USC Fans, Get Over It, Please!

Over on the USC boards, some are wondering how one team can completely outplay another, 56-0, and drop two spots in the BCS rankings.

Of course, some of us realize the answer is simple.

When Florida demolishes #8 Georgia, and Oklahoma lays 62 on Nebraska, and Oklahoma State puts up 59, and an undefeated Texas Tech edges out #1 Texas, and the team that USC laid 56 on is 0-7 and ranked 116th. And the the 119^th ranked team that USC laid 69 on a couple weeks ago just got thumped by Stanford, 59-0.

Yes, USC will drop and deservedly so.
I gave USC the benefit of the doubt in my own poll and have them ranked 5th only because they are the top defensive team in the nation.

But I can certainly understand why the BCS and various other polls have dropped them to #7 even though they shutout the hapless Washington Huskies 56-0.

There would be absolutely no complaints over the last three years if the team had taken care of business. Each of those years, USC was ranked #1 at some point and would have remained at the top if the Trojans had won out. And all of us know it.

So, get over it, Trojan fans.

If the team had taken care of business when they were at the top, the BCS would not have dropped them any lower than #2 in any of those years, which meant they would have been one of the teams in the national title game.

And USC received those high rankings even though the Pac-10 is perceived as one of the weaker conferences. So, why all the complaints with the polls?

And why complain about the teams in the Pac-10 for that matter? Although USC is considered to have one of the tougher OOC schedules in the nation, all of their losses these past three seasons have been at the hands of Pac-10 teams.

And the weaker ones at that. Oregon State twice, Stanford and UCLA. They also lost to a #2 ranked Oregon team last year while Dennis Dixon was still running wild at quarterback.

I say, take care of business and you won’t have to worry about the rankings.
But right now we have 6 or 7 teams ahead of USC who are playing lights out football regardless of scheduling.

If any of you did not enjoy the Texas Tech-Texas game, then you either have a serious nerve disorder or you’re not a college football fan.

So, enjoy the season. Enjoy the plays and the playmakers. No matter which team you root for. But don’t let the BCS rankings spoil it for you.

USC has a great team and a great program, so enjoy it for what it is. But don’t expect the BCS computers and the college pollsters to pull USC up out of hole when the Trojans dug their own hole in the first place.

I know Pete Carroll has said numerous times that he doesn’t know how the BCS works and doesn’t care to know. But I will tell him anyway.

It’s very simple. Despite being in one of the weaker BCS conferences, all USC has to do in any particular year is run the table and they are in the national title game.

On the other hand, if the Trojans, comprised of four-and-five-star players, should lose to a weaker Pac-10 team, comprised of three-two-and-no-star players, they are automatically eliminated from consideration for the national title game.

It’s that simple. What is there to understand? This isn’t rocket science.

Sure, the formula is somewhat different for teams in the SEC and the Big 12. But the level of competition in those two conferences is decidedly different than the Pac-10 or the A.C.C and the Big Ten.

And it’s not only some Trojan fans that need to tone it down and accept reality. It’s also a few critics in the Los Angeles media who are begging for a playoff.

All I have to say to that is…Playoffs…What playoffs?
I have heard their cries before. Three years in a row. In fact, right about this time of year. Usually a couple weeks after USC has lost to Oregon State or Stanford and has managed to climb back up a couple rungs in the Top 10 rankings.

Strange. I didn’t hear those cries back in 2004 when USC played Oklahoma in the national title game while an undefeated Auburn team was passed over.

All I heard back then was something about Tommy Tuberville being a cry baby and a spoiled sport.

True. College football does need some kind of playoff system. But not because a one-or-two-loss USC will be left out of the national title game.

College football needs a playoff system because, depending on how the rest of this season plays out, there are at least eight or nine teams including USC that deserve a shot at the title.

That is true today just as it was true back in 2004 when USC was ranked ahead of Auburn. And a couple months ago after USC defeated Ohio State, 35-3, and wound up at #1.

Yes, they had their chance and blew it. Oh, I’m aware of the old line all the homers use about USC being a strong finisher and the best team in college football in January.

Unfortunately there is no way of proving that unless USC takes care of business in September and October.

Remember, the national title game is reserved for the two teams with the best 12-game season, not a 5-game season.

Yes, it’s disappointing that a team with so many excellent players has been denied a shot at the title these past three years. But it’s not tragic.

It’s just what it is, Trojan fans. So, enjoy the rest of the season and stop whinning over the polls.