For Now, Money Is Not an Issue

Though he trails Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops and is thought to be in the neighborhood of Louisiana State’s Nick Saban in annual salary, USC Coach Pete Carroll said Monday that he has not heard from administrators regarding a raise and does not expect to any time soon.

“They’ve made me really comfortable with what we’re doing, and communication about stuff like that has been graceful and easy,” said Carroll, who has led the top-ranked Trojans to their second consecutive berth in a bowl championship series game. “I’m not even in the mind-set to be thinking about that, so I don’t anticipate anything right now.”

Stoops earns a reported industry-best $2.5 million a year as coach of Oklahoma, which will play LSU in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4 in the bowl championship series title game.

Saban earns $1.6 million a year, but his contract also reportedly includes an annuity that will pay him $1 million if he stays two more years and a clause that guarantees him at least $1 more per year than the current highest-paid coach if LSU wins the BCS title.

After the final BCS standings were announced, LSU’s chancellor and athletic director said they planned to reward Saban with a lucrative new contract after the Sugar Bowl.

USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett could not be reached for comment Monday.

When Carroll was hired in December 2000, he signed a five-year contract that paid him approximately $1 million annually. He is thought to have received a significant raise after leading the Trojans to an 11-2 record in 2002, a season that culminated with a victory over Iowa in the Orange Bowl. Carroll also turned down an opportunity to become coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

This season, USC enjoyed a surge in season-ticket sales and established a school record for average home attendance en route to finishing the regular season ranked No. 1 in the polls for first time since 1972.

The Trojans play Michigan in the Rose Bowl and can win at least a share of their first national title since 1978.

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Offensive tackle Jacob Rogers said X-rays of his right foot, which a teammate stepped on Sunday, revealed no fractures. Rogers said he probably would not practice today and would return Friday.... With Rogers out, the Trojans experimented by moving center Norm Katnik to tackle, moving guard Lenny Vandermade to center and inserting Travis Watkins at left guard.... Tight end Gregg Guenther practiced for the first time since injuring his knee against Oregon State. “I’m still kind of hesitant to go full speed,” said Guenther, who added that he intends to participate in contact drills on Thursday.... The Trojans, for the most part, have dodged the flu bug. “There have been some guys that have been sick, but most of the guys have worked through it,” Carroll said. “We haven’t had a big surge of it, so hopefully we can make it through the week.”

Associated Press contributed to this report.