Instead of the typical Web fare of rosters, stats, game notes, and player profiles, USC Rips It offers a wide variety of off-beat video features, such as one that follows the squad on an outing to the beach and another that takes a look at the annual offensive coaches vs. defensive coaches basketball game. There are also articles providing the latest program news and a blog that is updated several times a day.

"Pete Carroll [USC's Head Football Coach] really wanted to provide fans with an inside look at the program," says Jose Eskenazi, Associate Athletic Director at USC. "Our main athletic site is certainly football intensive, but this new site gives a more in-depth look at the team."

It helps that the site is managed by Ben Malcolmson, a walk-on backup wide receiver on the squad last season. "There's no way I could make the site what it is without being a member of the team and knowing everyone so well," says Malcolmson, who creates almost all the content for the site as Director of Online Media. "There's a trust level that you can't get any other way."

Although the goal of the endeavor is to give fans an inside look at the team, that doesn't mean anything goes. "There are definitely some limitations," Malcolmson says. "We can't live completely in a fishbowl and rule number one is that we have to protect the team. For example, when we had a player transfer, I knew about it well before it was announced, but I didn't put the news on the site because it's not in the team's best interest."

After the transfer was announced, however, the site did have a short Q&A with Carroll, who talked about why players sometimes decide to leave the program. Carroll is an integral part of USC Rips It, participating in many of the fun features and at one point, thanking fans for coming to the site and asking for their ideas on future features.

"It seems like 20 times a day Coach Carroll is throwing ideas my way and saying, 'What about this?' or 'How about that?'" Malcolmson says. "Pretty much everyone around the office has taken ownership of the site and contributed a lot of story ideas."

Quarterbacks Graduate Assistant Coach Yogi Roth is the most involved. After four years as a receiver at the University of Pittsburgh, Roth spent a year as a sportscaster before joining the Trojans staff as a video assistant in 2005. In addition to editing Malcolmson's written pieces, Roth has hosted some of the video features.

"There are a lot of things football coaches and players hold close to the chest in a typical program that really don't need to be, and this site is proving that," Malcolmson says. "I think the coaches love it because it allows them to get out there and relax and be themselves."

The site runs no advertising and is funded through the football team's budget. Malcolmson works out of the football office and sits in on most team meetings, while also working closely with the staff from the school's recently redesigned official athletic site, usctrojans.com, which is operated by CSTV. The main athletic department Web site still contains a wide range of football content, including game highlights and press conferences, and it links to USC Rips It and Malcolmson's blog.

Eskenazi says there's been little concern about competition between the two sites, because USC feels many fans will visit both and they're not competing for advertising dollars. In his mind, there's plenty of room, and reason, for both.

"I think it's extremely important to have different ways to reach your audience, because in collegiate athletics you have so many distinct constituencies," Eskenazi says. "You have your student groups, your donors, your general season ticket holders, and in-market and out-of-market alumni. It's vital to have touchpoints that play to different demographics and focus on what they're interested in."

Eskenazi says some thought is being given to developing a similar site for the men's basketball team, but there are no firm plans at this time. Malcolmson, meanwhile, expects to see other schools follow USC's lead in the near future.

"I would recommend it whole heartedly," he says. "The response and the feedback we've been getting has been phenomenal. It really creates a following you just can't get through the normal athletics department Web page."