Is the Arizona State-USC Game the Most Important of the Pete Carroll Era?

A new and ominous sound is being heard throughout college football.

Distant rumblings of smug assertions by those whose teams have suffered through eight years of Trojan dominance, either directly or indirectly, are becoming louder.

Has Pete Carroll lost his magic touch with the USC Trojans?

After last Saturday's 47-20 blowout loss to Oregon, some are saying that the luster has come off the Trojans and that Pete Carroll is no longer capable of casting the spell over his opponents, a spell that has led to his sterling 94-17 record since he took the helm of USC football.

Others additionally point to the somewhat close victories over Oregon State and Notre Dame in the two games prior to the debacle in Oregon and say this is a trend of deteriorating Trojan football.

What can't be denied is that the Oregon loss represented, by far, the worst loss in the Pete Carroll era.

Not just on the scoreboard, which provides tangible proof for even the casual observer, but also in the game itself, where the Trojan defense, the unit that Pete Carroll claims mastery over, acquitted itself most miserably.

As Trojan-haters gleefully watched the Ducks run around, over, and through the anemic USC defense, the assertions that the Trojans were coming apart became the standard fare for the Internet mavens.

In the maelstrom of criticism, Pete Carroll has just smiled and cautioned those who have predicted the Trojans demise to take a deep breath.

After viewing the horror show that was the Oregon game, Pete Carroll shuddered and took the blame.

Saying that he installed an overly ambitious defense in preparation for the Ducks, Carroll said he will get back to basics against the Sun Devils Saturday night in Tempe.

If he is successful and the Trojans can get a victory against Arizona State, it will represent a new start for USC, who will have played its last road game of the season on that night.

After Saturday, USC will play its last three games at the coliseum, where they are almost unbeatable.

As many forsee a Trojan run of the table, they also suggest a 10-2 record should land USC in a BCS bowl game.

Not exactly how Coach Carroll and the Trojans would have drawn it up prior to the season, but not a bad consolation prize either.

Now, I understand that the Trojans have played an abundance of huge games in recent years.

Games that have decided BCS bowls and clinched titles.

However, all of these big games have been played while the Trojans have rode on the crest of success.

The game against Arizona State is fundamentally different.

For the first time in recent memory, the Trojans will try to prove they are still among the college football elite.

But it all starts Saturday night against the Sun Devils.

When the Trojans play the most important game in the Pete Carroll era.