USC'S LUCK COULD RUN OUT VS. IRISH.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

CHICAGO - Look at them. All decked out in their cardinal and gold. All confident, impervious to the concept of failure.

Like they don't comprehend USC could lose today? Dare we whisper, will lose today?

I would ask one of them, but doubt that I could be heard over the blare of the USC marching band. It's a USC pep rally right in Chicago, at the Navy Pier on Lake Michigan.

A gorgeous, warm Friday afternoon and over 2,000 of the faithful, all wearing the school colors and - after 27 consecutive victories - all oblivious to anything but success.

There's the band, the sweater girls, the flag girls. The old and the young. Standing among them, flashing the ``victory'' sign, is former USC coach John Robinson.

There is an elderly woman wearing a T-shirt that reads, ``Sometimes Roses Aren't Enough,'' and a co-ed with another that reads, ``Irish I Was Born a Trojan.'' Another coed has written with a Sharpie across the breast area of her white tank top: ``I Need Two Tickets.''

A couple of hours up the Interstate, ninth-ranked Notre Dame is preparing for the upset of the season. Just salivating over the prospect of knocking off No.1 USC and snapping its winning streak.

It all smells suspiciously like a setup.

USC, used to wiping Notre Dame up by 31 points, is fighting overconfidence. The Fighting Irish are at home, in the shadow of the Golden Dome and Touchdown Jesus and Rudy.

New Irish coach Charlie Weis - who according to one report said in his NFL days he ``owned Pete Carroll'' - has had two weeks to prepare his master offensive plan for the Trojans.

``This two-week opportunity for them really makes them dangerous,'' Carroll said.

It is Notre Dame, the same school that snapped UCLA's record 88-game winning streak in basketball, just lying in wait. Notre Dame, again on the rise, feeling all good about itself, pumped up over the country's greatest intersectional rivalry.

The Irish might come out today in green jerseys, leprechauns painted on their helmets, shillelaghs on the bench.

It just reeks of trouble, of very real danger.

USC has struggled to win for three weeks now. Really, it's winning streak has to end sometime.

``I can't believe what this place is going to be like when we win,'' said Irish tight end Anthony Fasano.

Get that, when - not if.

Weis has the Irish believing again. Has connected with the grand tradition of Notre Dame. Has the country revved up over the biggest game thus far in the season.

``Coming in with swagger and confidence is the biggest thing we've got now,'' Fasano said.

And nobody seems overly concerned at USC that the heavens and the schedule and the USC cornerbacks all seem to be conspiring against them?

They're just so giddy with success right now, anything else seems too foreign to truly grasp.

Even the marching band is treated like celebrities. As it marched by Friday you could hear a fan scream at a trombone player, ``Ross! Ross! That's my neighbor.''

As the band played, fans actually yelled out requests like at a rock concert. Since the band was playing its greatest hits, you knew the rally would last nearly an hour.

(Note to self: If you ever attend a pep rally again, do not stand in front of the trumpet section.)

There were no players or coaches there; they were all over in South Bend. No one spoke, although there were moments the band yelled, ``Beat the Irish,'' or ``Rose Bowl.''

Robinson stood there like any other fan, looking all happy and confident that USC was headed for another memorable victory.

``I like 'SC because it's best in the biggest games,'' Robinson said. ``Notre Dame is good; they might win.

``But I think 'SC is going to rise to the challenge. Pete Carroll's teams play the best in the biggest games. The bigger it is, the better they play. And this is a big game.''

That's true, of course. Every time an Oklahoma or a Michigan or somebody was supposed to finally bring USC down to Earth, they were left humbled.

The Trojans have had difficulty taking command early in games the past few weeks, and that's a recipe they won't want to follow in front of 80,000 jacked-up fans at Notre Dame.

If the Trojans believe for even a moment that they're going to simply waltz past Notre Dame by another 31 points, it's big trouble.

``This is not the same football team, this is not the same offense,'' Carroll warned. ``The players are the same, but they are performing at a higher level because of the guy who is running the thing.

``It makes for a great matchup. It makes for a very fun challenge, hopefully for both of us.''

It makes for trouble. Should it prove too much trouble, the shock may be too much for the spoiled faithful, though Ross will still be playing a mean trombone.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

(color) Notre Dame students show their excitement Friday during a pep rally at South Bend, Ind. USC takes on Notre Dame today.

Box:

SETTLING THE SCORE