
Ha! Only in the world of delusion maybe.
But seriously: The Las Vegas Sports Consultants, the group that sets opening lines for the casinos, ended the year ranking USC as the top team in all of college football, ahead of BCS and Associated Press champion LSU.
With the loss to Stanford, USC really has no claim to anything other than the Pac-10 and Rose Bowl Championships it did earn. However, I can't help but wonder if Auburn can shamelessly claim they were the 2004 "People's National Champions" (snicker), is it fair for USC to claim they're the 2007 "Bookies' National Champions"?

































Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-13-2008 @ 12:21PM
Martin said...
In every sport where there is a playoff, the champion is the team that wins the title game, regardless of what its record for the regular season was. For example, last year there were two teams with better regular season records than the Indianapolis Colts and the Indianapolis Colts lost four games, including once to the Houston Texans. However, the Colts went on to win the Super Bowl and thus were declared the champions. No one said that they couldn't be the champions because they lost to the Texans. (Oh, and by the way, Stanford also beat Cal, and we all know what Cal did to Tennessee.)
However, since there is no championship game in Division I football, the concept of the phrase "national champion" is ambiguous. Some people assert that the national champion is the team that played the best throughout the year while other people claim that it is the team that is playing the best football at the end of the year.
Both USC and LSU lost two games. LSU lost both of its games in overtime, and certainly a strong argument can be made that it played the best football throughout the year. On the other hand, USC was beset with injuries at the beginning of the season, lost to Stanford and had trouble with a couple other teams. However, by the end of the season, a strong argument can be made that USC was playing the best football in college ball. And the bookies (and who better than bookies should know the relative strength of teams) apparently agree that USC was the best football team at the end of the year.
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1-13-2008 @ 1:04PM
Carlos said...
LSU also had injuries but played through them. That is part of the game that determines Championships, so it can't be used as an excuse. Had USC beaten Stanford, there is no doubt they would have played for and won the National Championship. But A loss to a 40 point underdog (bookies spread?) doomed their season. Pulling things together and playing the best at the end of a season doesn't make you the season champion.
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1-13-2008 @ 2:17PM
Gamecock Man said...
The only thing that separates the AP title from other, lesser media polls is prestige and institutional backing. So yeah, why not?
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1-13-2008 @ 3:09PM
JZ said...
LSU is the undisputed champ. USC was very inconsistent throughout the year and injuries are no excuse. Every team has injuries. People need to stop name-branding and judging teams based on their talent but rather on how they actually performed throughout the season.
Georgia has a better argument for being higher ranked than USC even. You can't just forget the early season losses, USC was a great team but not worthy of #1. LSU went 5-0 against teams currently in the top 15, no one else even comes close.
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1-13-2008 @ 4:00PM
Sim said...
Go through the AP top 25, noting the teams beaten by LSU and the teams beaten by USC. LSU is 5-0 before you even get to USC's best ranked victory (#16 ASU). I'd say USC played only one great team all year (a healthy Oregon) and lost it.
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1-13-2008 @ 5:06PM
Bill Thomas said...
Yea, I would like to see a Playoff series along the lines of the NFL. Of course you would have to limit it to 8 or possibly 16 teams and again how would you determine who plays? Would it be strictly conference champions or would the top ranked teams at the end of the schedule play each other from a 1 seed plays 16, 2-15, etc. There will never be system that will make everyone happy, but the current one seems to leave a lot to be desired.
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1-13-2008 @ 8:22PM
cbe said...
a team with two losses should not be crowned national champion.
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1-13-2008 @ 8:28PM
KGar said...
#7, a team thats plays a D 2 school should not be ALLOWED to play in the Mythical Championship Game.
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1-13-2008 @ 10:36PM
rick said...
Usc is a joke when compared to the sec
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1-13-2008 @ 10:37PM
rick said...
usc is a nobody compared to th =e sec
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1-13-2008 @ 10:48PM
Brian said...
