Picking a national champion in college football this season is as simple as 1, 2, 3. It's U S C.

Try finding a preseason publication that picks anyone other than the two-time defending national champions. I couldn't.

So I polled some local media-types. They went 9-for-9, all for Southern Cal.

Then, I asked the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Ron Higgins, a veteran college football writer who doesn't follow the pack. He gave me another first-place vote for USC.

No team has won three consecutive national championships in college football. But everybody is picking USC to beat history as well as the field.

It's not just that USC has so many key players returning from last year's championship team. There's also a matter of conference affiliation. The Pac-10 isn't as difficult as either the SEC or Big Ten.

In the USA Today preseason coaches' poll, only two USC opponents, No. 18 Arizona State and No. 20 Cal, are ranked in the Top 25.

The Trojans must play Arizona State, Cal and Notre Dame on the road. Their toughest home games will be against Fresno State, which has made a number of preseason publications' Top 25s; Arkansas, which has a history of playing well in an underdog role; and cross-town rival UCLA, which played the Trojans tough last year.

All the leading contenders for the national title will play more difficult schedules.

Tennessee will play four teams in the coaches' Top 25, and that includes No. 6 LSU and No. 11 Florida on the road. Texas plays four Top-25 teams, including No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 9 Ohio State.

Ohio State plays No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Michigan, and No. 10 Iowa. Michigan, which plays Iowa and No. 9 Ohio State, has the easiest schedule of the consensus top-four teams behind USC.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284.