Why USC Has No Argument for a National Championship

Yes, USC Trojan fans, it has happened again. Your team stumbled in Pac-10 conference play after yet again being dubbed "The Best Team in College Football". Yet, somehow you feel entitled to some sort of national championship every year.

Last year, Stanford rolled into Los Angeles and took down your mighty Trojans, despite being a 41-point underdog. The year before that, all your beloved Trojans needed to do was beat lowly crosstown rival UCLA to secure a bid in the BCS championship game.

However, they would lose that game 13-9 and settle for yet another berth in the Rose Bowl.

How about back in 2003? USC lost in triple overtime to a then 2-3 California team. USC would somehow go on to claim the AP national championship that year.

This year, USC fans and Pete Carroll were lobbying for the same situation that took place roughly five years ago.

USC lost their Pac-10 opener to the 1-2 Beavers of Oregon State 27-21. They would then go on to win their final nine regular season games and a victory over Penn State in the Rose Bowl.

The Trojans boasted arguably the best defense in college football and felt they were better then anyone in the nation.

Well sorry USC fans, but it's time for a reality check. The Florida Gators are the rightful champions and there is no reason for them not to be.

The Gators took down No. 1 Oklahoma in the BCS championship game 24-14, but many felt USC was the best team in the country, and not Florida.

I don’t believe that for a second, but for argument's sake, I will prove my point.

USC made an impressive run to finish the season. They won all of their final 10 games, but so did Florida.

However, Florida's schedule was substantially better than that of USC. The Gators lost only one game this season, and played just three opponents with records under .500. USC played six of their 13 games against opponents with records under .500.

Also, after USC and Florida's respective losses the Trojans played just two ranked opponents and only four teams with records over .500. Florida played five ranked opponents after their loss and four of them finished ranked. This excludes the BCS championship game.

The Gators beat those five ranked opponents by an average of 32 points. Outside of their loss to Ole Miss, the Gators closest regular season game was decided by 28 points. They would also beat No. 1 Alabama in the SEC championship game 31-20.

Besides their BCS bowl games, both teams played nine games after their respective losses.

USC's combined opponent wins and losses were a dismal record of 50-63. Florida's last nine opponents finished with a combined record of 69-41.

If you looked at their entire schedule their opponents combined wins and losses would be a record of 97-70, but USC's opponents were just 74-77.

So, yes USC, it is true you finished the season with the same record as the BCS champion. Yes, it is true your team may have had the best defense in college football, but it's too bad they didn't play a whole lot of tough opponents to prove it.

So, Trojan fans, I will leave you with this question:  How do they continue to slip up against flimsy Pac-10 opponents like Stanford, UCLA, and Oregon State year after year?

Well, the answer is because your team is not the best. Just because you blow out weak opponents and put up the best defensive statistics doesn't mean you’re the best team.

Just because you have about every five-star recruit on the planet doesn't make you the best team.

You know what makes you the best team? Going out and proving it against a strong schedule.

If you expect me or anyone else in the country to feel bad for USC, then you are dead wrong. 

If you want your shot at a national title then either add a better third nonconference opponent, or try not getting tripped up in the Pac-10. 

So I said it before, and I will say it again. USC is not the best team in the country and does not boast an argument for any kind of national title.