Usually at this point of the college football year (and make no mistake, it didn’t take ESPN airing a daily “College Football Live” to prove that college football is now a year-round sport), hysteria runs rampant. The preseason guides are on newsstands, polls and predictions are being made by every myopic fan and blogger from Seattle to Coral Gables, and optimism is in the air. And why not? With just over a month until kickoff, everyone is undefeated.

This means the hype machine gets cranked up earlier and earlier, but in the case of USC, it’s been running on overdrive since their Rose Bowl win over Michigan. After a comparatively disastrous 11-2 campaign last year, USC is finding itself back in familiar territory: ranked number one in the nation and the odds-on favorite to win the national title.

Oh, and the object of nationwide scorn.

It’s not much of a stretch to say that most of the nation is utterly sick of USC by this point. Want proof that Troy is getting under the collective skin of college football? Why else would Les Miles (whose own LSU team looks, on paper at least, every bit as title-worthy as the Trojans) take some unprovoked shots at USC’s conference schedule? Why else would Jim Harbaugh appoint himself the Official Press Secretary of Trojan Football with his own equally outlandish comments? Why else would the star playmaker of another ranked power, DeSean Jackson of Cal, take his own cracks at the Trojans months before the two teams lock horns in Berkeley? (Actually, we know the answer to that one: Jackson’s mouth doesn’t have an “off” switch, even when he’s completely disappearing against the team the SoCal native claimed he was ready to show up.)

Obviously anointing any team the greatest in the history of the sport is a foolish exercise; the last team to get that hype, the 2005 Trojans, were such a powerhouse on offense that most of its drooling admirers overlooked a tremendously spotty defense, one that became increasingly depleted as the season went on and seemed destined for the knockout blow that Vince Young finally delivered. Greatest offense ever? You can make a great argument. Greatest team ever? Not even the best team of the Pete Carroll era.

So that brings us to this year’s team. Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times speculated back in May that this could be Carroll’s best team. And it seems reasonable that, considering what his program has accomplished over the past five years, the best Carroll team could be in the “best team ever” conversation.

So how good will they be?

The realist says that, Les Miles be damned, the road schedule is downright brutal: every trip away from the Coliseum is a potential land mine. Nebraska. Washington (don’t snicker, Ty Willingham’ Huskies were a play away from dumping Troy at Troy last season). Notre Dame. Oregon. Cal. Arizona State. The guess here is that five of those six road opponents will be ranked at some point in this season. And that’s not even mentioning the two teams that beat SC last year, Oregon State and UCLA. Both come to the Coliseum, but both should also be better than the Trojan-killers of 2006.

And common sense also says that a team with John David Booty and a crowded, unproven backfield can’t possibly be as good as one with Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and LenDale White. That there’s very little experience at wide receiver. That the play calling since the departure of Norm Chow has been very suspect. That the tragic loss of Mario Danelo means they’ll be relying on a kicker who hasn’t been battle-tested. That special teams has always been a thorn in the Trojan side, so much so that they resorted to squib kicking each kickoff in the 2005 season. That the specter of an NCAA investigation into the Reggie Bush allegations (one breathlessly chronicled by every nonbiased justice-seeking fan all over the country) could become a major distraction. That, as Harbaugh claimed several months ago, Carroll is already looking to jump ship to the NFL. And that these are too many obstacles for even a loaded team like SC to overcome.

But that defense…

Anyone who’s followed this program knows that the key to its resurgence has been the defense. Even that stunning Orange Bowl rout of Oklahoma was keyed by a D that forced turnovers and constantly put pressure on the Sooner line. With the most returning starters on that side of the ball that Carroll has ever had, it’s not a stretch to believe that this will be Carroll’s best defensive unit. If the defense plays up to its NFL-caliber potential, you won’t see many opponents break 20 on them. So what you’re looking at, potentially, is a Pac-10 offense with an SEC defense.

So they’ve got that going for them, which is nice.

One thing this team doesn’t have is offseason buzz, the type of tabloid white noise that fuels nonsense like ESPN’s “Who’s Now.” Booty isn’t cavorting with Hollywood “actresses.” Those 57 prep All Americans fighting for the tailback spot aren’t ready for their endorsement money close ups (and not allegedly taking money from would-be sports agents, we hope). The likes of Will Ferrell and Snoop Dogg are still around, but even the celebrity sideline stalking feels like it’s scaled down from seasons past. And while many around the nation feel like taking potshots at USC, the coaches and players, so far at least, aren’t saying much at all.

The question remains: how good will they be? The smart money says: very. Will they win the national championship? Anybody who says they know is reaching, because college football is too lovably unpredictable for any team to be called the “greatest ever” a month before any games have been played. The roster is as stacked as it’s ever been, maybe even more so, but until they face adversity and get it done in a hostile road environment, they could very well be a paper, uh, Trojan.

Just as in 2005, a 12-win season would be viewed as a disappointment. How’s that for expectations? And make no mistake, this USC team is definitely beatable. But it will probably take another off-the-charts, Vince Young-esque performance to score enough on that D to get it done. Will they get hit by a once-in-a-lifetime performance for the second time in three seasons? It’s certainly possible. The feeling around the program is that last year was the chance for everyone to get their licks in.

There are two things of which you can be certain: one, that Carroll’s team fully expects to be back in the national title game. And two, that those who have made hating USC their life’s passion should be getting much more fuel for their inner fire.

Sounds like business as usual.