The Worst of the East
Posted by DontBendDontBreak | Filed under Non-conference Cupcakes
Props to Arizona State. Sure they lost by 17 points, but only because they had the guts to schedule an SEC team (Georgia), while my Trojans are stuck with their “showcase” game being against an Ohio State team that couldn’t even put up a good fight in its two consecutive National Championship appearances even after losing only one regular season game the past two years.
Meanwhile, Georgia is a team that had an argument for being included in the National Championship game last year but had to settle for pounding Hawaii by THIRTY-ONE points, and they look poised to make it all the way this season if they can get through the relentlessly grueling punishment that is an SEC schedule with only one or two losses.
USC has played four SEC teams under Pete Carroll, and while he managed to finish each game with a “W,” it’s worth taking a closer look at his “competition.”
When Auburn rolled around on USC’s schedule in 2002, they hadn’t even played in the SEC Championship game the previous year. The last time they had made it that far was back in 2000, a game where they were eviscerated by Florida.
The Trojans eked out a victory over the Tigers who then stumbled through the rest of the season with three SEC losses.
The next year the Trojans visited Jordan-Hare Stadium in a highly-anticipated opening game match-up of top 10 teams that failed to live up to the hype, as many games in the Pete Carroll era have. I attended this game, and let me tell you, the raucous fans the SEC is known for were not present at this game, allowing USC to slip past the Tigers 23-0.
Some made a big deal of the Trojans shutting out the Tigers at home, but when you consider that Virginia (a team USC slaughtered to open this season) did it as recently as 1998, it ceases to amaze.
This Auburn team followed a similar fate, struggling to a 5-3 finish in the SEC.
Why couldn’t the Trojans have faced Auburn the following year, 2004, when the Tigers’ 8 returning offensive and 6 returning defensive starters finally meshed as a team and went undefeated, only to be left out of the National Championship game? Had Auburn and USC met on the field in the regular season that year, there wouldn’t be all this endless debate about the better team? The Tigers would have played the Sooners in what would have surely been a much better game.
Instead, the Trojans used the second of their three SEC-free seasons under Carroll to side-step their way to their only undisputed National Championship in the Pete Carroll era.
Hoping for a chance to be considered a legitimate National Champion, Carroll added the laughable Arkansas Razorbacks to their non-conference game schedule for the next two seasons (2005 &2006). No one’s arguing the fact that the Razorbacks were God-awful in 2006 (managing to lose to LSU despite racking up nearly 300 rushing yards and fumbling away their only hope of beating Florida in the SEC title game), but they were even worse in 2005 when USC got to face them at home. Everyone remembers the infamous score of that game. The Razorbacks scored 17 points, a whole touchdown more than the stingy defense of the other USC (South Carolina) surrendered later that season.
If Carroll wants to get any credit for beating the SEC, he needs to stop scheduling the Vanderbilts and Mississippi States of their conference and take on a real contender. At this point, about the only way to salvage things is to face whatever team climbs out of the SEC scrapheap, bloody but triumphant, to appear in the National Title game.
Of course, given the tortuous schedule they face week after week against teams whose punishing hits take their tolls on the players, it won’t be any surprise when USC beats whatever wounded and weary SEC team survives the war between the states. But much like a cowardly dog who waits while the others fight only to then ambush the haggard survivor, USC will find no comfort gazing into a crystal prize tarnished by the knowledge that their ‘victory’ is anything but.
Tags: Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Hawaii, National Championship, SEC
18 Responses to “The Worst of the East”
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sureshot Says:
September 24th, 2008 at 5:27 pmThat was a dumb take bro.
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Anonymous Says:
September 24th, 2008 at 8:57 pmThere are too many fallacies in your post to expose. A few examples, however: You say that USC should not schedule the Vanderbilts and Miss St of the SEC. Um, USC didn’t schedule those schools. They scheduled Auburn and Arkansas. Auburn is a bonafide top-tier team. Arkansas is mid-tier who certainly rose on McFadden’s and Jones’ talents. Oh, and Vandy is in the Top 25 this week.
