2004 USC Trojans - Best College Football Team Ever

2003 was another of those unsatisfactory seasons for college football fans as three teams, 12-1 Oklahoma, 12-1 LSU and 11-1 USC all laid claim to a spot in the BCS championship. The computers picked Oklahoma and LSU to face off, leaving USC to meet Big 10 champion, Michigan, in the Rose Bowl. The result, naturally, was a split championship as LSU and USC won their respective games.

In this decade in which USC have been unquestionably the top program in the country, it's hard to fathom the Trojans being shut out of a title shot given the same number of losses as the two teams which made it. Were it not for a triple overtime loss to Cal, USC would have controlled its own destiny.

The 2004 Trojans were bent on not letting history repeat itself. To assure themselves a spot in the big show, Pete Carroll's team would not only have to run the table, they'd need to dominate.

And that's exactly what they did.

Let's have a look at the statistics.

USC's 2004 schedule and results:

Beat Virginia Tech 24-13
Beat Colorado State 49-0
Beat Brigham Young 42-10
Beat Stanford 31-28
Beat California 23-17
Beat Arizona State 45-7
Beat Washington 38-0
Beat Washington State 42-12
Beat Oregon State 28-20
Beat Arizona 49-9
Beat Notre Dame 41-10
Beat UCLA 29-24
Beat Oklahoma (BCS Championship) 55-19

The Trojans outscored their opponents 496-169 for an average final of 38-13.

USC's offense racked up 5838 yards of total offense while the defense held opponents to 4,069.

The Key Games.

USC vs. Virginia Tech. August 28, 2004.

Although the Hokies were unranked going into this game -- the season opener for both teams -- Virginia Tech would go on to post a 10-3 record and a Top 10 final ranking. Held at FedEx Field (home of the Washington Redskins) this was essentially a home game for Tech. USC would need to start off strong. And they did, when Matt Leinart tossed a 35-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Bush midway through the first quarter.

Matt Leinart. Reggie Bush. The two names would come to define USC's mid-decade domination.

Bush caught a total of three passes from Leinart to put the game out of reach for Virginia Tech. It was a sometimes sloppy start for USC. Tech kept it close until the fourth quarter. But, as with every other game USC played in 2004, the Trojans were in control.

USC vs. California. October 9, 2004.

After a pair of nonconference blow-outs versus Colorado State and BYU (games USC won by a combined score of 91-10), the Pac-10 schedule started a little wobbly against instate rival Stanford. Perhaps USC was looking ahead to 7th-ranked Cal (two weeks away) or maybe The Cardinal is just plain sticky when they suit up versus Troy (see the 2007 match). Whatever the case, USC hosted Berkley as an undefeated team atop the polls.

Cal gave them their best shot. The Gold Bears more than doubled USC in total yards and first downs. They held the ball for 14 minutes longer than the Trojans.

And they still lost.

Great teams find ways to win. Leading 23-17 by the end of the third quarter, USC's defense would get the game ball as they turned away two lengthy Cal drives in the 4th quarter. The Bears had a 1st and goal with less than two minutes to play. One sack and three broken-up passes later, the Trojans clinched it.

USC vs. Arizona State. October 16, 2004.

After two nail-biters to start the Pac-10 season, people were starting to wonder if the preseason #1 team was as good as advertised. The game against undefeated, 19th-ranked Arizona State would go a long way in clearing things up.

The Sun Devils found Leinart's arm unstoppable as the Trojans bolted to a 42-7 halftime lead. The second-half was a mere formality as ASU was held scoreless and the Trojans tacked on another field goal for good measure. It was the beginning of what would become a season of USC blow-outs.

USC vs. UCLA. December 4, 2004.

Following the close game vs. Cal, USC would go on to mandhandle its next six opponents by a combined score of 243-58 By December 4th, a BCS berth for USC was almost a forgone conclusion. All the Trojans had to do was wax cross-town rival UCLA and they were in. The Bruins had limped into the contest barely bowl-eligible with just 6 wins and 4 losses. The game should have been a piece of cake for the 11-0 Trojans.

