USC Football: The 7 Best Victories of the Last 7 Years

Though the last two years of Trojan football has been less than fans would desire, there have still been plenty of reasons for the followers of USC to smile in the recent past.

Prior to the 2009 season, the Trojans had been on an incredible run of success that made the program the envy of almost every college team in the nation.

Along the way, USC had beaten pretty much every team they opposed including a remarkable run in the postseason which saw them losing only once since 2004, which was the epic loss to Texas when Longhorn quarterback Vince Young had a game for the ages.

For the sake of continuity, I have broken down the Trojans' seven best victories over the last seven years by isolating a single win each year for that time period.

While some years may have included more than one great victory, each year (except for one) represents a great Trojan triumph, ones that will certainly bring a smile to the faces of those who follow the Men of Troy.

Although I expect disagreement regarding which of these games should have been included on the list, the following is one writer's compilation of some of the best wins in what was, for the most part, a golden era in USC football.

2004: USC 55 Oklahoma 19 (Orange Bowl)

This game, according to the NCAA, did not happen.

Of course, as we all know, the Trojans' demolition of the Sooners did indeed occur and for Trojan fans, it is a memory they will never forget.

The Trojan team that crushed what was a very good Oklahoma squad may have been one of the greatest units that has ever taken the field for a college football game.

Led by quarterback Matt Leinart and an electric running back whose name escapes me right now (Trojan fans will understand my convenient memory loss as I blame him for USC's current NCAA punishment plight), this team was simply dominant.

In the game itself, which was listed as a "toss-up" going in, USC completely overwhelmed the Sooners and to be certain, the final score, even though it reflected a blowout, did not really represent how one sided the game was as Oklahoma scored late to make the final tally somewhat more respectable.

While the record books may not reflect it, this game was the crowning glory in an otherwise magnificent season.

No matter what the NCAA says.

2005: USC 34 Notre Dame 31

Who could ever forget the famous "Bush Push" (dammit, I said his name) game?

In an epic see-saw battle at South Bend, the Trojans found themselves trailing the Irish late in fourth quarter when quarterback Matt Leinart, deep in his own territory, hit Dwayne Jarrett with a long sideline pass breathing life into what appeared a Trojan loss.

From there, the ensuing plays would culminate in Matt Leinart's famous twisting dive into the Notre Dame end zone giving USC the improbable victory.

That victory was just one of eight in a row the Trojans enjoyed over their rivals, a streak that was only broken last year at the LA Coliseum.

Now the Trojans will try to return the favor under the lights this year in South Bend and start a new streak of domination over the Irish.

But it will have to be an incredible game to top the one played in 2005.

2006: USC 32 Michigan 18 (Rose Bowl)

In what must be a galling development for the UCLA Bruins, the Trojans simply love playing in their house.

No, I'm not talking about the every-other-year routine beat down USC gives the powder blue boys in conference play.

This is about the "Grandaddy of them all."

You see, the Rose Bowl is not just the name of an historic venue, it is also the moniker of perhaps the most prestigious postseason college game in the nation.

And the Trojans have won more of these classics than any other team in college football.

One of these victories came in January of 2007 against the Michigan Wolverines.

Behind three touchdown passes by Trojan quarterback John David Booty, USC easily dispatched the Maize and Blue in a game that really wasn't as close as the final score may indicate.

Dwayne Jarrett and Brian Cushing were named co-MVP's of the game and for the Trojans, it was just another win over a Big-10 team, a streak which continues to this very day.

2007: USC 49 Illinois 17 (Rose Bowl)

Did I mention that the Trojans love playing in Pasadena?

USC had such a good time beating Michigan at the end of the 2006 season that they decided to do it all over again at the end of 2007, this time welcoming Illinois to the Rose Bowl.

For the Illini, the trip out west wasn't so gratifying.

In the game, the Trojans ran up an astounding 633 total yards on Illinois en route to an easy 49-17 thumping of yet another Big-10 patsy.

Behind three more touchdown passes by Trojan quarterback John David Booty, who apparently liked playing in Rose Bowls, USC cruised to the win.

But this isn't the last Rose Bowl that this list features as we will soon see.

2008: USC 38 Penn State 24 (Rose Bowl)

The final "Rose Bowl" installment of this list features the third straight different team from the Big-10 to come out west only to have their collective hearts broken by the Men of Troy.

Like the prior two games listed, this one was also over early.

Leading 31-7 at the half, the Trojans gave up some meaningless scores in the fourth quarter to make the game appear close than it really was.

It also marked a coming out (to the NFL) party for Trojan quarterback Mark Sanchez who threw for 413 yards while completing 80 percent of his passes and four touchdowns.

For his trouble, Sanchez was named offensive MVP for the game.

However, unfortunately for USC, this game would be the last of an impressive run of BCS postseason bowl appearances as the 2009 season would find the Trojans stumbling on a path that continues to this very day.

2009: USC 18 Ohio State 15

In what would be Pete Carroll's final season as USC's head coach, the Trojans had a big challenge in front of them as they traveled to Columbus to play the mighty Buckeyes in a nationally televised early matchup between two perennial powerhouses.

Leading the Trojans would be true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley who had injured his shoulder the week before but still gutted out the game and was not phased at all by the enormous circumstances.

With the Trojans trailing late in the fourth quarter, Barkley, who is the only true freshman quarterback to be named regular season starter in USC history, calmly led the Trojans on a game-winning drive to disappoint a packed, rabid house.

Though the season would culminate in a disappointing 9-4 record, the road win at Ohio State was a crown jewel for the Trojans and one of the few highlights of the 2009 season.

2010: Stanford 37 USC 35

Wait a minute, you might be asking yourself, the Trojans' best "victory" in 2010 was actually a loss?

Well, yes.

In a season chock full of disappointment, USC played its best game against a powerhouse on the road at Palo Alto before losing a heartbreaker to a Stanford team that would finish the season ranked fourth in the nation.

That Stanford team would go 11-1 overall and blew out Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl in the Cardinal's first ever BCS victory.

And in that game against USC, it would take everything Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck had to offer to lead the Cardinal to a come from behind win against Matt Barkley and the Trojans, who threw everything but the kitchen sink to scare the living hell out of Jim Harbaugh, Stanford's head coach, in what would be his final season as their head man.

Though completely inconsistent in 2010, that loss against Stanford let the Trojans know that they had the talent to take a very good team to the wire and though it didn't end the way USC would have liked, it helped lay a foundation for what the Trojans hope is a return to glory in 2011.

Although it may be the ultimate case of looking for a silver lining in a loss, when all is said and done, the Trojans may point to that tough loss up north as a starting point for USC's return to national prominence.

Conclusion

Certainly a case could be made for other games, particularly earlier in the Trojans' run, to be included in this list.

For the most part, bowl games were the criteria for inclusion because ultimately, those are the reward for playing well throughout the regular season.

And since USC has only lost one of those postseason games—that classic against Texas—it serves the purpose for this list to include them liberally.

While 2010 was a season bereft of any possibility of a bowl game due to the NCAA sanctions, it was also a season where few highlights existed anyway.

Fortunately for the Trojans, a return to postseason bowling will be in the cards after this season and though USC will continue to face challenges due to scholarship restrictions, most fans of the program expect a return to games played after Christmas in 2012.

When they do, a new list will be warranted and fans expect new memories to replace the older ones featured on this list.

Best of all, so do the Trojans themselves.

And, at the end of the day, that is all that matters.