The USC Juggarnaut continues...........

Carew29

They will finish in the top 5 for it's 6th concectutive season ( with fresh/sophs) on the team. They will most likely be ranked #3 at the beginning next season. Sorry UCLA, your quiter of a new coach can't save you!!!

Michigan

Did anyone give Illinois any kind of a realistic chance? USC is just too good and playing at the Rose Bowl it is practically a home game
anyway.

perkdog

I watched most of that game and Illinois just could not get it going against that Defense of Southern Cal. USC played at a much higher level, no doubt a great team/program

Michigan

I thought that the Illinois band was lackluster in the Rose parade, maybe that was a sign.......

Publius

Ducks beat em at Autzen back when they were full strength.

You can "what if" a season to death. What if Vince Young had got hurt a few years back, how good was Texas without him and would they have won the Title against USC? It was pretty obvious how good the Ducks were without Dixon.

Im a Ducks season ticket holder, and my favorite sign at that game was " My Dixon your Booty."

USC looked good, no they looked great. I root for PAC 10 once the Ducks are out, so thank you for making the PAC look good USC!!

Morgoth

Could USC score a touchdown without getting a personal foul for taunting? The backflip at 14-0 was pretty bad. I like the penalty on the IU guy for lobbing the ball at the trombone player for USC, now if fired it at someone I could see it being a penalty.

joestalin

I think if USC had another chance at Stanford, they MIGHT be able to beat them. MAYBE

JS

yawie99

<< <i>I think if USC had another chance at Stanford, they MIGHT be able to beat them. MAYBE

JS >>



Right. And maybe FSU can get a do-over for this entire decade.

Seriously, though, that's two bittersweet Rose Bowl wins in a row. We probably shoud've beat UCLA last year and there's certainly no excuse for the Stanford loss this year. Without those two horrific losses, we'd probably be gearing up for a second straight BCS title game. Oh well, maybe next year, though I'm not overly confident given the number of players graduating and likely leaving early.

Fairlaneman

I'm with the other Oregon guy here. If Oregon is out of it the rooting goes to the Pac-10 team that is still in it. Nice job USC. You have to admit that Illinois was very weak though as was Oregons matchup. The two Pac-10 teams did exactly as they should have. POUNDED THEM !!! The only black spot for the Pac-10 was Arizona State. They were over rated all year and it showed against Texas.

Next year the Pac-10 will beat up on each other again and the National Championship Game will be out of reach again. Washington will enter the Bowl picture with their team that is on the rise. Jeez another one added to the mix.

Bottom line is, and I really hate to say this, we are all still trying to catch USC. Go Ducks!

Ken

bigfische

Im sure like most that filled out a confidence pool, this one was worth 32 points for me.

RonBurgundy

No coach does less with more than Pete Carroll.

Just kidding. I admire what they do. They will play anybody anywhere, and they don't run a gimmicky spread or zone read offense.

Next 2 seasons they have Ohio State on their nonconference schedule. Should be great.



Ron

Carew29

I can't recall if Dixon (Oregon) is a Jr or Sr, but the quarterback that filled in looked mighty good!!!

joestalin

Did USC travel east of the rockies this year? They might as well play a high school schedule...oh wait, the state championship is 100 miles
away...nevermind.

JS

Fairlaneman

<< <i>I can't recall if Dixon (Oregon) is a Jr or Sr, but the quarterback that filled in looked mighty good!!! >>



Dixon is a senior that has already graduated.

Stalin take your chit home and keep it there!! You are a friggin disgrace to this board or anyother board with your off the wall bullchit respones. You need to figure out what a real college football fan is. A Fan roots for the game and the players where ever they may be. Of course there are favorites but a fan roots for all good players and teams at one time or another. You do not have this mentality in your system so just get off the board and stay off it. Three years of reading your horsechit is enough for me.

Ken

yawie99

Granted these two teams sucked this year, but Nebraska was probably a good team when this matchup was scheduled. And it's not our fault Charlie Weis is a big fat loser.

coinkat

First, Congrats to the Trojans in connection with a convincing win.