But heavy, as they say, is the head that wears the crown.

Fueled by a 96-yard punt return which cut USC's 2nd quarter lead to 10-7, UCLA's defense kept it close in the first half, trailing only 20-10 at halftime. The Bruins would then keep USC out of the endzone for the entire second half, leaving the Trojans to rely on the foot of their field goal kicker to stay ahead.

UCLA played an inspired half, outscoring the Trojans 14-9, giving USC arguably its best game of the season.

And, as the case with Cal, UCLA still lost.

When it was all said and done, USC did more to let the Bruins stay close than UCLA did in mounting an upset bid. USC did the Bruins in with a balanced offense and 477 total yards.

It was enough for the win. And enough to be one of two (out of three) undefeated teams picked for the BCS championship at the Orange Bowl.

USC vs. Oklahoma. The BCS Championship. January 4, 2005.

Much like the previous season, the 2004 national title picture involved USC, the Big 12 champion and the SEC champion all clamoring for a spot in the title match. But this time there were no losses and no LSU. The Auburn Tigers would get the short end of the stick while USC drew undefeated Oklahoma for the showdown in Miami.

You would have to pardon USC for not feeling terribly sorry for Auburn. Maybe the ghosts of the previous season's BCS snub gave the Trojans extra motivation. Maybe USC wanted to prove there was no lingering controversy despite Auburn securing its own undefeated season the night before against mutual opponent Virginia Tech.

Or maybe USC was just that good. But clearly Oklahoma had to be made an example of.

By the end of the 1st quarter of the 2005 Orange Bowl, with the score a 14-7 USC lead, the game was still technically a "contest". But by three minutes later, Dwayne Jarrett would snag a 54-yard pass for the Trojans third touchdown and all the points they would need to defeat Oklahoma.

USC opened the floodgates to a 38-10 halftime lead. The Trojans racked up 525 total yards and held the Sooners to 372 enroute to a 55-19 pounding. The third most points ever scored in the 73-year history of the Orange Bowl.

So where do the 2004 USC Trojans rank among the best college football teams of all time?

I have a methodology for calculating the greatest college football teams ever.

Read about method here.

What makes the 2004 Trojans part of the "best ever" discussion is primarily three things.

First, this team sits at the pinnacle of one of the best multi-season runs in the history of college football. From 2003 to 2005, USC went 37-2. If it were not for a 3-pont loss to Texas in the 2005 BCS championship, USC would have done what no other team in the history of college football has ever done. And that is win three consecutive national titles.

Second, the team was loaded with stars. Matt Leinart won the Heisman trophy in 2004. And his teammate Reggie Bush would win it the following year. Both of them followed in the footsteps of Trojan Carson Palmer the year before. In addition to Leinart and Bush, the team boasted six All-Americans including Shaun Cody, Matt Grootegoed, Mike Patterson and Lofa Tatupu. These four defensive players were just as key to USC's unbeaten season as the multitude of offensive stars. Maybe even moreso.

Third, the annihilation of Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. Like 1995 Nebraska and 2001 Miami, 2004 USC is one of the few teams to crush a relative equal in the championship game. So lopsided was this contest, it is hard to imagine anybody (including undefeated Auburn) coming close to them.

And yet, three teams did.

Stanford, Cal and UCLA all gave the 2004 Trojans fits. It may be just coincidence that these three teams are instate rivals. Perhaps "sibling rivalry" put a little extra fire in their bellies to pull an upset. Or maybe USC had gotten sloppy those days. Maybe it was a little of both.

In any case, on ten of thirteen occasions, USC was an unstoppable juggernaut. On three nights, David came close to hitting Goliath in the head. USC survived those threats and saved its most impressive performance for last.

All in all, yes 2004 USC deserves a place in the "best ever" discussion. A behemoth with a few nicks and bruises can still stand as the king of the hill.

Theoretically.