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Posted on 01/05/2005 8:38:56 AM PST by RedBloodedAmerican
USC No. 1 from start to finish in AP poll
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MIAMI (AP) -- Southern California joined some elite company with its latest AP national title. The Trojans became just the second team to go No. 1 wire-to-wire in The Associated Press Top 25, and the 10th team to repeat as national champs.
Following a resounding 55-19 victory over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, USC received all but three first-place votes early Wednesday to easily outdistance Auburn.
The Trojans (13-0) are the first back-to-back AP champs since Nebraska in 1994-95.
"I know right now I'm in the middle of something special," USC coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday morning after receiving both the AP and Bowl Championship series national title trophies.
"We are now unanimously No. 1," Orange Bowl MVP Matt Leinart said right after the game.
Not quite, but good enough.
USC received 62 first-place votes and 1,622 points. Auburn got the other first-place votes and 1,559 points.
The Sooners (12-1) finished third, ahead of unbeaten Utah (12-0) and Texas (11-1).
Auburn (13-0) finished its perfect season Monday night with a 16-13 victory over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl.
Tigers coach Tommy Tuberville and his team practically pleaded with poll voters to give his team a championship, but to no avail.
"Anybody who thought that last night was a championship game, I beg to differ," Tuberville said Wednesday morning. "I'm disappointed that with the type of team we had, as balanced as we were, we did not get a chance to play in that game."
The Trojans' 36-point rout was the third-largest margin in a matchup between No. 1 and No. 2 teams.
USC joined Florida State in 1999 as the only teams to be No. 1 from start to finish since the AP started a preseason poll in 1950. The Trojans are also the 10th preseason No. 1 to win the national championship.
The Trojans' fifth AP title tied them with Miami for the fourth most.
Notre Dame leads with eight national titles, followed by Oklahoma with seven and Alabama with six.
And if the Trojans start next season No. 1 - a good possibility even if Leinart skips his senior season for the NFL draft - they will match Miami's record of 19 straight polls as No. 1.
No team has ever won three straight AP titles, but USC could enter next season as the favorite to do just that.
Louisville was No. 6, followed by Georgia, Iowa, California and Virginia Tech.
Miami was 11th, and for the first time since 1982, no team from Florida ended the season ranked among the nation's top five.
Florida State (9-3) finished ranked 15th and Florida (7-5) ended the season unranked.
Boise State's first loss of the season to Louisville in the Liberty Bowl dropped the Broncos two spots to No. 12.
Navy made it into the rankings for the first time since 1979 at No. 24. Fresno State also joined the poll at 22.
Utah deserved 3rd place.
Time will tell, but he's missed at Oregon.
Yeah, that game was a real murder, wasn't it : )
1) Utah played a pathetic Pittsburgh team (ranked under 20).
2) Va. tech #3 defense in the country, Auburn #4 defense in the country, that's why the score was close.
3)College football is about winning games, not impressing people that don't understand the sport.
Agree. Too bad Utah didn't get a chance to play Auburn instead of getting hooked up against a team with two losses. I'd bet Utah would have given Auburn a good drubbing.
Oklahoma only beat 1 top ten team. Not exactly a tough schedule.
Speaking as a Gamecock, we are thrilled the OBC is now wearing our visor. I've always liked y'all and were pulling for you the other night when bumbling Charlie Strong was doing his best to look like HC material. Congrats on your new coach...he's a good one.
Southack's Top 5 - Final Ranking:
1. USC
2. Auburn
3. Utah
4. Cal
5. Oklahoma
3 undefeateds round out my top 3; can't say the same for the AP and Coaches poll.
Auburn university is in the state of Alabama, Alabama voted for George Bush.
All of that stuff is subjective. The only way to fix college football is to go to a plus one system.
How did Cal get in my list?!
Urban has his work cut out for him, that's for sure. That was not pretty what we threw out against Miami the other day.
(in reference to being too tough on Ok.) Not that good. Besides, you can always recruit out of state.
Well, those kids have endured a lot of turmoil this year nd I never expected Strong to be able to have them ready. I expect Urban to have y'all challenging UT for the east next year. Anyone but those damned UGlies.
Auburn got jobbed due to their non-conference schedule. It sucks I suppose but OU beat everyone that they were supposed to and were lucky enough to start the season ranked higher.
There's no other way to do this than to scrap the bowls and have a playoff of the top 8 teams. A team has to win 3 games and then they are the champs. You play throughout November and early December with the champs playing on NY's day.
It's impossible not to have USC ranked #1 for next year, but I believe everyone else on that list will have a new QB starting for them.
Even if USC loses Leinart, it seems that Norm Chow can create a new star instantly.
you forgot Florida and Miami in that mix too....
Auburn had their once-every-ten-year teams this year that will run the table but not go anywhere and then here in about 3 years they will be scraping by to get to a bowl game AGAIN....
Auburn didnt get any respect because they hadnt earned it in previous years. Remember all the years here (The past 3 I believe) where the sports writers were saying Auburn was the best team in the nation? This year they actually might have been, but couldnt over ride the past few years of disappointments...
Ohio State isnt over rated. You will see next year, barring any probation....
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