Unfortunately, I read Alan Abrahamson's column on MSNBC entitled USC Proves Illinois Was Not Rosebowl Material. I am not going to cut and paste the article here but I will invite you to read it if you have not already done so... I thought I would post my own comments here in response.

2007 was special year in College Football- the year of the underdog and the unexpected became the expected. A team that produced the unexpected was rewarded with a trip to Pasadena. Illinois has not won in the Rosebowl since 1964...the days of a legendary player who was there to witness the moment. A player that needs no introduction...

While the magical moment for Illinois at least arrived for a brief time in the Third quarter, trailing 21-10 and moving deep into USC territory before a fumble ended their drive. Then, a botched lateral that turned into a electrifying 65 yard run by a Freshman sensation changed the momentum that was never regained. While USC scored 28 points on turnovers and tied scoring record of 49 points turned the dream into a nightmare, the second half efforts of Illinois should not be completely dismissed. Illinois did manage to gain approximately 366 yards in the second half with a total of 445 yards. Illinois needed to repeat the perfect game that they played against Ohio State. The Illini were unable to do so... their inability to achieve perfection again does not mean that they were not worthy of the invitation and the challenge before them. Not to recognize the contribution Illinois made to this College Football season would be as poor and illogical as Abrahamson's commentary which completely lacks compassion and appreciation for the underdog.

Abrahamson's commentary is really is part of a larger problem in sports writing which is not embrace what could have been, but to demean those that are not expected to achieve and does nothing more that promote what is expected. His analysis completely missed the Illinois season... a goaline interception with about 1:30 left in the Missouri game ended a terrific Illinois comeback. A touchdown that was called back in the Iowa game was the difference between a 9-3 and an 11-1 season. Further, the 28-21 upset of Ohio State was a victory for the ages. Woody Hayes will never forget the 31-24 near disaster game with Illinois in 1968 nor will the current OSU Coach ever forget the OT thriller at Champaign in 2002. Don't write that the Illinois players, made up of several underclassmen, that they did not deserve to be in the Rosebowl for that sense of accomplishment should not be in dispute or taken from them. Perhaps it is commentary such as this that will pursuade Mr. Mendenhall to return to Illinois for his Senior year in an attempt to complete the dream.

For the record, was there this big outcry that Oklahoma did not deserve to be in the BCS Championship game after loosing to USC 55-19? The dream game does not always have a happy ending nor do the anticipated match ups always produce the most memorable games...

edited- of changed to or

yawie99

I haven't read the article, but good point about that fumble. I had a sick feeling watching that drive, but to say that fumble was a game-changing play is understating the obvious.

Connecticoin

<< <i>I think if USC had another chance at Stanford, they MIGHT be able to beat them. MAYBE

JS >>





However, I think App. State could beat Michigan again.

Morgoth

I agree that when someone comments (network brats or sportswriters) about a bowl game they usually write about how great the team that is winning ("how could they lose 6 games!!!!!!!") and how poor the losing team is especially in a blowout. You would of thought Oklahoma State was a juggernaut after they beat up on Indiana, but those are two mediocre teams playing each other out of context. Same way for all the bowl games, just because one team loses it doesn't mean their season was a loss.

Kurtman9

It's too bad Georgia did not play USC.. we would have found out the best team in the land.

Carew29

I bet you believe in tooth fairies too

stown

<< <i>It's too bad Georgia did not play USC.. we would have found out the best team in the land. >>



Blame the Rose Bowl and Coach Pete.

Had USC played GA and won, I think USC could have been at least Co-Champions; which would have been wicked awesome

coinkat

<< <i>TextI thought that the Illinois band was lackluster in the Rose parade, maybe that was a sign....... >>



Michigan-

I really think there must have been a miscommunication with respect to the networks... I missed out on Illinois Loyalty

Connecticoin

<< <i>
Had USC played GA and won, I think USC could have been at least Co-Champions; which would have been wicked awesome >>



A team with losses to Stanford and Oregon should not be champion of anything. Hell, Kansas or Missouri are more deserving than USC.

migman

Yet even more evidence a national playoff system is needed.