Pac-10 Exemption
USC needed a one-year exemption from the Pac-10 because the reality was that no matter what the Trojans did after the Oregon State game, they could not earn enough respect to move up the polls and make the BCS title game.
``All year, for whatever reason, the loss we had hung on us,'' Pete Carroll said. ``It didn't seem that the opinion of that loss ever changed.''
Here's a couple reasons why it didn't: Oregon State lost two games by a combined 57 points. The Pac-10 is awful. Florida beat an 11-0 team that was ranked No. 1, not 4-8 UCLA on the final day.
The real travesty is Texas, which gets left out despite beating Oklahoma. It also beat Big 12 title game finalist Missouri and then-undefeated Oklahoma State. And it barely lost to 11-1 Texas Tech.
Hey Scott: Does it matter that Florida lost at HOME to an 8-4 team? Or do you really care?
But Florida beat The Citadel!
After attending the game today, even Trojan partisans like me don't have much of a case to make for USC's advancement to the BCS championship game. Are we capable of beating any team on a neutral field after weeks of preparation? Of course. But we have just looked ragged enough at times to give enough people pause.
And fellow Trojan fans, you have got to quit the whining to Wolf about Florida. Yes, they lost at home to Ole Miss (a pretty good team, I think), but since then, they've beaten a number of leading teams in the country, including #1 today. Florida is a very deserving selection.
If we had Florida's identical season, do you think any of us would be saying we should NOT be one of the two final teams?
The "real travesty" is that Scott Wolf gets paid to write about college football. We should consider ourselves lucky that we get a chance to read the unintentional comedy that is Scott Wolf's writing on a daily basis.
And Scott, I'm sure that Oregon State losing two of their games by a combined 57 points hurt SC all year long, seeing as how the Beavs got half of that margin during their final game of the season. I'm sure all the sports writers, coaches, and Harris Poll voters (some of whom thought that Penn State and Alabama were still undefeated and playing for the National Title) knew that was coming down the turn pike.
Of course, by your logic, the fact that LSU gave up a combined 103 points in two games would have disqualified them from your Top 25 right? Um, no.
Scott Wolf, you truly have your head up your ass.
FIGHT ON!
USC didn't get the traditional late-season bump by beating ND and UCLA. Indeed, USC'S strength of schedule took a hit by playing them.
Yet, Scott overlooks, as usual, the non-conference games played by the teams ahead of us:
Fla (Hawaii, Miami (FL), Citadel, Fla. St.)
Oklahoma (Chattanooga, Washington, TCU, Cincinnati)
Texas (Fla. Atlantic, UTEP, Arkansas, Rice)
Alabama (Clemson, Tulane, W. Kentucky, Arkansas St.)
I submit that USC's non-conference schedule was the toughest because of Ohio St. (Virginia, Ohio St., Notre Dame).
I mean Citadel? Chattanooga? Fla. Atlantic? UTEP? Rice? W. Kentucky? Arkansas St?
All of these games are basically a "day off" that were scheduled by the supposed "powerhouses."
Yet, USC should have beat the Beavers. One stinkin' half. Could you imagine a playoff? USC v. Oklahoma and Florida v. Texas in the semi-finals. The ratings would be through the roof.
Can USC schedule the Citadel?
Cause you have to be a good team to beat them at home rather than some lame 10-2 team like OHIO ST.!!!
uh scott..your also forgetting that florida lost to mississippi AT home..and played garbage like the citadel and miss. st...
The bottom line is that the Trojan offense top notch. The wins weren't convincing enough across the board, including against UCLA yesterday. Sanchez had all day and couldn't connect consistently. It's tough to be number 1, and USC simply isn't this year.
The bottom line is that the Trojan offense isn't top notch. The wins weren't convincing enough across the board, including against UCLA yesterday. Sanchez had all day and couldn't connect consistently. It's tough to be number 1, and USC simply isn't this year.
Unfortunately, in a f***ed up system like the BCS, SC doesn't deserve to be in the BCS title game. Wolf wouldn't even have them in a 4 team playoff because two teams that didn't win their conference, Texas Tech and Alabama, are more deserving according to him. Wolf is such a tool.