Los Angeles ? Coach Pete Carroll didn’t seem to mind that Southern California fell to No. 2 in the Bowl Championship Series standings this week.

Bill Doba didn’t like it at all.

And who can blame him?

The Washington State coach figures his team will have a tough enough time as it is against the Trojans when the teams meet today at the Los Angeles Coliseum in a matchup pairing two of the country’s most explosive offenses.

“I know that computer picked them No. 2,” Doba said, referring to the BCS. “I’m sure that didn’t help us any, but we as a staff took a vote, and we still think they are No. 1 in the nation.”

So do the human polls.

Truth is, though, none of it matters until December, and Carroll knows it. But he certainly won’t overlook an opportunity to motivate his players.

“If for some reason it pumps you up, that’s just fine,” he said. “If you don’t like it, then do something about it. I don’t know what we can do — try to play real well, I guess. I wouldn’t want to diminish somebody’s psyche, if it helps them get jacked up.”

The Trojans (7-0, 4-0 Pac-10) bring several winning streaks into the game, to be played before a homecoming crowd of about 90,000. They’ve won a conference-record 29 straight; a school-record 23 in a row at the Coliseum, and a school-record 19 consecutive league games.

The Cougars, meanwhile, have lost four straight, but they certainly haven’t been pushovers. Holding a lead has been their problem.

“They had UCLA put away, they had Cal put away. They just couldn’t come through in the end,” USC quarterback Matt Leinart said. “They make plays, they have a good team.”

WSU (3-4, 0-4) led Oregon State 30-16 at halftime before losing 44-33. The Cougars led No. 8 UCLA 21-0 in the first period and 38-21 in the fourth quarter before losing 44-41 in overtime. And they led No. 24 California 38-28 in the final period last weekend before losing 42-38.

“We have made some plays, but we haven’t made plays in the clutch, when it counts,” Doba said.

The Cougars’ other loss was to Stanford, 24-21.

While WSU has found a way to blow leads, USC has done a terrific job of coming from behind when necessary, beating No. 14 Oregon, Arizona State and No. 9 Notre Dame after trailing at halftime.

The Trojans have outscored the opposition 141-92 in the first half and 202-59 in the third and fourth quarters. They lead the nation in total offense (581.1-yard average) and scoring offense (49.0-point average).

The Cougars, meanwhile, have been outscored 75-47 in the fourth quarter and overtime. They rank sixth in the country in total offense (518.6-yard average) and ninth in scoring (39.1-point average).