"Usc is a joke when compared to the sec"
Now that's just not true. USC is 17-10-1 (.625) all-time against the SEC, winning by an average score of 22.8 to 14.1
Since 2001 USC is 4-0 against the SEC, beating Arkansas twice and Auburn twice.
USC is a combined 7-0 against Tennessee and Georgia.
USC deserves no claim to a title this year, I agree, but facts are that in reality USC pretty much owns the SEC head-to-head (Alabama and Florida aside).
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1-14-2008 @ 9:45AM
CHARLEY HARRIS said...
THE SEC IS THE STRONGEST OF ALL.. I PULL FOR OUR LOCAL WR PATRICK TUNNER, NASHVILLE, TN. PRODUCT!!!!
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1-14-2008 @ 1:31PM
Leo said...
Come on, it was obvious that at the end of the year USC was the best Team in the Country. They would of beat OSU or LSU easily. The only people not smart enough to see that are the LSU and Southern Red State Inbreds.
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1-14-2008 @ 5:42PM
JJN said...
Brian,
It's typical of an underachieving USC team to try and stake claim to a championship they were too inadequate to win on the field. You guys are truly sore losers and cannot deal with the fact that you all are overated year in and year out! LSU was the better team on and off the field and will likely have the #1 player in the draft for a 2nd straight year. This after we dished out 5 1st round draft picks last year, we come back and win our 2nd BCS Championship, since the series has been in place. By the way you want to be elitist, USCs 2 best playes are native of Louisiana, John David Booty and Joe McKnight. Without eithr of which, you all would be pathetic. Have a nice off season, thinking about coulda, woulda, shoulda. The SEC owns NCAA football!
Geaux Tigers...we're going to take a 3rd next season!
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1-14-2008 @ 5:43PM
JJN said...
It is down right comical that anyone would even entertain USC, as the best team in college football. The highest ranked opponent they defeated was ASU#16?? And believe me, it's questionable to think of ASU as the 16th best team, yikes.
Until the PAC 10 and Big 10 line up for a conference chanpionship and start playing tougher conference and non copnference games, they will continue to make ridiculous claims to championships, instaed of winning them on the field. This reminds me of 2003, with the AP #1. Every year it's the same BS, the media frenzy heats up for the Trojans and they wind up in the top 5, skipping over teams that have proven themselves on the field. Rest assured, if USC is fortunate enough to line up against the Tigers for a BCS title, they will be humiliated much the same way as the unhearded bunch from OSU.
Geaux Tigers! the only team with 2 legitimate BCS Championships
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1-14-2008 @ 6:01PM
Martin said...
Michigan loses to Appalachian State but beats Florida. Cal finishes seventh in the Pac-10 but crushes Tennessee. Wow. The SEC is really good.
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1-15-2008 @ 11:19AM
jha4982686 said...
I think it would be awesome if Georgia could play USC and shut tha the whiners up.
Georgia would beat USC to the point of shame.
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1-15-2008 @ 11:29AM
jha4982686 said...
When did Georgia ever play USC - and by the way, let's see who plays for the Nat'l next year
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1-17-2008 @ 2:05PM
Scott138 said...
Auburn claiming that years championship is no more or just as rediculous at USC claiming a split title with LSU. The BCS system is flawed but it is the system that was agreed upon. The BCS championship game is the decider in who wins the National Championship game. You connot win it if you ldon't even play in Championship game. AP pole is just a popularity contest. The PAC-10 doesn't want a playoff because they would have to get by the SEC's best to get there. If they really thought that they were the best conference, they would love a playoff system. The fact the Auburn was left out of that NC game is the rediculous part. But, if you don't play in the game, you cant win the title.
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1-27-2008 @ 12:26AM
Bill said...
Let's cut the crap! When you look at total national championships, NOT JUST FOOTBALL!!! Sorry, southern boys, it's PAC-10 359; SEC 175. When it comes to winning national championships it's no contest and you boys south of the Mason-Dixon have along way to go. Heck, the PAC-10 has won more MEN'S Championships alone than the second place Big-10 has total championships. One thing is true. The SEC is a bit myopic (that's near sighted for you southern boys) when it comes to being a well rounded conference. So stop crowing and smell reality!!
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