Notes on a Scorecard - Aug. 31, 1994

When USC plays Washington Saturday at the Coliseum, it will be the Trojans’ first opener against a conference rival since 1967. . . .

They blasted Washington State, 49-0, on their way to a national championship that season. . . .

It was the coming-out party for a transfer from City College of San Francisco named O.J. Simpson, who ran 17 times for 94 yards and a touchdown against the Cougars. . . .

Labor Day weekend attendance forecast: USC-Washington, 50,000; UCLA-Tennessee, 50,000; Rams-Arizona Cardinals, 35,000. . . .

Tennessee has sold 8,500 tickets for the nationally televised game Saturday evening at the Rose Bowl. . . .

How seriously do they take their college football in Knoxville? The Volunteers have averaged more than 90,000 in home attendance every year since 1979, and Neyland Stadium will be able to accommodate more than 100,000 by 1996. . . .

KMPC should bring back Brian Golden’s informative Saturday morning college preview show. . . .

The three most overused words every year: Heisman Trophy candidate. . . .

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My nomination of Vince Lombardi as coach of the all-time NFL team has brought protests from supporters of Paul Brown, George Halas and Don Shula, among others. . . .

Actually, the coach with the highest winning percentage of those with at least 10 years’ service is John Madden at 75%. Lombardi is second at 72.8% and George Allen third at 70.5%. . . .

Lombardi was 9-1 in postseason games. . . .

Kellen Winslow, a tight end on the all-time team, is an attorney in Kansas City and analyst on University of Missouri broadcasts. . . .

The late Joe Scibelli, a mainstay of the Ram offensive line from 1961 to ‘75, has been elected to the Boston chapter of the National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame. . . .

Marty Moore, a Kentucky linebacker who was the last player taken in the NFL draft and was honored during Paul Salata’s annual Irrelevant Week ceremonies in Newport Beach, will be in the New England Patriots’ starting lineup on opening day. . . .

In contrast, Bruce Walker, a defensive tackle from UCLA who was selected in the second round and 37th overall by the Philadelphia Eagles, was the highest pick to be cut. Walker didn’t play last season because of disciplinary reasons, then gave up his final year of eligibility to make himself available for the draft. . . .

Just when you think the Masters has joined the 20th Century, it forces CBS to drop Gary McCord from its 1995 tournament broadcasting team. . . .

Unless the Breeders’ Cup lowers the high price of supplementing entries or changes its rules, it will continue to lose stars such as Holy Bull and Paseana. . . .

Corey Nakatani is fulfilling his enormous potential at Del Mar. . . .

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Boxing’s most attractive bout, James Toney vs. Roy Jones, has been signed for Nov. 18 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. . . .

Top Rank Inc. matchmaker Bruce Trampler says he wouldn’t be afraid to match Danny Romero, who just turned 20 and will box Marcos Pacheco on Sept. 9 at the Grand Olympic, against any of the reigning flyweight champions. . . .

“I’d rather fight any of them than try to pronounce their names,” Romero said. . . .

San S. Polenchit is the World Boxing Assn. champion, Yuri Arbachakov the WBC champion and Pichit Sitbangprachan the IBF champion. . . .

Oscar De La Hoya will return to the Grand Olympic on Oct. 8 for a CBS bout against an opponent who hasn’t been signed yet. . . .

The Forum should bill itself as the House of Upsets again after Harold Grey’s split decision over Julio Cesar Borboa. . . .

Gordie Howe’s kid Mark, who has signed to play another year for the Detroit Red Wings, is 39. . . .

If Mario Lemieux never plays another game, he still will be recognized as one of the all-time stars in the NHL. He is No. 1 on the goals-per-game list and No. 2 behind Wayne Gretzky in points per game. . . .

The U.S. men’s volleyball team, preparing for the world championships that begin Sept. 28 in Athens, will play Poland on Sept. 10 at Pepperdine. . . .

Carl Lewis ran the 100 meters in 10.41 seconds at Copenhagen the other day. Florence Griffith Joyner ran 10.49 when she won the 100 in the 1988 Olympic Games at Seoul. . . .

I barely missed on my prediction that Boris Becker would win the U.S. Open. . . .

Expansion franchise: Washington’s starting inside linebackers are David Killpatrick from Alaska and Ink Aleaga from Hawaii.