Here's a clip from a SI article about USC's 35-3 victory over Ohio State from 2 weeks ago.

THE DISTURBANCE emanated from the second floor of L.A.'s downtown Marriott last Saturday. Guests in the lobby lounge were startled by the sight—and sound—of 60 or so USC players one floor above them. Before going into a meeting in one of the ballrooms, they let out a kind of primal moan—Oooooohhhhh—followed by three sharp grunts: Oof! Oof! Oof!

It was not until they got behind closed doors that the Trojans went truly off the hook. In a giant huddle around running backs coach Todd McNair, they danced and bounced, making the floor and the walls shake. Water and sports drinks filled the air. Chants broke out—"SC! Power!" and "War time! Let's take it outside!"—and shirts came off. A bare-chested Maualuga was hopping and spinning, his frizzy mane trailing him. Matthews and fellow linebacker Kaluka Maiava practiced mixed martial arts on each other.

Three years ago, on an official visit to USC, a wideout from Glenville (Ohio), Ray Small, witnessed this madness and was turned off. "How are they successful?" he asked himself. "They're not even serious about the game." He compared that to the calm, orderly pregame scene that awaited him at Ohio State, where he would later commit.

Small could not have known that the purpose of this controlled anarchy—a ritual instituted by Carroll not long after his arrival in late 2000—is to reinforce trust and to eliminate doubt. "The preparation is done," Carroll explains. "We want them to trust that everything's O.K., that we got everything right. There's no need to be uptight or afraid of making mistakes. Now it's time to go out, have a little fun, play a little Trojanball."

This might explain why the Trojans lost to Stanford last year and lost to Oregon State last night.

Getting your players relaxed sounds great, especially when you just beat a "top 5" team by 32 points. It's easy to get you mind ready and be serious for the big games. In fact, many players get too uptight and thus the coaches try to get the players to relax. But on the flip side, sometimes it is hard to get serious for a game in which you are a 25 point favorite.

Remember, these guys are 18-22 years old. Do you remember how you looked at things when you were that age? No worries, man! I'll take care of it.

Everyone gets prepared in different ways. If last night's game was the first time USC lost to a double digit underdog, you might just call it a fluke. But it looks like it's becoming a pattern.

By the way, despite what everyone will be saying today. Somehow I have a feeling that USC will be in the national championship hunt in the end. The national media loves USC too much.