EUGENE, Ore. -- When the Autzen Stadium PA announcer said, "Bring on the Sun Devils," it got a much bigger roar from the crowd than the final gun which brought an end to Oregon's 24-17 victory over USC a few moments earlier.

Yup, it's hard to believe, but there are bigger fish to fry than the Trojans these days.

Beating a visiting USC team isn't what it used to be. Pete Carroll has won just two of his last five Pac-10 games on the road.

And that doesn't count Stanford's shocking upset of USC at the Coliseum.

So excuse the Ducks and their fans for not going bonkers after beating the Trojans. Following in Stanford's footsteps isn't a big deal unless you're talking about number of Nobel Prize winners on the faculty.

USC's remarkable five-year run is over. Each of the previous five seasons included a Pac-10 championship, a BCS game, at least 11 victories and a final AP ranking within the Top-4.

It was a helluva run. But today the team that was nearly the consensus preseason No. 1 team in the nation is already saddled with two losses and one or two more may lie ahead as rough waters wait.

The defense is still there for the Trojans, but the offense is far less explosive and opportunistic than it has been in recent years, and the special teams aren't. Changes on the coaching staff and injuries could be used as excuses, but none of that is needed. USC's cycle has run its course.

So with the throne room recently vacated, who's the next one to move in?

Will another school have a similar multi-year run? Or will a series of one-year wonders take over for awhile?

LSU is a candidate to establish a period of supremacy, but if Lloyd Carr retires and Les Miles leaves Baton Rouge for Ann Arbor, the Tigers could lose some of their bite.

If that happens, what are Michigan's chances of starting something big?

It would probably be better than Notre Dame's, but less than Ohio State's.

So, what about those Buckeyes? The Gators perhaps? Maybe the Sooners? Is a revolving door more likely?

Or how about these mighty Ducks?