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Southern California's two most difficult conference games are at home, where the Trojans rarely lose. For all those Stanford fans who just raised their hands in protest, reminding anyone who still wants to listen that their boys beat the Trojans at the Coliseum just last season, well, what can we say? Count your blessings. Between a trio of running backs (Stafon Johnson, Joe McKnight and C.J. Gable) that averaged 6.6 yards per carry last season and a linebacker corps that ranks among the top handful in the nation, the Trojans, who have won at least 11 games in each of the past six seasons, appear poised to run through the Pacific-10 unblemished.

Dennis Erickson led Arizona State to a 10-win season in his first campaign. With an explosive offense led by senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter and a more experienced defense, the Sun Devils are the ideal long-shot candidate, just good enough to get noticed and with just enough flaws to be cast aside. The month of October will be rough -- conference matchups at California, at USC and against Oregon -- but if Erickson's crew can win two of those three, they'll be in good shape entering the season's homestretch. Carpenter has enough offensive targets to pull off such a feat. The question will be whether the defense can do its part.

Now that Tim Tebow has proved it is possible for an underclassman to win college football's most prestigious award, why not consider a quarterback of a similar mold. Washington sophomore Jake Locker threw for 2,062 yards last season and rushed for 986 more, with 27 touchdowns. The Huskies might not contend for a conference title, but Locker should garner some Heisman attention nonetheless.

-- Steve Yanda

Having Locker run the offense might not be enough to balance out a porous defense, much less allow for Washington's Tyrone Willingham to keep his job. The Huskies have not won more than five games during the three seasons of Willingham's tenure, and the school has begun making its frustration public. A winning season would go a long way toward ensuring Willingham is around to see Locker finish out his collegiate career.

Arizona State at Southern California, Oct. 11: The Trojans made quick work of the Sun Devils in 2007, winning by 20 points in Tempe. On the road against a national powerhouse, Arizona State could make a huge statement with a win over the conference favorite.

Finish

20071. Southern Cal

1st2. Arizona State

2nd3. Oregon

4th4. California

7th5. Arizona

6th6. UCLA

5th7. Washington

10th8. Oregon State

3rd9. Washington State

8th10. Stanford

9th

Korby Myrick's farewell is tonight at St. Philip's

The months-old Bella Carita Chamber Ensemble will perform its second concert tonight when it opens the St. Philip's in the Hills Friends of Music 2008-09 season.

The concert also marks the farewell performance of admired Tucson vocalist Korby Myrick, who relocated to Connecticut early last month.

"If it hadn't been for this concert, she would not have had a farewell concert," noted Bella Carita founder and clarinetist Kevin Justus. "It's bittersweet, but for the time being this is the last opportunity for people to hear her."

Myrick's move on Sept. 2 came after a whirlwind romance with Connecticut pianist Richard Hereld that led to a marriage proposal. No wedding date has been set, but Myrick expects the ceremony to be held in Arizona.

"It was a total whirlwind," the mezzo-soprano said, laying out the timeline: Hereld, whom she has known for more than 20 years, came to Tucson to visit her on June 13. He popped the question July 11 and she packed up her belongings in a U-Haul and left Tucson Sept. 2.

"He is so spectacular and I am so in love," she gushed during a phone interview from Connecticut. "He's the love of my life and it's a dream come true to be with someone I feel this way about."

This is Myrick's second round with living in Connecticut. She spent a decade there from the late 1980s when she was married to a Yale instructor. When the marriage ended in the late 1990s, she returned to her native Tucson and built a formidable recital and opera career (Arizona Opera, Tulsa Opera, Washington Opera and the U.S. and Italy Spoleto festivals).

It was during her time in Connecticut that she met Hereld. Her then-husband was teaching his then-wife voice.

Hereld and Myrick remained friends and colleagues over the years, including performing together; in addition to a master's in voice, Myrick earned her bachelor's at the University of Arizona in piano performance, and the pair have performed piano works for four hands. But since she returned to Tucson, Myrick said she had seen Hereld only three times until his June visit.

Justus said Myrick's move will boost her career. "Already she's getting attention back East," he said, which Myrick acknowledged.

She has several Connecticut concerts set, will perform a recital in London after her Tucson concert and is busy making plans to open voice studios in Connecticut and neighboring New York. She also will be closer to New York, where she can audition with opera companies from around the country. Each fall and winter, opera companies converge on New York to audition singers, she explained.

"This is going to be great for my career. I will actually be able to do a regular audition for the Arizona Opera there," she said.

"Of course I will come back whenever I am engaged, and I would love to continue singing with the (Tucson) Symphony and opera company," she added. "I have loyal, loyal fans (in Tucson) who turn out to see me. . . . I feel blessed."

Myrick and Hereld will appear together in tonight's concert, which pulls from Johannes Brahms' retirement works - pieces he composed between retiring in 1890 and his death in 1897. Myrick will sing Brahms' "Four Serious Songs."

The ensemble, which played its inaugural concert last May, will include violinists Ben Nisbet and Rose Tadaro; violist Christina Swanson; cellists Garrick Woods and Theodore Buchholz; pianists Michael Dauphinais and Hereld; and Justus on clarinet.

IF YOU GO

Bella Carita Chamber Ensemble: "Johannes Brahms in Retirement - A Golden Twilight"

* Presented by: St. Philip's in the Hills Friends of Music.

* When: 7:30 p.m. today.

* Where: Bloom Music Center at St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church, 4440 N. Campbell Ave.

* Admission: By donation.

* Details: 299-6421.

* Program (all Brahms):

Piano Trio No. 1 in B major.

Klarinetten-Trio in A minor.

"Four Serious Songs."

Klarinetten Quintet in B minor.

Playing off the playoffs

While Packer fans would prefer to relive last winter's playoff run, this weekend they're free agents, able to root for other teams. But on what criteria should they base their decision? Here's how I'm handicapping the field.

Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans, Saturday, 3:30 pm (CBS): This one's easy Former Badger walk-on and Wisconsin native JIm Leonhard plays safety for the Ravens. He's had 69 tackles this season and two interceptions, including one last week in Miami, making 2008 his most productive season, by far, in a four-year NFL career

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers, Saturday, 7:15 pm (FOX): Much harder to pick, as I couldn't care less about either one of these teams. I'm going with Arizona for one reason: 37-year-old quarterback Kurt Warner has been the catalyst for the Cards' revival, not USC pretty boy Matt Leinart. Since being drafted 10th in 2006, Leinart has been a non-factor, playing in only four games this year Go old guy!

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants, Sunday, noon (FOX): The Giants have suspended star receiver Plaxico Burress, who shot himself in the leg last month with an unregistered handgun at a Manhattan nightclub. Linebacker Antonio Pierce is under investigation for his involvement in the incident. Pierce, United Way Man of the Year in 2007, is the spokesman for Giants Academy, a program for inner-city youth. But the Eagles' fans are notorious jerks, so go Giants!

San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, 3:45 pm (CBS): Former Badger Michael Bennett will suit up as San Diego's third-string running back, but he's being sued over a violent incident in October at a Tampa, Fla. International House of Pancakes. Serves him right for choosing IHOP when there's a Waffle House in the area. I'll take the Steelers, who have a defensive end named Orpheus Roye.

SCOREBOARD

UW Women's Hockey: 12-0-2-1 WCHA (1st, 27 pts), 18-0-2 overall (1st, USCHO & USA Today/USA Hockey polls) after icing the U.S. Select Team 3-2 in exhibition on 1/2. Next: 1/10-11 at Minnesota-Duluth.

UW Men's Hockey: 7-5-2 WCHA (tied at 3rd, 16 pts), 10-9-3 overall (17th, US College Hockey Online poll) after dropping a series vs. Northern Michigan 2-3, 5-6 (OT) on 1/2-3. Next: 1/9-10 at Alaska -Anchorage.

UW Man's Basketball: 2-0 Big Ten, 11-3 overall after winning 73-61 at Michigan on New Year's Eve and 65-61 vs. Penn State on 1/3. Next: 1/7 vs. Northwestern; 1/7 at Purdue (CBS, 12:30 pm); 1/15 vs. Minnesota, 8 pm, Kohl Center (BTN).

UW Women's Basketball: 2-2 Big Ten (tied at 5th), 12-3 overall after a 53 -38 triumph at Illinois on New Year's Day and a 46-49 loss at Northwestern on 1/4 Next 1/8 vs. Ohio State, 8 pm, Kohl Center (BTN); 1/11 vs. Michigan, 1:30 pm, Kohl Center; 1/15 at Indiana.

Milwaukee Bucks: 16-19 (3rd, Eastern Conference Central, 11-1/2 games back) after losing 81-85 at Houston on New Year's Eve, winning 103 -75 vs. Charlotte on 1/2, losing 92-102 at Charlotte 1/3) and winning 107-97 vs. Toronto 0/5). Next: 1/7 vs. Philadelphia; 1/9 vs. New Jersey, 7:30 pm, Milwaukee's Bradley Center; 1/10 at Minnesota; 1/12 at Washington; 1/14 vs. Miami, 7 pm, Bradley Center.

ABSOLUTE POWER ; When the NFL's premier defense clashes with the hottest offense in season's ultimate game, something's got to give

TAMPA, Fla. -- A team with a defense that ranked in the top 10 in scoring won the Super Bowl 22 straight years, from 1984 to 2005.

The past two years, that trend was broken.

The classic offense-vs.-defense argument will be played out today in Super Bowl XLIII, and the football world will see which trend holds up.

Will the Pittsburgh Steelers once again prove that defense wins championships?

Or will the Arizona Cardinals prove they have one of the greatest one-year pass offenses in NFL history?

"We've got to keep them from dominating the game," Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said.

In one corner, there is the 71-year-old LeBeau, one of the greatest defensive chiefs ever, the creator of the zone blitz scheme and the mastermind of Pittsburgh's new "Steel Curtain."

Pittsburgh ranked No. 1 in the NFL this year in points allowed (13.9) and No. 1 in yards allowed (237 a game).

In the other corner is 37-year-old Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player bidding for a second Super Bowl title and what could be the cap to a Hall of Fame career.

Arizona ranked tied for third in the NFL in scoring (26.7 ppg) and No. 2 in passing yards (292 a game).

"This will be the best offense we've played all year at a time when they're clicking the best," Steelers safety Ryan Clark said. "It was good to have two weeks off to prepare."

Pittsburgh aims for a record sixth Super Bowl title. The Steelers, Cowboys and 49ers all have five Vince Lombardi trophies.

Arizona aims to complete a rags-to-riches fairy tale. The Cardinals have not won the NFL title in 62 years.

The outcome may come down to how well Warner handles LeBeau's blitzes.

Warner was the highest-rated quarterback in the NFL this year against the blitz, completing 64.4 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns, four interceptions and a passer rating of 103.1.

He has the best wide receiver tandem in the NFL in All-Pro Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Fitzgerald had 1,431 receiving yards and Boldin 1,038 this year. No. 3 wideout Steve Breaston had 1,006 yards. In three January games, Fitzgerald already has the NFL single- season playoff receiving record with 419 yards on 23 catches.

"You don't play in the league as long as he's played and have the success that he's had without being able to handle anything the defense does," LeBeau said. "He's comfortable against pressure. He's comfortable against max coverage. Our feeling is that offenses in general don't play quite as well against pressure. So we'll be trying to search for a way to do that."

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, ranked second in the NFL in sacks. The Steelers' linebackers combined for a league-high 381/2 sacks, led by NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison, who had 16.

"One of the great things about the blitz is you know that when it comes, there is going to be some vacated space out there where you can get the ball in your playmakers' hands to make plays," Warner said.

"He does such a great job of recognizing where the pressure's coming from and understanding where the ball has to go quickly," Cards offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. "So he's able to make those quick decisions."

The Steelers have excelled at containing No. 1 wideouts this year. Not counting garbage-time yards, only two wideouts (the Colts' Reggie Wayne and the Titans' Justin Gage) managed 100 yards against Pittsburgh.

Look for the Steelers to follow the tactic New England's Bill Belichick employed against Warner in Super Bowl XXXVI. The Pats' 3- 4 defense frequently rushed four men, played man-to-man coverage underneath and put two safeties over the top.

Lots of teams try that, but not many have pass rushers as good as Pittsburgh's.

"We want to try to get him out of his rhythm," LeBeau said. "If the quarterback doesn't feel any pressure in this league you're going to have a tough time with him, no matter who it is. It will be magnified with Kurt Warner."

It will help Warner if the Cardinals can run. Arizona ranked 32nd in the NFL in rushing, and the Steelers were No. 2 in run defense. Arizona would become the worst rushing team ever to win the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh has gone 21 straight games without allowing a 100- yard rusher.

Colossal mismatch, right? Maybe not.

Arizona has newfound balance, averaging 111 yards rushing the past four games. Edgerrin James has 203 rushing yards and Tim Hightower 132 in three playoff games.

Arizona's defense also has played better in the playoffs, improving the run defense from 110 yards allowed (16th in the NFL) in the regular season to 77 yards allowed in the playoffs.

Two years ago, Indianapolis won the Super Bowl despite a run defense that ranked 32nd in the NFL.

Last year, the New York Giants upset New England with a defense that ranked 17th in scoring during the season. The Giants' defense, however, raised its level in the postseason last year.

Only four teams allowed more points than Arizona (26.6 a game) this year -- Detroit, St. Louis, Denver and Kansas City. All four fired their coaches.

WOMEN'S GOLF HOSTS 24TH ANNUAL DR. DONNIS THOMPSON INVITATIONAL

HONOLULU, March 12 -- The University of Hawaii issued the following news release:

The University of Hawai'i women's golf team hosts their final tournament of the season, the 24th annual Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational, March 16-18, at the Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course in Kane'ohe, O'ahu.

This year's Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational will be of extra significance.

Last month, Dr. Thompson, UH's first women's athletics director and tournament namesake, passed away at the age of 75. She was a pioneer and champion of women's sports and UH's spring golf tournament has been named in her            honor since 1999.

Dr. Thompson was inducted into the school's Sports Circle of Honor in 1988 for her tremendous achievements and many contributions to the UH Athletics programs. Dr. Thompson was an avid supporter of women's equality. She disagreed with the idea that athletics were a "men's place" and that women had no place in sports.

The Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational is held every March at the 5,907-yard, par- 72, Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course on the windward side of the island of O'ahu. The course has served as home to the tournament every year except when it moved to Olomana Golf Links in 2000 and '01. The Klipper is known for its majestic views of the Ko'olau Mountain Range and the raging surf of the Pacific Ocean. The course rating is 71 and it has a slope rating of 130 on Bermuda grass. The course was designed by William P. Bell, ASGCA, and opened in 1939. The Invitational started in 1986 and is in its 24th year. UH's Bobbie Kokx captured the inaugural tournament in 1986. Before a standout professional career, Arizona's Annika Sorenstam repeated as champion in 1991 & '92. Arizona has captured a record six tournament titles (1986, '90-92, '96, '99-2000) and has seven individual winners, most recently Natalie Gulbis, a current member of the LPGA, who won the title in 2001.

In honor of her many accomplishments to the UH Athletics programs, the Rainbow Wahine Invitational Golf Tournament was re-named the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational in 1999. The event was started to give women's golf teams from across the nation, including schools from Japan, to compete and share their athletic talents in one of the biggest tournaments in the state.

In the 1986 inaugural tournament, host Hawai'i proved they could compete with the best programs in the nation. UH tied with powerhouse Arizona for the team title - for its only tournament championship - and Rainbow Wahine Bobbie Kokx captured the individual title with a score of eight-under, 224.

This year's field includes 12 collegiate teams including two from Japan, Osaka Gakuin and Nagoya University. In addition to Hawai'i, other Western Athletic Conference schools competing include Boise State, Idaho, and Nevada. Also competing are Kansas State, Lipscomb, Northern Colorado, and UTEP, along with the highest ranked teams according to Golfweek, No. 32 Texas A&M and No. 58 Indiana. What: Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational

Date: Monday through Wednesday, Mar. 16-18

Where: Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course, Kane'ohe, O'ahu

Yardage (Par): 5,907 (72)

Format: 54-hole tournament (18 holes each day)

Host: Hawai'i

Who: Boise State, Hawai'i, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas State, Lipscomb, Nagoya University, Nevada, Northern Colorado, Osaka Gakuin, Texas A&M, UTEPFor more information please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com.

SEEN & HEARD

Big Sky has sweet coverage

With all the drama about the Arizona Wildcats Sports Network and the Pac-10's long-desired conference television network, we love the way the Big Sky Conference does its sports coverage.

The Big Sky TV Web site, www.bigskytv.org, is pretty sweet. For free - all viewers have to do is register - fans can watch more than 400 live sporting events that take place on conference schools' campuses.

How great is this? The Web site airs all football, volleyball and basketball games played at Big Sky venues.

This year, more than 20,000 fans have signed up for the Web site.

Since starting up in 2006, the Web site has produced more than 1,200 games and news conferences - including playoffs in football, volleyball, soccer, track and field and basketball.

Offensive night

The Wildcats' final touchdown of the first half was historic.

It took the team 17 plays and 7 minutes 40 seconds to drive 99 yards for a 21-10 lead. The 99-yard effort was the longest scoring drive for the Wildcats since Sept. 8, 2001.

Against Idaho, Jason Johnson threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall. We can say, quite confidently, that the 99-yard mark will never be broken.

The Wildcats quickly added another monster drive to their record book -a two-play, 95-yard journey that saw Nicolas Grigsby sprint from the UA's 5-yard line to NAU's 1.

Cats are streaking

Sure, it's over two years, but it's a cause for celebration.

The Wildcats have won four straight games dating to last year's victories against Arizona State and BYU. The Wildcats had not won four straight since 2000.

Of course, UA fans know what happened next. After Dick Tomey's team defeated Washington State for the UA's fourth straight win and a 5-1 start, the team lost five straight - ending Tomey's Wildcat career.

Arizona won three in a row in 2006 and 2007.

Scoring 30-plus is good news

The Wildcats surpassed the Big Three-Oh again Saturday night - and that's usually good news.

For the 106th time since joining the Pac-10 in 1978, Arizona scored at least 30 points.

In those games, Arizona is 96-9-1. The UA is 17-1 under Mike Stoops when scoring 30 or more, the lone loss coming at Oregon last season.

Entering the game, the UA was 108-4 when scoring 40 or more points - something the Wildcats did in four home games last year.

Dazzling show

Every night should be Hispanic Heritage Night.

To celebrate, the Wildcats presented a throng of mariachis - along with the Pride of Arizona - as part of the halftime show. The folklorico dancing was as great as the music, as women in dazzling, flowing dresses twirled all over the field. From above, the image was as striking as anything we'd seen here in a long time.

The big number

50,623Saturday night's attendance was the third-largest ever for an NAU game at Arizona Stadium. The NAU-UA game drew 54,708 in 2005 and 52,638 in 2007. The largest crowd NAU has ever faced was 62,707 at Arizona State last year - but the Lumberjacks figure to surpass it with a game at Ole Miss.

Backup QB bottled up after 34-yard run

CHICAGO - One of the NFL's biggest stories in training camp and in the first weeks of the season became a non-story when the Philadelphia Eagles relegated Michael Vick to pretty much onlooker status.

He's been used only sparingly in recent weeks - Vick had just four touches in the previous three games - and he's done almost nothing this season since returning from suspension in Week 3. But Vick put himself in line for more work right from the start, coming in on the third play from scrimmage. On third-and-1 at the Eagles' 34-yard line, he faked a handoff to LeSean McCoy and then ran up the middle for 34 yards. It was by far Vick's longest play of the season, topping an 11-yard run he had in Week 5 against Tampa Bay. Vick came back on the Eagles' second possession and was nearly sacked by Alex Brown before completing a pass to tight end Brent Celek for no gain. Bears coach Lovie Smith said during the week that his team had committed practice time to preparing for Vick even though he's been less involved. Heady stuff Concussions and player health remain in the forefront, and not just because Eagles running back Brian Westbrook missed Sunday's game after he had his second concussion in 20 days last week at San Diego. The NFL went before the House Judiciary Committee last month on Capitol Hill, and it's something at the forefront for the league and the players association. The New York Times reported last week that the NFLPA is trying to get Dr. Ira Casson, co-chairman of the NFL's committee on concussions, ousted because he continues to dismiss studies that have linked the NFL with dementia issues for former players. Jay Glazer reported on Fox on Sunday that commissioner Roger Goodell has ordered every team and team doctor to secure an independent neurologist to work with their organization on concussion issues. Bears left tackle Orlando Pace suffered a mild concussion last week at San Francisco. He didn't miss practice time as it was deemed he wasn't showing any post-concussion symptoms. The only other concussion the team has dealt with this season was one for linebacker Nick Roach in the preseason opener at Buffalo. It was his second concussion in a year, and he was held out of the remaining three preseason games. Concussions have been a major issue for the Bears in the past. "Most people know concussions ended my career," ex-Bears running back Merril Hoge told the Washington Post. "What they don't know was how close I came to dying, that I flatlined in the locker room. It can happen. I came as close as one, unfortunately, can come. It is real. That's what's hard for players to deal with." Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger reportedly suffered one in Pittsburgh's loss at Kansas City, and it's at least the fourth of his career. Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner also reportedly suffered a mild concussion in the Cardinals' victory at St. Louis. Extra points Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown, who was questionable with a pulled hamstring, ran his consecutive games played streak to 134, including postseason. n The Bears made a change on defense by inserting Corey Graham as the nickel back. The team had been moving free safety Danieal Manning to the nickel and then replacing him at safety with Payne or Nathan Vasher. By using Graham, they're making just one move when they sub out strong-side linebacker Nick Roach in the sub package.