Matt Hayes

It's such an easy excuse for the Lefties. Those on the Right, they say, are biased.

This is football, people. Stay focused.

I'm talking about the never-ending East Coast bias argument. You know, where West Coast teams allegedly get snubbed by — take your pick — poll voters and computer geeks, in award nominations and championship bowl games, etc. This time, I'm starting to feel it.

After a summer of speaking with coaches and players and my neighbor Bob — dude is certifiably obsessed with college ball — I'm convinced there is a bias. That's right; I'm siding with the Lefties.

Countless players and coaches have told me they feel as though it's a level playing field this season. As one Big Ten coach says: “There are no USCs running away with it.”

Now, I'll defer to California coach Jeff Tedford: “Last I checked, they recruit pretty well.”

So I'm here to debunk the Righties' assertions, to say — beyond the shadow of Tommy Amstutz's keg — there will be no step backward for Southern California. The Trojans will be just as potent, just as dangerous, just as dynamic as they were in previous seasons when they played with two of the best players in the game's history.

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Walk with me as we explore the five reasons USC could run the table and play in the national championship game.

1) It's J.D.'s time to shine. We've heard plenty about new quarterback John David Booty. We know he graduated one year early from high school. We know he has waited three years for this moment, sitting and learning behind a guy who knows a little something about the position.

What you don't know: Booty is more athletic than Matt Leinart and more accurate when pressured out of the pocket. USC will use a variety of rollouts and moving pockets to take advantage of Booty's skills. That new wrinkle will give USC's wide receivers more precious seconds to roam the secondary, more time to use double moves and separate from defenders.

Dwayne Jarrett is the best receiver in the nation. Steve Smith is the most underappreciated. Throw in Patrick Turner, who eventually will be USC's best receiver, and speedy tight end Fred Davis and Booty is a lock for 3,000 yards and 25 to 30 touchdown passes.

2) A new backfield by committee. Reggie Bush and LenDale White were a once-in-a-lifetime combo. But after all the huffing and puffing of two-a-days, freshmen C.J. Gable and Stafon Johnson appear to be another magical pair.

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“They've got that ‘wow’ ability,” says USC coach Pete Carroll, a guy who coaches as if he ate wow for breakfast.

Junior Chauncey Washington will start (similar to in 2003, when Hershel Dennis started ahead of Bush and White), but Washington doesn't have Gable's explosive ability or Johnson's bruising, downhill style. The question: ball security. And yes, that's a big one. But Bush and White got through it; so will these freshmen.

3) Interior strength. Any numbnut can regurgitate the "games are won in the trenches" mantra. But it's oh so true. Look at the USC interior since 2002 — the beginning of its overpowering run.

"They've had men on the interior," Washington State coach Bill Doba says, "if you know what I mean."

Yep, I do — strong, active and physically advanced athletes who can line up and dictate a game. This season will be no different: Sam Baker, Jeff Byers and Ryan Kalil on offense; Lawrence Jackson, Sedrick Ellis and Fili Moala on defense. Those aren't just names. Those are guys who will make millions in the NFL.

4) Speed on defense. This will be Carroll's fastest defense in his six seasons in L.A., which is a huge statement. An AFC scout told me linebackers Keith Rivers, Dallas Sartz and Rey Maualuga are first-round picks, and backups Oscar Lua and Brian Cushing would start on 90 percent of Division I-A teams.

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Talent and competition at cornerback have allowed Josh Pinkard to move back to free safety, the most important spot in USC's defense. Carroll is aggressive with blitz packages — he loves to bring the strong safety — and needs a free safety who doesn't get lost rolling into coverage.

5) East Coast motivation. This team is two plays away — Vince Young's Superman touchdown in the Rose Bowl and Dennis' fumble against Cal in 2003 — from a 47-game winning streak. And suddenly, experts say it's human again?

A couple of weeks ago at Pac-10 media day, Carroll was peppered with questions about USC's inevitable "step back." After what must have seemed like a few hundred references, Carroll finally said, "You know, we're going to be pretty good."

Yep, I'm a believer.