of players who missed the first two days of Washington preparation returned to practice for USC on Wednesday, an encouraging sign for the Trojans as they approach Saturday's game against the Huskies.

Cornerback Torin Harris, safety Jawanza Starling, linebackers Dion Bailey and Hayes Pullard, receiver Robert Woods and running backs Marc Tyler and George Farmer all got back on the field Wednesday. The only player with a temporary injury who continued to sit out was defensive tackle DaJohn Harris.

Of those who returned, Torin Harris, Starling, Bailey, Tyler and Farmer all missed Friday's game against Colorado; Woods played but continued to be limited by ankle and elbow injuries.

"We have anticipation that everybody could possibly be playing Saturday, which is obviously good for us," Trojans coach Lane Kiffin said Wednesday. "We'll continue to push them throughout the week and see if they can be at full strength."

Torin Harris has been out since the Arizona State game with nerve damage in his shoulder, which has slowly healed over the last six weeks. He hasn't been cleared yet, but it's possible it could happen before Saturday's game.

"There is a potential of that, yeah," Kiffin said. "Torin went today and did some things so we'll continue to test him each day. That would be a big pick up obviously with our lack of depth at cornerback."

About that lack of depth: USC needs a third corner desperately. Tony Burnett had an extremely rough day filling that role against the Buffaloes, and there are no other scholarship corners available other than freshman Ryan Henderson.

DaJohn Harris' absence would be significant as the first missed game on the defensive line this season. USC's five other rotation players on the line have stayed remarkably healthy thus far.

1. The conditions and a potential letdown. Weather.com projects it to be 47 degrees at kickoff Friday night in Boulder. But it won't be snowing, and the weather, in general, won't be much worse than it was two weeks ago in South Bend -- except for the altitude, which could make for some easily-tired players and big boots from USC kicker Andre Heidari. And Buffaloes fans can get loud, and they typically turn out in big numbers for big-time opponents. Colorado nearly sold out Folsom Field two weeks ago when Oregon visited and Friday's game is reportedly approaching sellout status as well. This game definitely shows signs of the prototypical letdown game, but it's Lane Kiffin's job to prevent that from happening.

2. Putting it behind them. That brings us to what happened last week, because that's the biggest reason why everybody's talking about this game as a letdown chance. USC came thisclose to beating the fourth-ranked team in the country. They were within a second (or correctly called timeout) of kicking a potential game-winning field goal and went into triple overtime against Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal. But the Trojans didn't win the game, and Kiffin made a big fuss about some apparent officiating gaffes in the following days, forcing the conversation away from Colorado and onto Stanford. We'll see whether that was the right decision for his team on the field against the Buffaloes.

3. Richardson-Stewart. Colorado expects its two best offensive players to come back this week, a rarity in sports but a likelihood for USC. Receiver Paul Richardson (four games) and running back Rodney Stewart (two games) have been out of late, but coach Jon Embree said he expects them both back. Richardson spent his senior year in 2009 at Gardena Serra high, where he served as Robert Woods' bookend receiver, so he has plenty of history with the Trojans. The 5-6, 175-pound Stewart is an Ohio native who wasn't highly recruited out of high school but has gone on to success in the Big 12 and now the Pac-12.

4. Health on defense. It looks like Dion Bailey might miss the game because of a concussion. Jawanza Starling is likely missing it because of an unspecified injury, and T.J. McDonald is missing the first half because of a suspension. Combine that with the pile-up of injuries at cornerback over the last several weeks, and USC's secondary is going to be severely shorthanded. Kiffin and position coach Sammy Knight are lucky the Trojans are playing Colorado this week -- otherwise, it'd be a significant issue. And defensive end Wes Horton missed both sessions this week because of what appears to be a left arm issue. Also, the Buffaloes are getting two cornerbacks back this week, which should make for a decidedly better performance from their secondary. They played one game with six scholarship corners injured last month.

5. Blowout possibilities? This is the Trojans' last legitimate chance to send a team packing in one half, which they've yet to do this season. The closest thing to it would be their 20-0 halftime lead over Cal, but even that was a bit of a game in the second half. Colorado hasn't finished within three touchdowns of an opponent since Oct. 1, so this would appear to be the perfect opportunity. Matt Barkley might actually get a snap or two off, too, for the first time this year. If he does, Jesse Scroggins might be the guy Kiffin asks to hand the ball off a few times. With back-to-back games against teams they're 0-4 against in the last two years in Oregon and Washington approaching, the Trojans could use some all-around rest.

Drew McAllister is going to start Friday at free safety for the suspended T.J. McDonald.

That much we know for sure.

But the Trojans could be starting two new safeties against Colorado, as starting strong safety Jawanza Starling has missed both practices this week because of an unspecified injury. Senior Marshall Jones has been practicing in that spot and figures to get the start there if Starling isn't ready to come Friday.

"Very easily that could be the case, with Jawanza having not practiced today and obviously the league deciding T.J can't play," Trojans coach Lane Kiffin said Wednesday.

McAllister has started one previous game at USC, a September 2009 loss to Washington. Jones has started four, the final four of last season when Starling was hurt. Both have been second-stringers throughout spring practice and fall camp this season, so this would represent quite the opportunity.

"They're good stories when things like this happen, when guys that have played a bunch before, get another shot," Kiffin said, comparing their situations to other veteran players who have subbed in for injured players in the past. "We've had guys really step up in those situations, like a year ago when Chris Galippo came in a backup role for Devon Kennard and started playing better actually, a year ago.

"And so hopefully this will be one of those cases."

McAllister, Kiffin pointed out Tuesday, has consistently made more interceptions in practice than anybody else in USC's secondary. He'll get his first legitimate chance to prove he can do that as a starter on Friday in what could end up being an audition for next season's starting job.

McDonald could leave for the NFL. If he does, McAllister, who'll be a senior, makes sense as the starter. But there's other options that make sense, too.

McAllister gets a half to show that he should be the No. 1 choice.