Chapter 2: The Trojan Horse

In 2005, there was no bigger show in L.A. than USC football. The players were household names, celebrities crowded the sidelines, and the wins kept piling up — until Texas came to town. As the dynasty began to crack, Pete Carroll saw his once-unstoppable program start to unravel, while stars Matt Leinart and LenDale White grappled with life in the spotlight. Then the NCAA came calling over Reggie Bush, and USC found itself on the brink of a new era. House of Troy is a new podcast from LA Times Studios tracing the rise and fall of USC football, from coach Pete Carroll’s back-to-back national titles in the 2000s, to the Reggie Bush scandal, to the series of missteps that followed. It’ll feature exclusive interviews with coaches, players, and USC officials who saw it all up close — and shine new light on how a college football dynasty came undone.