In routing Penn State in the Rose Bowl, USC mixed running plays with short passes to tight ends and running backs, mid-range throws to wideouts and a touchdown bomb to their fastest receiver.
It was a dynamic and diversified assault -- and an anomaly since the Trojans' opener against Virginia four months ago.
Which is one reason why Oklahoma, Florida and Texas all passed USC in the polls.
Oklahoma, ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring, meets Florida and its No. 3-ranked scoring offense in the Bowl Championship Series title game on Thursday.
So does USC need to ramp up its offense to get back to the top of the polls?
Coach Pete Carroll doesn't think so, and he doesn't seem concerned that the Trojans will begin spring practice in a few months with a new offensive coordinator, new quarterbacks coach and, if Mark Sanchez opts to turn pro, a new quarterback.
And also, for the fourth time in Carroll's tenure as head coach, a new person calling plays during games.
"I'm not looking for a bunch of big changes and stuff like that," Carroll says. "I like that we have a great background and history in our style and what we do."
The Trojans under Carroll have won two national championships, seven consecutive Pacific 10 Conference titles and played in seven consecutive BCS bowl games, winning six.
But USC is also competing for attention from pollsters in an era of high-scoring spread offenses. That might not bode well for the Trojans.
USC this season averaged 37.5 points a game. That's about four fewer than their 2003 average when they won the Associated Press national title. It's slightly less than the 38.2 they averaged during their run to the BCS title in 2004. And significantly less than the 49 points a game they scored in 2005 en route to the BCS title game, which they lost to Texas.
The Trojans have not averaged 40 points since.
They also have not been back to the BCS final.
Carroll cites the absence of Reggie Bush, a once-in-a-decade talent, as one reason for the slowdown. Or at least the perception of one.
"He was a difference-maker in spectacularly striking fashion," Carroll says.
Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti acknowledges that USC might have been hurt this season by voters who fell in love with the scoring averages coming out of the Big 12 Conference.
"Would they be in the BCS game if they scored more points?" he asks. "Maybe."
