Wake-up call: USC first, a no-hitter, a bad call, a gutty coach

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First things first: The USC Trojans are No. 1 in the polls but were not a unanimous selection in either the Associated Press or USA Today coaches’ polls. Georgia -- yes, the same Georgia that eked out a victory Saturday against unranked South Carolina -- actually got two first-place votes. ‘Why?’ is the question, but Chris Dufresne guesses who voted that way. If he is right, the two coaches should be embarrassed. Oklahoma and Florida got one vote each.

Bad call: The Chargers, as T.J. Simers often says, are losers. And they were Sunday. But a referee made a horrible call (is he a Broncos fan?). The right call, and the game would have been over with the Chargers winning, 38-31. Here’s what happened: The Denver Broncos trailed, 38-31, near the end of regulation and reached the 1. But on second and goal, quarterback Jay Cutler reared back to pass, only to find the ball slip through his hands as though it were coated in melted butter, and land in the hands of Chargers linebacker Tim Dobbins. Referee Ed Hochuli ruled it an incomplete pass. Say what, Ed? A review showed it was a fumble, but instant replay rules don’t allow the opponent to gain possession in such situations. Rules are made to be changed, and this one should be. Even Cutler knew, saying after the game: ‘Fumble, I think.’ Uh, right, Jay. Final score, Broncos 39, Chargers 38. San Diego fans, that hurts.

No-No Zambrano: Cubbie fans, some of whom work at The Times, are still going crazy this morning after Carlos Zambrano’s no-hitter. Our colleagues in Chicago worked up a terrific package. The game story is only the beginning. They also reached out to one of my favorite players from my youth: Milt Pappas. Milt, of course, was the last Cubbie to throw a no-hitter -- 36 years ago. I didn’t see the game because games didn’t get shown the way they do now, but I remember reading the next day’s paper.

Who’s Matt Cassel: Of course, we L.A. natives (or longtime residents) know him because he was a star playing for Chatsworth High way back when. The Times did stories on him. Don’t believe me? OK, there is proof. But I digress. Yes, Cassel (16 for 23 for 165 yards and no interceptions) performed just fine filling in for Tom Brady as the New England Patriots beat Brett Favre (18 of 26 for 181 yards with one interception) and the New York Jets, 19-10, on Sunday. The Boston Globe recently had asked the question: Who is this Cassel guy? And they put together an enjoyable photo gallery of Matt’s life and career (including USC). And in it, you’ll even see some L.A. Times photos. Note to Matt: Glad you ditched that high school haircut. We’ll be following Matt with anticipation.

Raider nation rejoices: The Raiders actually looked pretty good as they beat the Chiefs, 23-8. But rumors persist that Raiders Coach Lane Kiffin (ex-USC) is in trouble with owner Al Davis. But it has to help Kiffin’s situation that rookie Darren McFadden rushed for 164 yards (and looked good doing it) and that the team collected 300 rushing yards overall Sunday.

Jeter hits his mark: The Yankees Derek Jeter homered in the fifth inning Sunday and quickly traded in that bat and a ball for keepsakes. The homer tied him with Lou Gehrig for the most hits at Yankee Stadium: 1,269.

Weis woes: Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis now says he is in no rush to have knee surgery after getting mowed down during Saturday’s game. Charlie simply can’t stand to be away. But, Charlie, how are you going to pace the sideline now? And having had to have knee surgery myself, I wonder: Will the painkillers he will need to take make things better or worse for the Irish? Then again, Charlie has proved to be a gutty coach when it comes to recovering from surgery. He went through gastric bypass surgery a few years ago, and that isn’t easy.

-- Debbie Goffa