Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

USC went from dominant to dreadful once before, so it's fair to ask if the Trojans might again be caught staring at their own reflections in the mirror with struggling Arizona State coming to town.

The Trojans buried Ohio State, then flopped at Oregon State. They then redeemed themselves with a 44-10 crushing of Oregon last weekend.

Now what?

"I think this is a different situation," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "We're right in the middle of the conference right now. I'm hoping that we're going to find out if we can elevate to the kind of level and consistency that we've played with for years around here. That's by taking every game as if it's so darn important, strictly a championship opportunity."

The Trojans emotions probably took a substantial leap forward this week due to good injury news. It appears both quarterback Mark Sanchez, who bruised his knee late against Oregon, and linebacker Rey Maualuga, who sprained his knee late against Oregon State, will play against the Sun Devils, pending any setbacks during practice Thursday.

Arizona State, meanwhile, may face the fearsome USC defense without its unquestioned leader. Quarterback Rudy Carpenter, who's started 36 consecutive games, hasn't practiced this week and was termed "very doubtful" by coach Dennis Erickson on Wednesday.

That means backup quarterback Danny Sullivan probably will make his first career start on the road against the Pac-10's best defense with a rushing attack that ranks 113th in the nation offering him little support.

Good luck with that.

Sun Devils coach Dennis Erickson said Sullivan knows the offense well and owns a big arm. But as baptisms by fire go, this one takes place at the molten center of a volcano.

"It doesn't make a difference who it is, if it's your first start -- whether it's a backup, or whether it's your first start your senior year -- it's your first start," Erickson said. "So there are a lot of things, the speed of the game, all those different things, which he hasn't seen."

Of course, even with his return to practice this week, Sanchez is no certainty for USC. If he can't go -- or can't stay on the field the entire game -- then Mitch Mustain, the transfer from Arkansas, will take over.

Mustain went 8-0 as a true freshman starter for Arkansas, but has found the going tougher at USC, where the offensive system is far more sophisticated. Mustain has shown a worrisome tendency during practices to force throws into coverage.

But Mustain, who was No. 4 on the depth chart just two weeks ago, has surged in practices of late.

"He had a particular day last week that he just looked like he really was in command of stuff -- he looked like the best guy," said Carroll, noting that he and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian arrived at the same conclusion independently.

It shouldn't matter, however, who plays quarterback for the Trojans, even against an improving Arizona State defense. They are more talented across the board and should be able to take care of business at home.

Moreover, no matter how hard Carroll insists otherwise, USC needs to win with style in order to regain favor with pollsters and fans who seem almost eager to write off the Trojans as national title contenders.

Yet, conference games like this often seem to riddle USC, which Carroll readily admits.

"We've been in great shape wherever we play out of conference," he said. "And we know, it's the facts -- we've proven it again -- that the conference games are the most difficult. So I think it's the sense and the familiarity that doesn't allow for the separation (against Pac-10 teams)."

But if USC wants to get back into the title hunt, it will need to show separation.