USC dominated Hawaii in every facet of the game in Saturday’s season opener.

Still, that wasn’t enough to keep them atop the AP Poll this morning. USC fell to No. 2, with Alabama’s victory over Michigan giving them enough juice to catapult past the Trojans. Not that that doesn’t make sense.  Beating a Big Ten power like Michigan certainly outweighs dominating a Mountain West also-ran like the Warriors.

An interesting note, however — that probably wouldn’t have mattered in the rankings — was that the Trojans didn’t cover the spread against the Warriors — by the slimmest of margins.

USC was favored by between 39.5 and 40 points, depending on who you asked, and they won by 39 points. That was with a truly pedestrian effort to score on their last drive, which was guided by backup quarterback Max Wittek. I don’t think I’m the only one who thought it was miraculous how Kiffin’s squad came up just shy of the spread.

But, like I said, beating the team formerly known as the Rainbows by 60 probably wouldn’t have been enough to keep USC in the top spot after Alabama’s dismantling of Michigan.