After Sunday’s practice, each of the senior players exited the field through a tunnel formed by the underclassmen, a tradition Pete Carroll instituted in his first season. Except for injured DB Josh Pinkard, every other link to USC’s Orange Bowl National Championship team of 2005 will be gone after Tuesday’s game.  None of SC’s current players has played in anything less than a BCS bowl or finished any lower than tied for the Pac-10 Championship, which is extremely impressive and should be noted given the pallor of disappointment that seems to  have burrowed its way into most articles anticipating the Rose Bowl.

• LB Keith Rivers (ankle) has shown better movement in practice this week and looks like the frontrunner to start against Illinois, though Pete Carroll isn’t going to commit: “We’ll take it all the way up to game time.”
• RB Chauncey Washington (knee) will start on Tuesday, Carroll told reporters, because he’s practiced at full speed the last five days.
• Daily Turner report: WR Patrick Turner (quad) attempted to practice for the second day in a row, but couldn’t go close to full speed. Carroll noted, “It’s going to be hard for him to be able to contribute.”
• Carroll told reporters that his staff has installed a few new plays during the 15 bowl practices, and he assumes that Illinois head coach Ron Zook and his staff has done the same.  Carroll joked, “The fact we’re playing a 3-4 defense this game shouldn’t bother anybody.”

Carroll’s energy key to rebuilding USC (Springfield State Journal Register)
Tough psyche final (Chicago Sun-Times)
Rivers driven to honor 55 (LA Times)
Zook brings Illini to his side of the tracks (LA Times)
Seniors provide USC with quiet leadership (Orange County Register)
Trojans’ Davis takes time to fulfill his vision quest (LA Daily News)