Southern California greeted news of its first preseason No. 1 ranking since 1979 with ambivalence.

“I could care less,” quarterback Matt Leinart said Saturday. “But, you know, it’s cool because it shows how hard we’ve worked. That’s our goal to be at the top. We’re not satisfied right now. Last year was last year. And this year is a new season.”

The defending national champions earned the top spot in the Associated Press poll by receiving 48 of 65 first-place votes and 1,603 points.

It’s the fourth time the Trojans have been preseason No. 1. They also started top-ranked in 1963 and ’73, the year after their last national title.

“It really doesn’t mean a thing to us,” coach Pete Carroll said. “It’s nice. It’s respected. But what are we going to do with it? It’s a lot of hype from last year and what was accomplished last year.”

Oklahoma, which was No. 1 for most of last season before losing its final two games, was No. 2 with 11 first-place votes and 1,529 points in the media poll. Heisman Trophy winner Jason White leads the Sooners.

Georgia was No. 3, followed by fellow Southeastern Conference member and defending co-national champion LSU at No. 4. The Bulldogs received five first-place votes, and the Tigers got the remaining first-place vote.

No. 5 Florida State and No. 6 Miami open the regular season against each for the first time as Atlantic Coast Conference rivals on Sept. 6. They are separated in the poll by just four points (1,291-1,287).

The Trojans enter the 2004 season with a nine-game winning streak.

USC went 12-1 last season and finished top-ranked in the AP poll, despite being left out of the Bowl Championship Series title game. LSU beat Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl and was voted No. 1 in the final coaches poll, as required by the BCS.

The Trojans return only nine starters from last year’s team that set Pac-10 records for touchdowns (68) and points (534). But don’t be fooled. USC has no shortage of speed, talent and depth.

Leinart threw for 3,556 yards and 38 touchdowns in his first season as a starter. He directs an offense lacking only in experience.

“When you have your quarterback back, that means a lot when people evaluate you,” Carroll said. “And obviously Matt had a great year. He had a historical year for the Pac-10. We’ll just go out and play and see what happens.

Tailbacks Hershel Dennis, LenDale White and Reggie Bush would be featured runners on most teams. For the Trojans, they share the job and form one of the deepest backfields in college football. They combined for 1,936 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns last season.

The Trojans have only one returning starter on the line, and Leinart will have to break in a group of neophyte wideouts with standout potential.

Help could be on the way at receiver. The Trojans are waiting for a ruling from the NCAA on the eligibility of stud receiver Mike Williams. The All-American planned to enter the NFL draft but a court ruling kept him out. He has been practicing with the team.

Defensive linemen Shaun Cody, a third-team All-American, and Mike Patterson lead a defense that ranked No. 1 in the nation in run defense (60.2 ypg).

“We have a great offense, but our defense is pretty good, too,” Cody said. “You need a whole team effort to be No. 1.”

USC will try to join Florida State in 1999 as the only wire-to-wire No. 1.

Texas was No. 7, with Big Ten rivals Michigan and Ohio State eighth and ninth. No. 10 West Virginia, the heavy favorite in the reconfigured Big East, never has been ranked higher in the preseason.

No. 11 Florida is coming off a second straight 8-5 season under Ron Zook. The Gators are followed by Kansas State, California, Tennessee and Clemson.

The Big Ten leads all conferences with six teams in the preseason poll. The SEC and ACC each have five.

As notable as which teams made the rankings is a group of teams that didn’t.

Notre Dame and Penn State, both coming off losing seasons, and Nebraska all will be unranked to start the season. The Cornhuskers went 10-3 last season and finished 19th in the final rankings but changed coaches — and offenses — replacing Frank Solich and the option with Bill Callahan and the West Coast offense.

The last time the Fighting Irish, Nittany Lions and Cornhuskers all failed to make the preseason poll was 1964, when only the top 10 teams were ranked.