[4] The team was coached by Pete Carroll, led on offense by quarterback and 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart,[5] and played their home games in the Los Angeles Coliseum.

[1][2] A number of players from the team won national awards, with running back Reggie Bush becoming the school's seventh Heisman Trophy winner before it was later vacated due to a violation of NCAA rules.

[19] Returning fourteen starters from 2004,[6] including Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Matt Leinart,[20] and with a 22-game winning streak, the Trojans were ranked at the top of the polls once again in the pre-season.

Both Leinart and Bush were chosen by Playboy, Athlon, The Sporting News, Street & Smith, Phil Steele's, Lindy, and Blue Ribbon for their first teams.

[3] The Trojans began the season by traveling to Hawaii to face the Warriors led by sixth–year head coach June Jones and quarterback Colt Brennan, Leinart's backup in high school.

[30] In the Trojans' first home game of the season they faced the Arkansas Razorbacks, led by eighth–year head coach Houston Nutt and quarterback Robert Johnson.

In the second quarter the Razorbacks were able to kick a field goal before the Trojans scored two more touchdowns on a rush by LenDale White and a third pass by Leinart.

The Ducks, led by eleventh–year head coach Mike Bellotti and quarterback Kellen Clemens, came into the game undefeated, and started quickly with an early field goal.

[32] The Trojans next stayed on the road and faced the fifteenth–ranked Arizona State Sun Devils, led by fifth–year head coach Dirk Koetter and quarterback Sam Keller.

With both offenses struggling in the first quarter, Sun Devil, Terry Richardson, opened scoring on an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown.

The Trojans answered early in the second quarter with a field goal, however, two touchdowns, a Keller pass and a Keegan Herring rush, gave the Sun Devils an 18-point half-time lead.

Reggie Bush and LenDale White both ran for over 150 yards to help the Trojans win their Pac-10 record 26th consecutive game.

[34] The Trojans next went home to face the Arizona Wildcats, led by second–year head coach Mike Stoops and quarterback Richard Kovalcheck.

Though both teams struggled in the second quarter, Leinart was able to complete a 22-yard touchdown to Dwayne Jarrett late in the half to take a 14–7 lead.

The Irish, led by first–year coach Charlie Weis and junior quarterback Brady Quinn, were ranked ninth in the country.

[40] The Trojans next visited the Washington Huskies, led by first–year head coach Tyrone Willingham and quarterback Isaiah Stanback.

The Huskies took an early lead on a field goal, but the Trojans answered with a Leinart touchdown pass to Steve Smith.

[41] The Trojans next faced the Washington State Cougars, led by third–year head coach Bill Doba and quarterback Alex Brink.

Late in the second quarter the Trojans scored again on a LenDale White touchdown rush, and a Mario Danelo field goal as time was expiring gave them a 38–6 half-time lead.

Though the Cardinal were the last team to beat the Trojans at home back in 2001, they were slightly struggling under first–year head coach Walt Harris and quarterback Trent Edwards with a 4–3 record.

[43] The Trojans next traveled to face rivals, the California Golden Bears, led by fourth–year head coach Jeff Tedford and quarterback Joe Ayoob.

[45] The Trojans next faced the sixteenth–ranked Fresno State Bulldogs, led by ninth–year head coach Pat Hill and quarterback Paul Pinegar.

For their final regular season game the Trojans faced their cross-town rivals, the eleventh–ranked UCLA Bruins, led by fourth–year head coach Karl Dorrell and quarterback Drew Olson.

With the win, they clinched the Pac-10 title, first place in the BCS rankings, and an invitation to the Rose Bowl, which served as the national championship game.

[47][48][49][50][51] Less than three weeks before the game, USC's Reggie Bush won the Heisman Trophy ahead of second place finisher, and Texas quarterback, Vince Young.

[62] The NCAA found that Bush had received gifts from two sports agents from at least December 2004, including a limousine ride to the 2005 Heisman Trophy presentation and a rent-free home.

Running backs coach Todd McNair was banned from off-campus recruiting for one year after the NCAA determined he'd known about Bush's dealings with the agents.

Bush, Matt Leinart, Dwayne Jarrett, Taitusi Latui, Sam Baker, Ryan Kalil, Darnell Bing, Lawrence Jackson, and Frostee Rucker were named to the first team while LenDale White, Fred Matua, and Scott Ware were named to the second team.

Reggie Bush became USC's seventh Heisman Trophy winner with the second largest margin of victory ever.

[76] A week after the loss in the Rose Bowl, Reggie Bush announced his plans to skip his senior season and declare for the 2006 NFL draft.