USC coach Lane Kiffin was asked if the players will feel more pressure being ranked in top two in most preseason polls.
“It can affect the players,” he said. “We do have to manage our players.”

Penn State tailback Silas Redd will appear at Big Ten media day tomorrow, where he figures to be asked plenty of questions about USC. Redd probably won’t say anything controversial, though, since he is representing Penn State at the event.
UPDATED: Penn State announced no players would now attend media day.

Lane Kiffin expressed some sympathy for Penn State because he already knew the obstacles of going through NCAA sanctions and said he was willing to give advice to Nittany Lions coach Bill O’Brien.
“I feel for their (coaching) staff, especially the head coach,” Kiffin said. “Just like our deal, the kids really had nothing to do with it.”
Even though USC is interested in Redd, Kiffin said he knew how difficult it is going to be for Penn State to keep its players from transferring to another school.
“That’s the hardest thing, you have to recruit your own team.” Kiffin said.

Lane Kiffin said he met with New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow recently because Tebow was on a Florida team ranked No. 1 in the preseason before his senior year. Tebow’s main message was to remind Kiffin that the Trojans “have fun.”
Matt Barkley said he has not met with Tebow, who has worked out at USC the past few weeks.

Lane Kiffin admitted Wednesday he imagined USC playing Alabama while watching part of the BCS title game.
“We were a very different team than LSU,” Kiffin said. “We would have tried to challenge Alabama outside.”

Lane Kiffin said today he could not talk about Penn State tailback Silas Redd’s potential transfer but he said the athletic dept. contacted the NCAA yesterday to make sure it was legal for Penn State players to transfer to USC, which is on probation.[EP
“The information I have been told is that it was OK,” Kiffin said.
Kiffin also said wide receiver Robert Woods’ ankle would not be 100 percent when USC opens practice next month. Woods said his ankle is about 90-percent recovered.

Lane Kiffin would not deny USC is interested in Penn State tailback Silas Redd, who is expected to transfer and said tailback is the Trojans’ top priority.

USC is picked to win the South Division and Pac-12 title game by the media at today’s Pac-12 media day.

NORTH DIVISION
1. Oregon (117) 732
2. Stanford (5) 533
3. Washington 502
4. California (1) 382
5. Washington State 228
6. Oregon State 205

SOUTH DIVISION
1. USC (117) 729
2. Utah (1) 514
3. UCLA (2) 435
4. Arizona 385
5. Arizona State (3) 353
6. Colorado 164

PAC-12 TITLE GAME CHAMPION: USC (102 votes). Others receiving votes: Oregon (18), Arizona State (3)

USC’s linebacking group is ranked the third-best in the Pac-12 by Athlon’s.

The NCAA vacated Penn State victories dating back to 1998 as part of its sanctions. That will not alter USC’s record books, though, because the Trojans’ three losses in the 1990’s to the Nittany Lions occurred prior to ’98.