Yes, but that is a somewhat subjective measure. USC lost a game that year, Auburn went undefeated this season. Auburn went undefeated in the SEC, Beat the ACC champion, and had 4 wins against top ten opponents. If you compare that record to that ridiculously over-hyped Oklahoma team, then the conclusion is that the orange bowl should have been USC vs. Auburn. Sadly, (unlike USC) Auburn's seniors-best players-are leaving and they won't have a chance to fix this injustice next year-maybe ever.
Treu, but the two major polls are components of the BCS formula. If there had been no BCS, Oklahoma could have played Auburn in the Orange Bowl, and USC would have played Michigan in the Rose Bowl. If both Auburn and USC won their games, USC would have still remained a commanding #1, in the polls.
I don't see any way Auburn could have ended up playing USC in any scenario. And for the Auburn secondary, which was picked apart by Va Tech, it's a good thing for Auburn they did not play USC last night.