Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

The good news: There's a lot of cushion around the marquee visit to Ohio State, which could again establish the Trojans as national title contenders. There's a bye before the long trip to Notre Dame, as well as a bye before the rivalry match with UCLA. The final three games are at home. Pete Carroll doesn't lose in November, and the schedule sets up for that to continue.

The bad news: With a new starting quarterback, four of the first six games are on the road, and Columbus isn't exactly a friendly place to get introduced to big-time football. Three times the Trojans play back-to-back road games. Games against the Pac-10's top two contenders to dethrone USC — California and Oregon — are on the road.