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USC tops preseason Coaches' poll; LSU is No. 3
McLEAN, Va. (Ticker) -- USC is beginning the 2004 season where many felt it should have ended the 2003 campaign -- atop the Coaches' poll.
The Trojans went 12-1 last season and routed Michigan in the Rose Bowl but earned just a split of the national championship. All but three of the 63 coaches -- obligated to vote for the winner of the BCS title game -- cast their first-place ballots for Louisiana State, which defeated Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.
USC, which returns numerous stars from last year's squad, earned 44 of the 61 first-place votes and 1,500 points.