This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Maybe the USC Trojans are not such titans, after all.

The legendary team that will play host to the Utah Utes in their first Pac-12 Conference game on Saturday had nearly as many issues in their season opener as the Utes did — albeit against a better opponent. The Trojans needed a late interception to seal an unsatisfying 19-17 victory over Minnesota in front of a restless crowd at the L.A. Coliseum, and did not score in the second half.

"We're going to have to score more points" against the Utes, fullback Rhett Ellison told reporters after the game.

Funny, the Utes felt pretty much the same way after their not-so-inspiring 27-10 victory over Montana State on Thursday. In fact, both coaches — Utah's Kyle Whittingham and USC's Lane Kiffin — said their teams would not beat the other if they play the same way they did in their season openers.

But the Utes aren't also coping with the fallout from a massive cheating scandal.

The Trojans have been straining to do that for months, since the NCAA came down hard after a four-year investigation that found a "lack of institutional control." The Trojans lost 30 scholarships over a three-year period, vacated 14 victories from the 2004 and 2005 seasons and were banned from the postseason last season and this season.

That means that even if the Trojans fulfill preseason expectations and win the new Pac-12 South Division, they will not be allowed to play the inaugural league championship game on Dec. 2.

No bowl games for them, either.

The Trojans also endured some roster attrition because juniors and seniors were allowed to transfer without penalty after the sanctions were imposed, leaving them with just 72 players on scholarship — 13 short of the maximum — while going 8-5 in their first season under Kiffin last year.

But Kiffin believes the worst of the sanctions is behind the program now and said he saw few tangible signs of them during preseason practice.

"I think we kind of made it through," he said. "It hasn't had an effect with the guys who are here."

The Trojans had only six seniors listed in the two-deep as possible starters for the Minnesota game because of all the turmoil but hauled in a recruiting class widely viewed as among the best in the country.

What's more, junior quarterback Matt Barkley has stuck around for his third year as the starter, and he enjoyed a characteristically strong performance in the opener. He completed 34 of 45 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns — all of them to sophomore receiver Robert Woods, who caught a school-record 17 passes for 177 yards.

But these might not be the cocksure Trojans of old, even though Kiffin stubbornly tried two-point conversions after his team's first two touchdowns against the Gophers, both of them failures that might have cost the Trojans had cornerback Torin Harris not intercepted a pass with 53 seconds left to seal the victory.

In an interview last spring, athletic director Pat Haden insisted that "we're not a powerhouse right now," and said the Utes were the kind of team he feared adding to the league.

"When I first heard they were coming in, I told our fan base: Watch out for Utah," Haden recalled. "Maybe they're under your radar screen, but not mine." —

Utah at USC

P Saturday, 5:30 p.m. MDT, Versus