IT'S IN THE GAME FOR THESE USC TEAMMATES PLAYSTATION, XBOX PROVIDES ULTIMATE COMPETITION.

Byline: Scott Wolf  Staff Writer

It only takes about two hours of practice per day for USC to be the nation's No. 1-ranked football team, which is fortunate for a large group of Trojans, who require eight hours a day to hone their favorite activity: Playing video games.

It's a nightly ritual for many USC players, united by their addiction to the XBox and PlayStation 2. Once a solitary or living-room activity among friends, hard-core gamers now rely on the Internet to play anyone, anywhere. Or in this case, teammates.

``We get home from practice and get on the sticks at 8 p.m. till around 4 a.m., Monday through Thursday,'' wide receiver Chris McFoy said. ``Afterward, you're like, `Oh, dang.' ''

Thanks to technology, players can face off against each other as join forces as teams without leaving their apartments. All they need is a video-game console and high-speed Internet connection to play anyone, anywhere.

It might be one reason the Trojans are a fairly close-knit group off the field. Sometimes, players from UCLA and Boise State join in and play. A microphone allows everyone to talk to each other during games, which means trash-talking is invited.

``You talk (stuff) to guys,'' USC quarterback Matt Leinart said. ``It's like being on a cell phone, but it's a video game.''

McFoy said he prefers not to talk to opposing players, but it's nearly impossible with the competitive nature of online gamers.

``If we play people cool, we won't say anything,'' he said. ``There's usually only idiots online though with an urge to talk back.''

The elite players are McFoy, wide receiver William Buchanon, linebacker Clay Matthews, wide receiver Greig Carlson and fullback David Kirtman. Leinart is also part of the group, although his status is up for debate.

``He's not a real gamer like us,'' McFoy said.

Originally, games such as EA Sports College Football or Madden NFL were popular. Then everyone became addicted to Halo, an XBox fantasy game heavy on weapons and violence.

``After Halo, it's all downhill from there,'' McFoy said.

Even Leinart prefers it.

``Halo is the best, by far,'' he said.

McFoy said Madden is ``garbage'' and refuses to play any football video games.

``I live football,'' he said. ``Playing video games is taking a break, and playing a video football game is not taking a break.''

Carlson is the self-proclaimed ``king of the XBox,'' but admitted he gets to play more than teammates because he's been out most of the season with groin injuries.

``When they practice, I play,'' he said.

But Carlson added he's also more dedicated. ``They deal with girlfriends. I play.''

McFoy said the choice is simple to be a ``gamer.'' You either have a social life or you play games.

``It's either one or the other. There is no in-between. When we started playing, our social life went down,'' he said. ``I was in my room all the time. I stopped getting phone calls because I turned my phone off.

``I fluctuated for a little while, so I went out more and then my game sucked. Trust me, I have been yelled at by girls about it.''

Matthews said he usually sets aside a couple hours a night but in the offseason, things can become more intense.

``It's all people do because they have more time,'' Matthews said.

Some extreme scenarios occur whenever there is free time. McFoy remembers the effect an injury had on him one weekend.

``I was injured for the Arizona game, so right after Friday's practice, I played from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.,'' he said.

Although USC players primarily face each other, anyone on the Internet can attempt to face them, especially in games where teams of four people play. That leads to misconceptions because strangers often confuse USC players because of their Internet names.

Matthews used to play under the moniker ``USCMatt,'' a play on his last name. That led to a host of gamers assuming he was Leinart.

``They would get mad and say, `You're not Matt.' But I never said I was,'' Matthews said.

McFoy said there's likely to be more trash-talking from non-football players than when the Trojans play Bruins or football players from other schools.

``It's all united online,'' he said. ``There is no rivalry.''

The Rose Bowl scored bonus points with the gamers when it handed out the new XBox 360 console as a gift for both teams.

``That's the gift of a lifetime,'' McFoy said.

Scott Wolf, [phone]

scott.wolf(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) USC linebacker Clay Matthews can play against others on his XBox using an Internet high-speed connection.

(2) Aside from Clay Matthews, USC wide receivers Chris McFoy, William Buchanon and Greig Carlson and fullback David Kirtman are considered the elite gamers on the USC football team.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer