As USC is set to open conference play with Washington State, Lane Kiffin is off to one of the best starts by a coach in the history of the program. At 3-0 already, Kiffin could join these coaches and their undefeated starts:
| Coach | Year | Record |
| Jess Hill | 1951 | 7-0 |
| Harvey Holmes | 1904 | 5-0 |
| Howard Jones | 1925 | 4-0 |
| Lewis Freeman | 1897 | 4-0 |
On the radio pregame show, broadcaster Pete Arbogast ("how DO you do?") informed Kiffin that Pete Carroll was 4-5 in Pac-10 road openers, and Kiffin replied, laughing, "I was not aware of that stat. Don't scare me like that."