Also, you don’t even consider that fact that many SEC schools do not want to schedule USC. Georgia hadn’t played west of the rockies since about 1960. LSU only plays out-of-conference games at home. And, USC is not a 1-AA team, which is preferred by the SEC.
Lastly, USC can only schedule two OOC teams each year. ND isn’t coming off the schedule. Ohio St and Virginia are two BCS schools. The schedules are made 4-5 years in advance. You cannot schedule the “lastest and greatest” team from the SEC or the conference de jure.
You are reaching so far your stretch marks are showing.
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andrew pitman Says:
September 24th, 2008 at 10:36 pmI hope you guys (sureshot and anonymous) aren’t serious…
The lame thing about tongue-in-cheek is you can’t see it unless you’re standing right next to it.
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DontBendDontBreak Says:
September 25th, 2008 at 10:24 amsureshot: I think I explained my argument pretty well. What exactly do you object to?
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DontBendDontBreak Says:
September 25th, 2008 at 10:40 amAnonymous: Sigh. Where do I begin?
1. I am well aware that USC didn’t schedule Vanderbilt of Mississippi State. That was what we writers call a metaphor, pointing out that USC refuses to take on the top-tier SEC programs.
2. You then erroneously claim that Auburn is a top-tier program. Maybe back when Bo Jackson played for them. And perhaps they are rebuilding towards that again. But they were obviously down the two years USC played them. You must not talk to a lot of SEC fans.
3. Arkansas was only scheduled because Pete Carroll once coached there and knew they were pushovers. If he had known about McFadden and Jones, you can rest assured he would have stayed far away from them.
4. Yes, Vandy is in the Top 25 this week, which just proves how much tougher the SEC is than the PAC-10.
5. Your argument about Georgia is flawed. The point is they DID just play west of the Rockies, but it wasn’t USC. It was Arizona State that was brave enough to take them on.
6. Um, LSU played AT Arizona in 2003 and AT Arizona State in 2005.
7. Maybe ND SHOULD come off the schedule, at least until they stop sucking.
8. “Ohio State and Virginia are two BCS schools.” Barely.
9. I’m well aware that schedules are made in advance, which is why you have to either be smart about predicting who will be good then OR play teams that are always good. Look at Fresno State’s model.
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DontBendDontBreak Says:
September 25th, 2008 at 10:42 amandrew pitman: Thank you for your support. I can’t believe those guys are serious either. I mean, the cowardice of the Trojans under Pete Carroll is pretty clear.
I too have my tongue in my cheek…because I’m biting it in anticipation that we will lose tonight.
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pete's illegitimate son Says:
September 25th, 2008 at 10:46 amDon’t Bend and Andrew Pitman
Neither of you knows anything about cfb scheduling. The games are arranged years in advance. Sometimes 2, sometimes 5 or even more.
For example, when the Arkansas games were scheduled, Pete was not yet the coach and Arkansas was #1 in the country.
How can you call out Pete, hands down the best cfb coach in the land and the face of USC, for anything? It took him one year to bring the Trojans from a mediocre PAC10 team to a national contender. He schedules the best teams that will accept the challenge because he knows he can get the boys fired up for big games and win.
And beating #1 Auburn at home 23-0 isn’t a big deal? You are retarded. End of story.
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DontBendDontBreak Says:
September 25th, 2008 at 11:07 ampete’s illegitimate son: I think it is you who doesn’t know anything about numbers.
1. Arkansas hasn’t been #1 in the AP poll since October of 1965. Are you telling me our game with them was scheduled 40 years in advance?
2. “The best cfb coach in the land” I’m sure a lot of people would disagree with you.
3. The main point being national CONTENDER. With the athletes USC has and the weak schedule it faces, they should have won many more championships.
4. Please tell me one of the “best teams” Carroll has scheduled. We must be looking at different schedules.
5. You like to call every team “number one,” don’t you? Auburn was ranked SIXTH and finished the season UNranked.
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Andrew Pitman Says:
September 25th, 2008 at 11:50 amPete’s Illegitimate Son: Ever read Mark Twain? See the 2nd point of my last post - google the term is you need to.
