For Southern California to fly across three times zones to open its football season, host Virginia must be doing something right.

"It probably says we're not doing too much right," said UVa coach Al Groh in a self-effacing moment earlier this week.

In other words, if the Cavaliers were a little more imposing, maybe the Trojans wouldn't be as willing to make their cross-country jaunt. But, USC has a history of embracing early season challenges.

This is the fifth time in the last six years that USC has opened on the road, including a 2004 meeting with Virginia Tech at Fed-Ex Field in Landover, Md. The Trojans played at Auburn in 2003, at Hawaii in 2005 and at Arkansas in 2006.

"Last year, we opened up against a solid team [Idaho] at home and it didn't have the same kind of magnitude," said coach Pete Carroll, who added that USC's scheduling approach "has always served us well."

The Trojans didn't have much trouble last year in dispatching the Vandals, 38-10, then took a week off before traveling to Nebraska. This year they'll enjoy an open date before hosting Ohio State on Sept. 13.

Carroll likes a stiff early test so he knows what areas to address for the next part of the schedule.

"There's a whole format to it, and we're comfortable with it," Carroll said. "When you successfully go through one of those [openers] and you get a win, you've accomplished a great deal.

"We know how to go on the road, we know how to play difficult opponents, we know how to play in front of big crowds, all of those feathers in your cap that you get as you head into your season."

Carroll didn't say anything about losing an opening game and with good reason. The Trojans are 7-0 in openers since his arrival in 2001. Few are giving Virginia a chance today. The oddsmakers have the Cavaliers pegged as 19¹₂-point underdogs.

With today's 3:30 p.m. kickoff, Southern Cal will become the first Pac-10 Conference team to take the field at Scott Stadium, but Carroll previously has been on the premises.

As an assistant at North Carolina State from 1980-82, he was associated with two Wolfpack teams that won at UVa.

Groh was the head coach of two Wake Forest teams that were beaten by State during Carroll's tenure, and they've been on similar tracks ever since. Both worked for the New England Patriots, Carroll as head coach and Groh as an assistant, and both were head coaches of the New York Jets for one season.

"When I left New England, I could have sold him my house," Groh said.

They've never worked together, but preseason interviews would suggest there's a healthy amount of respect.

"Jon Oliver and I were having a conversation," said Groh, referring to the UVa administrator who works most directly with football. "The conversation was about, 'Hey, why don't we try to do something ... outlandish, just kind of step out of the box.'

"I remember the conversation very specifically. Maybe I was getting entrapped. I said, 'Now that we've decided to do something like that, Jon, do you have anything in mind?' Given his time in the Pac-10, he said, 'Why don't we try to get USC?' I can see his face now as he was waiting for my reaction.'

"I said, 'Yeah, let's see if we can do it.' "

In a short period of time, Oliver had put together a two-game series with USC that will send the Cavaliers to Los Angeles in 2010.

Oliver approached Groh one more time to make sure he was still sold on the idea.

"I told him, 'Absolutely,'" Groh said. "As they say, the time to worry is before you place the bet."

Unlike the Trojans, UVa has not distinguished itself in openers. Groh is 3-4 and the last two openers have been particularly ugly. The Cavaliers lost 38-13 at Pittsburgh in 2006 and 23-3 at Wyoming last year.

On the other hand, some of UVa's best seasons have followed inauspicious openers. The Cavs have won nine games twice under Groh, in 2002 after losing their opener to visiting Colorado State and last year, when they won seven straight after the loss at Wyoming.

UVa's only 10-win season followed a 36-13 loss to Notre Dame in the season-opening Kickoff Classic.

"When you play the best, it brings out the best in you," Groh said. "Whatever it brings out of us, I think it will serve us better than if we had played Alaska State or somebody like that."

Note

Sophomore wide receiver Staton Jobe, who started 12 of 13 games for Virginia in 2007, will miss the Cavaliers' game today against Southern Cal.

In addition, would-be starting cornerback Ras-I Dowling was declared "doubtful" in an injury report made available Thursday night.

According to the ACC's new injury policy, "doubtful" is described as at least a 75-percent chance that a player will not play. Starting wide receiver Maurice Covington is described as "questionable," meaning there is a 50-50 chance he will play.

Jobe has a sprained ankle and Dowling has been plagued by a sore leg throughout the preseason, Groh said.