On January 6, 2007, 6 days after the 2007 Rose Bowl Game, USC kicker Mario Danelo was found dead at the bottom of the White Point Cliff near Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro, California.

In July 2007, ESPN.com named USC it's #1 team of the decade for the period between 1996 and 2006, citing the Trojans' renaissance and dominance under Coach Carroll.

The 2007 Trojans were the presumptive #1 pick before the season.[8][9] However they lost two games, including a major upset to 41-point underdog Stanford, and they did not get into the National Championship game. However, the Trojans did win their sixth conference championship and defeated Illinois in the Rose Bowl Game on New Year's Day 2008.

Under Carroll, USC has been known to attract numerous celebrities to its practices, including USC alumni Will Ferrell, George Lucas, LeVar Burton and Sophia Bush as well as Snoop Dogg, Henry Winkler, Kirsten Dunst, Nick Lachey, Dr. Dre, Spike Lee, Alyssa Milano, Flea, Wilmer Valderrama, Jake Gyllenhaal and Andre 3000.[10] The Trojans have also benefited from LA's lack of NFL teams (with the LA Rams and Raiders having left in the early 1990s), combined with the Trojans 21st century success, leading them to sometimes be called LA's "de facto NFL team."

As of 2007, USC is one of only five of the 119 Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) teams to have never played a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) team since the division was made in 1978.