CARROLL SURGES WITH TROY EX-JETS COACH COULD GET USC JOB TODAY.

Byline: Scott Wolf  Staff Writer

In a move that is likely to stun many, USC is expected to announce as soon as this afternoon that former New England Patriots coach Pete Carroll will be its next football coach.

The surprising choice came Wednesday, as school officials were in simultaneous contact with Carroll and San Diego Chargers Mike Riley, the two finalists in the coaching search.

According to sources, athletic director Mike Garrett met with USC president Steven Sample to finalize the decision Wednesday afternoon.

In an ironic twist, sources said Chargers president Dean Spanos has been researching Carroll as a possible replacement for Riley following this season.

But that won't be necessary, because Carroll, 49, apparently made a late surge after being considered a long shot because he has not coached college football in 17 years. He impressed athletic-department officials last week during his interviews and was already courting USC football players last weekend.

Carroll's ``aggressiveness'' in trying to get the job was apparently considered a factor, which made sense since he was unemployed.

He will not be a popular choice and that was already evident Wednesday, as athletic-department phones rang off the hook with unhappy fans calling to protest the possible hiring. Some boosters have even threatened to cease donations over the hire.

A two-time NFL head coach, Carroll led the New York Jets to a 6-10 record in 1994 before being fired. In 1997, he was named coach of the Patriots and went 10-6, 9-7 and 8-8 before being fired after the 1999 season.

More important than that, Carroll received the endorsement of his friend, USC associate athletic director Daryl Gross, who worked with Carroll in the Jets organization in 1990.

Otherwise, Carroll would seem a curious choice. He last coached college football in 1983, when he was the assistant head coach at University of the Pacific.

He has no ties to Southern California high schools, where nearly all of USC's recruiting occurs, and would have to scramble to make up already lost ground for this season's class.

His hiring makes it more likely that at least two assistant coaches from the current coaching staff would be retained, with the favorites expected to be running-backs coach Kennedy Pola and defensive-line coach Ed Orgeron.

It's also going to interesting how Carroll reacts to USC's facilities, which rank near the bottom of the Pacific-10 Conference. This was a major problem for former coach Paul Hackett, who like Carroll, was viewed as an NFL coach and not familiar with college football.

Carroll did not return messages at his Massachusetts home Wednesday night, and according to sources, was already flying to Los Angeles for the impending announcement.

Technically, Carroll has college coaching experience, if you count the 1970s and '80s.

Prior to that coaching at Pacific, Carroll spent three years (1980-82) as an assistant at North Carolina State, and also had assistant-coaching stops at Ohio State (1979), Iowa State (1978), Arkansas (1977).

After leaving Pacific in 1983, Carroll went to the Buffalo Bills (1984), Miami Dolphins (1985-89), New York Jets (1990-94), San Francisco 49ers (95-96) and New England Patriots (1997-99). He was the head coach with the Jets in 1994 but was fired after one season.

His daughter, Jaime, is a freshman reserve on the USC women's volleyball team, which plays Wisconsin today in the Final Four in Richmond, Va.

Wednesday's decision capped a wild day for Riley, who spoke to USC in the morning and afternoon, then heard a local television report he had been fired by the Chargers. It later was retracted, but Riley was waiting to hear back from USC on Wednesday night whether or not he was still in the hunt for the job.

``The ball is in their court,'' Riley said. ``This whole thing could happen, I believe, and I would never ever know about it. I don't really know what's going on. I haven't cut it off from my end.''

Sources said Riley, who was USC's offensive coordinator from 1993-96, could have been hurt by his association with former USC coach John Robinson, who was fired by Garrett in 1997.

``I'm at total peace with whatever happens. I truly am,'' Riley said. ``It'll play out.''

The forgotten man in all this is Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick, who interviewed for the job Monday. Lubick said Wednesday he had not heard from USC and did not think he would get the job.

Another late candidate was former Arizona coach Dick Tomey, who had several conversations with Garrett, according to sources.