Alone On an Island: Why I'm Not Buying SC as National Title Favorite

First and foremost, let me start by saying that I was wrong in my assessment that there was no way SC walks into Columbus with a true freshman quarterback and wins.

However, while I do agree that USC should be commended for winning in a hostile environment and should be slated as a top five team, should they really be regarded as the best team in the country and favorite to reach Pasadena?

From my observance of most college football circles, and the profound approbation of the Trojans after their big win, I can't help but to get the sensation that people are getting way ahead of themselves in anointing the current Trojans as the nation's best team.

Am I the only one who watched them play on Saturday?

To start with, much had been made about the best OL in all of football and SC's "stable" of running backs.

Besides the last drive in which McKnight slashed up the OSU defense, the OL was outplayed by a very active OSU front four, and the RBs failed to move the ball proficiently throughout most of the game.

The passing game was just as, if not more, insufficient and failed to find a rhythm all night.

Ohio State’s Defense is good, but not great.

Ask yourself this question: Would Florida, Texas, Alabama, Cal, or even Ole Miss struggle as much as SC did on offense given the same circumstance?

Do you believe Ohio State is really a top 10 team?

I think one could make a compelling argument that the most valuable player for SC on Saturday was Terrelle Pryor.

This kid needs a lot of work. He is still a below average decision maker and doesn't quite look ready to be The Man on the grandest of stages. He does have tremendous upside, but he still is very much a work in progress. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being the goat in a couple more OSU losses this year.  

In conclusion, SC proved a lot to me. I was highly skeptical of the Trojans coming into the shoe, but they proved they are capable of winning the Pac 10 and making another BCS bowl game.

However, I think the game on Saturday still raised quite a few questions for the Trojans moving forward and I wouldn't be shocked if they were in another nail-biter in Seattle this weekend.