This is not heresy, simply a word of caution. This is not to be confused with the sky is falling or the end is near or Hollywood celeb will not adopt.

Just a request for a deep breath. To control the palpitations and the giddy expectations with a small dose of restraint.

Understand, the college football season will soon be upon us and already preseason publications are falling over themselves to gush on about USC.

The Trojans seem to be everyone's preseason No. 1.

Athlon, Lindy's, Sporting News - all have USC its top-ranked team. More No. 1 adulation figures to come.

Certainly there is a lot to like about these Trojans. They are talented, well coached, return 10 starters on defense and have a leading Heisman candidate in quarterback John David Booty.

No doubt, Pete Carroll will once again lead a terrific team.

Yet despite the grand basis, the Trojans are not without serious question marks. And that's before analyzing one of the toughest road schedules in the country.

For all their prep All-Americans, all their marvelous talent and returning starters (16 overall), the Trojans lack one key ingredient for greatness.

They have no proven game-breaker.

A wealth of talented tailbacks and not one to send a chill down a defense's spine.

They have a horde of gifted wide receivers and not any who's shown to be a true touchdown threat.

Booty has to hand off, has to pass to someone. There simply is no established tailback or wide receiver.

There are players who have shown flashes. Who have shown promise. Who reek of potential.

Just no one who has ever stepped up and put the fear of Reggie Bush or Dwayne Jarrett into anyone.

Petros Papadakis, the former USC tailback and current college football analyst and KLAC sports-talk host, is high on this year's USC team but still harbors concern.

"They're going to be very good," he said. "They have a great defense and offensive line, an established quarterback.

"But what they don't have is a proven game-breaker. Until they find one of those guys, they'll be missing something. Somebody has to rise up."

In their first season without LenDale White and Reggie Bush, the Trojans used a host of mostly young tailbacks. Chauncey Washington, C.J. Gable and Emmanuel Moody all had moments, but none took hold of the position.

This season, the Trojans will add the top two tailback recruits in the country, Joe McKnight and Marc Tyler, plus freshman Broderick Green and likely sixth-year senior - and former starter - Hershel Dennis.

Overall, the Trojans have 10 former prep All-Americans at tailback. In its preseason annual, Athlon said of USC: "The tailback position is an embarrassment of riches."

It's more like an embarrassment of potential. No USC tailback averaged as many as 60 yards a game last season. None scored at least 10 touchdowns.

None showed with the game on the line, they were the back that needed the ball, who could make something happen.

McKnight is getting the most preseason hype, but receives no favors in being compared to Reggie Bush.

Running back is the one position most coaches feel comfortable with inexperience, though in recent seasons perhaps only Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson and Ohio State's Maurice Clarett became instant sensations as freshmen.

And although Carroll is renowned for playing freshmen, Papadakis cautions that first-year tailbacks have limitations in picking up the blitz, recognizing the defense and thus being effective in third-down situations.

Wide receiver is perhaps even more unsettled. The Trojans lost starters Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith to the NFL.

Waiting their turn are returnees Patrick Turner, Travon Patterson, Vidal Hazelton and David Ausberry.

They have two career touchdowns between them, both by Turner. The Trojans are also high on incoming freshman Ronald Johnson.

No one truly stood out at spring camp at either tailback or receiver. No one has yet to show they can be that special element, the bridge that often rises a very good team to greatness.

"They have all these wide receivers and running backs, but what they don't have is someone who's going to wake up in the team hotel on Saturday morning and understand what's going to happen," Papadakis said.

"A receiver who knows he's going to catch nine passes or a running back who's going to carry the ball 20 times. They don't have that proven go-to guy."

They have guys who could develop or not develop.

"They have to find a guy they'll go to in the clutch, when the game's on the line, to make that big catch or break a touchdown run. The foundation is strong and they're well coached. They have talent. But they haven't found that guy yet."

 

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