Posted on 01/04/2006 10:08:36 AM PST by Dog Gone
LOS ANGELES — Knock off Texas tonight in one of college football's most anticipated games, and top-ranked Southern Cal can lay claim to something even more elusive than three consecutive national titles.
Immortality.
"If USC wins this game, I think you have to put them up there with the greatest teams of all time," longtime ABC broadcaster Keith Jackson said. "I always thought the 1972 USC team was the best I ever saw. Then came Nebraska in 1995. If the Trojans win, they are right there."
Others will go a step further. A win over Texas (12-0) in the Rose Bowl would be USC's 35th in a row, tying Toledo (1969-71) for the second-longest streak in Division I-A history. It would give the Trojans a three-year record of 38-1 and a four-year mark of 48-3. USC (12-0) would become the first team in history to win three Associated Press national titles in a row.
That, several college experts say, would make this USC dynasty the greatest of all time.
"If they beat Texas, then you have to say what they've accomplished is unparalleled in college football," said Gene Stallings, who coached Alabama to a national title. "I was with Coach [Bear] Bryant when he first got things going at Alabama, and we won a bunch of games. But given the competition today, what USC has done is incredible."
Until now, Bud Wilkinson's Oklahoma Sooners of the 1950s have always commanded center stage when the discussion turns to college football's greatest dynasty. Wilkinson's teams won two national titles and 47 consecutive games, a record that stands, in a six-year period.
But USC has put together its remarkable streak in an era of only 85 scholarships, when high-profile juniors rarely stick around for their final seasons.
The Trojans have done it in era when assistant coaches come and go because of the money involved.
They've done it in an era when the media scrutiny ratchets up the pressure to maintain the streak to unbelievable levels. Back in the 1950s, when television was in its infancy, Oklahoma assembled its dynasty in relative obscurity.
"I don't want to take anything away from what Bud Wilkinson accomplished, because in his era, he was simply the best," former Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian said. "But for any team to win 34 straight games today is just remarkable. You have to say that what USC has accomplished is one of the great feats in the history of college football."
John Robinson served two stints as head coach at USC, where he won 104 games and a share of the 1978 national championship. From 1978-80, his Trojans teams won 28 in a row.
But that accomplishment, he said, doesn't compare with what these Trojans have pulled off under Pete Carroll the past four years.
During this four-year run, USC has produced three Heisman Trophy winners: Carson Palmer (2002), Matt Leinart ('04) and Reggie Bush ('05). No other school has done that.
"And the thing is, they have done it with such style and such exuberance," said Robinson, who will be at tonight's game. "Pete and his staff have brought the excitement back to USC. They have really got it going."
And consider this: If USC beats Texas tonight, the dynasty discussion will just be starting. A win would give the Trojans 35 in a row going into the 2006 season. Another 13-0 season would break Oklahoma's 47-game winning streak, a record that has stood for five decades.
That possibility has gotten the attention of even the most skeptical old-timers, who've wondered how the West Coast boys would fare if they had to play in a conference other than the Pac-10.
"I remember those great Oklahoma teams, and they were something," former Auburn coach Pat Dye said. "But I saw USC beat us twice [2002, '03], and I thought they were one of the best-coached teams I had ever seen.
"I don't think an SEC team could do what they have done because of the competition. But I don't know. What they got over there is pretty special."
"I don't think an SEC team could do what they have done because of the competition. But I don't know. What they got over there is pretty special."
Oh... and by the way... I'm so sick and tired of hearing how USC plays in an "easy" conference... and how if they played in the SEC they'd have a tougher time... Let's look at the bowl records of these Conferences this year:
Pac-10 (5).............3-1
ACC (8)................5-3
Big 12 (8)..............4-3
C-USA (6)............3-3
SEC (6).................3-3
Mountain West (4).2-2
Independents (2)....1-1
MAC (2)...............1-1
Big Ten (7)............3-4
WAC (3)...............1-2
Sun Belt (1)...........0-1
Big East (4)...........1-3
I didn't forget any of those folks, and if the Longhorns do, they'll regret it.
I'm stopping WAY short of promising a USC win, but the Longhorns have never faced a team like this.
Heck, it might be decided by turnovers or even bad calls. But I think the odds are either that Texas wins a squeaker, or USC blows them out. There's no way Texas blows out USC.
Texas can win this game. I don't want them to, but it's certainly possible.
"Texas can win this game...."
Sure, USC has been beatable in a number of games over the past several years, and obviously, Texas brings great athletes and an impressive 19-game streak of their own, so they can definitely win this game. If the game goes their way, turnovers, penalties, guys getting banged up, they can win, just like in a lot of games.
However, could you imagine if USC had lost two title games in a row, last year by 55-19, and then this year UCLA went 12-0 and made the title game, what a beating the Pac-10 would be taking right now, and how little chance everyone would be giving UCLA (or whatever other Pac-10 team got there)? It would be unbelievable.
Don't Mess With Texas!!!!!!
Well, I guess my dream came true, eh?
That it was.
Congratulations to Texas.
it sure did !! vince was a superman, but usc certainly had many chances to win.
one of the most incredible games ever.
i was most surprised by reggies lack of impact. texas really shut him down.
It sure could've gone either way........ Great game to watch and could've went to overtime easily. I bet the USC QB wants his last pass as a do-over. Take care.
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