Another No. 1-ranked football team?

Weren't Johnny Rodgers and Nebraska just here? Wasn't that Bob Devaney and Nebraska leaving the airport with one dynasty just before Pete Carroll and Southern California jets in here with another?

With the impending arrival of two-time defending national champion USC for Saturday's season opener, it turns out it is going on 34 years since the University of Hawai'i last teed it up against a top-ranked opponent and defending national champion.

Can it really have been 1971 that Nebraska was here in the midst of its three-peat quest — or, what would have been one if the phrase had existed in pre-ESPN days?

Shows you how time flies.

I mean, one day George Lumpkin is a senior defensive back for the Rainbows. And, then, the next thing you know, he is a senior citizen and associate head coach, in his 31st year as a coach at UH.

It seems like it was yesterday that Chuck Leahey was the "voice of the Rainbows" with young son Jim at his side. Now it is Jim doing Warrior games with his son, Kanoa, on deck.

Nebraska was in the midst of securing back-to-back national titles. Now, here comes USC off 2003 and '04 titles.

Once Hawai'i braced for 8,000 Big Red faithful at Ho-nolulu Stadium. Now, it is a 10,000-plus cardinal-and-gold throng headed for Aloha Stadium.

Nebraska was a 40-point favorite on the way to a 45-3 victory. Now comes USC as a — so far — 34-point pick on the way to a ... well, we won't go into that.

The 1971 Cornhuskers included a couple soon-to-be Outland Trophy winners (Larry Jacobson in '71 and Rich Glover in '72), a Heisman Trophy winner (Rodgers in '72), and Lombardi Award winner (Glover '72).

Here comes USC with 2004 Heisman winner Matt Leinart and Heisman finalist Reggie Bush, not to mention a Jim Thorpe candidate (Darnell Bing) and Ray Guy candidate (Tom Malone).

Back in '71, June Jones was a freshman quarterback at Oregon hoping to see action against USC. Now he's grooming a freshman quarterback, Tyler Graunke, to play against the Trojans.

It was KHVH-TV (now KITV) that showed UH-Nebraska to the state. Now it is ESPN2 showing UH-USC to the nation.

In 1971 a $100 donation to Koa Anuenue, the athletic booster group, was in the "major" category. This year, it'll cost you $3,500 — or more — to sit in the loge section.

Way back when, it cost you about 35 cents a gallon to drive to Honolulu Stadium to see UH play a No. 1 team. Now, that'll be $2.75 a gallon or more.

Still, you might not want to miss it because you never know when the next one will roll around.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.