For a moment, the game won't be the thing Friday night at the L.A. Coliseum. No. 10 Utah meets USC in a key Pac-12 game that will be pushed aside just a minute by history: the return of Reggie Bush.

More like, USC's all-time All-American will be allowed to return to the field he dominated playing for the Trojans from 2003-05. Bush was permanently disassociated from the program in 2010 when USC was dealt crippling NCAA penalties.

There is expected to be an emotional reaction from the Coliseum crowd when Bush appears at USC for the first time in at least nine years, this time as part of the Fox crew broadcasting the game.

The NCAA concluded that Bush, his mother and stepfather took extra benefits from a sports representation agency while he was at USC. The Trojans were forced to vacate 14 wins, including the 2004 BCS Championship Game win over Oklahoma.

USC lost 30 scholarships and was dealt a two-year bowl ban.

The Heisman Trust eventually asked Bush to return his trophy. To this day, Heisman.com does not list a winner for 2005.

The NCAA ruled that Bush was allowed to be on site Friday night in a work-related capacity for Fox. Bush is a pregame analyst along with Matt Leinart, Urban Meyer and Brady Quinn.

"I would be lying to you if I said I didn't want to go back and be a part of the school," Bush told the Los Angeles Times earlier this year. "I love USC." 

A Fox spokesman did not make Bush available for comment, and further attempts to reach Bush by CBS Sports were unsuccessful.

In his three seasons, Bush rushed for 3,169 yards, good for eighth on USC's career rushing list. His 294 rushing yards in 2005 against Fresno State are second-most in school history for a single game.

More than that, the charismatic Bush was part of a dynasty that won 34 games in a row from 2003-05. When the Trojans were winning, they were treated like an NFL franchise in L.A., which was without one at the time. The city was in love.

"The only thing he did was be terribly successful," former USC athletic director Mike Garrett told CBS Sports. "And there's maybe some envy throughout the NCAA. Everybody there wishes that magic would come back … but it's all cycles. The main thing he's part of that history."

As part of the disassociation, USC had to remove the name and likeness of Bush from any of its official records in the athletic department and on campus. He was also banned from practice or sideline access during games.

Bush's missing Heisman Trophy in the lobby of Heritage Hall stands out like a missing tooth. USC is tied with Notre Dame and Ohio State for the most Heismans won (seven). Only six are displayed in Heritage Hall.

FAU coach Lane Kiffin said in a text the Friday that reception for Bush would be "great." He added, "People [are] always different when in person."

Different?

"They talk crap [about you] until they [are] in person, then they act like they love you."

Kiffin was USC's offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach during Bush's time there.

USC has tried several times to have the disassociation ban lifted. Next June, the permanent dissociation will turn 10 years old.

"I think he looks forward to going back," said Garrett, USC's AD from 1993 to 2010. "To the many people who enjoyed him, he was a quality person. He wasn't a bad kid. I think he has a bittersweet [feeling]. I don't think he feels guilty."