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Anonymous Says:
September 25th, 2008 at 11:27 pmi am shocked that i visited this site let alone read the contents.
you “bloggers” sound like whiny little children! get a life and get some class. pete carroll is a coach, he’s not the only coach usc has. he’s not on the field playing, and he’s not by any means the only person to blame anytime something doesn’t go our way! you claim to be passionate about usc football, i don’t buy it. you sound like kids that got used to winning, jumped on the band wagon and now things aren’t going your way. your knowledge of cfb history doesn’t impress anyone, any idiot with an internet connection can look up stats, rankings, etc. stop being so ridiculous, you’re giving usc fans/students/alumni/staff a bad name. most of us are thankful for all of the efforts pete carroll makes. and then there is you two and your band of non believers, haters if you will?
nowhere else would you find such arrogant “fans” complaining about such a wonderful coach! it sounds to me like you have some sort of obsession with the sec, please go be fans on one of those teams and leave usc and pete alone.
and as far as predicting the loss tonight, it’s called faith, and whether you like the coach of a team you are so passionate about or not, you root for your team, you should never predict such a loss. where is the pride in the team you love so much?
i’d say fight on, but clearly it would be a waste.
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APitman Says:
September 27th, 2008 at 3:29 pmanonymous - seriously, go look up “tongue in cheek”, I beg of you…until that time, may you continue in your blindness towards reality.
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Anonymous Says:
September 28th, 2008 at 2:28 amAPitman…is tongue in cheek your phrase of the day?
as far as i can tell, you didn’t attend usc, you married in! those of us that ARE trojans, could care less what your ridiculous commentaries and opinions are.
last i checked, biola doesn’t have a fb team, just noting that!
get some class and stop trying so hard.
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Anonymous Says:
September 28th, 2008 at 11:36 pmAPitman and benddontbreak there is nothing remotely funny about this “blog” if you are really trying to be “tongue in cheek” stop putting your foot in your mouth.
this isn’t humor, it’s a sad cry for attention. congrats!
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Andrew Pitman Says:
September 29th, 2008 at 1:55 pmAnonymous #1 -
Fact: I have been attending USC football games since the age of 2. Don’t get mad at me cuz I didn’t waste $45K/year on an education and still have season tickets.
Fact: I have attended three times the number of USC games as my wife, and she has missed a grand total of ONE game since 2000. Why does this matter? I’ve been to more games than anyone else on this website - which makes my opinion just as valuable as anyone else’s. It also means I have perspective on the USC football program. I didn’t just suddenly become a fan cuz I got an acceptance letter from the school.
Fact: I am referred to as “The Coach” in our section of the Coliseum. This is completely irrelevant but I thought I would mention it here. Why? Because I call better plays than our last two offfensive coordinators.
Fact: Biola has lost ZERO games since Pete Carroll took over as USC’s coach. BAM!
Question: Why does everyone post under “Anonymous”? Is there no accountability anymore?
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Anonymous Says:
September 29th, 2008 at 2:16 pmAPitman is right. Some of you people - most of you anonymous ones - really shouldn’t take things so seriously. This whole website is actually a compliment to Pete Carroll but we’ve got some people on here apparently with sticks up their rears so far that they apparently can’t see that.
And yes the website is actually very funny if only for the reactions it gets from “True USC Fans” haha.
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Anonymous Says:
September 30th, 2008 at 11:22 amsuddenly become a fan because i got an acceptance letter? brilliant assumption. i was a fan long before i was actually a student. but good try “coach” pitman. you are pretty defensive about your fan status, and modest too.
i pray that i’m never seated in your section!
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APitman Says:
September 30th, 2008 at 8:52 pmWhich anonymous are you? The first, the third, the ninth?
Oh how I long for the 2nd John Robinson era.
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----- Says:
March 11th, 2009 at 3:16 pmThis website is ridiculous im a michigan fan and i know carroll is a great coach