Best of the BCS era??

[bonkuba]

Here's an email that I got from a buddy on the left coast earlier today......I threw up in my mouth a little to be honest.

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... and USC has beaten every one of these teams in the past 7 years....
So we'll just keep on rollin' baby......
Oh, and where's Texas and Alabama? OK, in the list for #6 - #10.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3849468&campaign=rsssrch&source=usc+trojans (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3849468&campaign=rsssrch&source=usc+trojans)

Fight on!

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I hate these arrogant morons. I hope that we have a shot at them someday soon......maybe not in a bowl game though....I keed :rolleyes:

We are due.....I know we will kick some *** next year in the MNC :D

[bonkuba]

Honestly, I am so ready for next year.....already counting the days.

[CrimsonJim]

Just tell yer buddy that 2009-1936 = 73, NOT 7!! ;)

[The Remnant]

Bonkuba, it could be worse. Try being an OU fan and living on the West Coast. You're confronted with it almost daily. Some of these USC people can't even spell U-S-C. Thank God for this web site.

[Collier11]

Florida and Lsu have a far better argument than usuc, they both have 2 legit titles and play in a real conf

[jumperstop]

Here's the espn prestige rankings top 25 from the BCS era. Not #1, but considering we are 2-5 in BCS games #3 is ok.

Meet the BCS-era Top
By Chris Fallica, Nick Loucks and Harold Shelton
ESPN Research

Who is No. 1? That debate rages weekly during each college football season, and often long after the season is over and the trophies have been handed out. The debate is as much a part of the annual ritual as the touchdowns, fight songs and bowl games.

ESPN's Prestige Rankings may settle a few bets, or start a few arguments. Point values were assigned for certain successes (win a national title, earn 25 points) and failures (get your program banned from the postseason, lose two points). We ran all the numbers through the computer to come up with the No. 1 program (and Nos. 2-119) of the past 73 seasons.


Following is the Top 25 FBS programs during the BCS era, with commentary by the ESPN Research team that worked on the project:


BCS-ERA TOP 25

1. USC (513)
The Trojans may not have as many crystal balls as LSU and Florida in the BCS era, but they've got more than enough of everything else to run away with the BCS-era Prestige crown. Check out these BCS era numbers ... Weeks at No. 1: 42 ... Major bowl wins: 6 ... Consensus All-Americans: 18 ... 10-win seasons: 7.

2. Ohio State (428)
They may be in a bit of a slide recently in "big games", but as a program the Buckeyes are still as big as it gets since '98. Ohio State has more Top-5 finishes in that time than the rest of the Big Ten combined (6-3).

3. Oklahoma (393)
Another school with a bad rap in bowl games, but a big one everywhere else. It started the BCS era with a losing season in 1998, but since then is 109-24 and failed to win double digits just twice.

4. Florida (349)
The Gators are the first of the three big Florida schools bunched together. Their edge obviously is the two national championships in the last three seasons. They also have won four major bowl games compared to Miami's three and FSU's one.

5. Miami (346)
It's no coincidence that you always see so many star NFL players from The U. Since the 1999 NFL draft, Miami has seen 27 of its players drafted in the first round. No other school has more than 17.

6. Florida State (338)
FSU made its bones in the BCS era by dominating the ACC. It had the best record in the conference six times.

7. LSU (296)
If not for two down years when the BCS began (losing seasons in 1998 and '99), the Tigers could've been higher on this list. That makes their 7 bowl wins in their last 9 appearances even more impressive.

8. Texas (295)
The Longhorns are one of three schools with two wins over No. 1 teams since '98 (along with Oklahoma and Florida).

9. Georgia (228)
Mark Richt is known as one of the best coaches when playing away from home, and it shows. Since 1998, UGA leads the nation with nine bowl wins.

10. Virginia Tech (226)
The era of 1998-2008 fits right into Virginia Tech's wheelhouse. It's held the best record in its conference five times and reached four major bowls in the process. Both of those numbers are more than the rest of its previous history combined.

11. Michigan (209)
The Maize and Blue has not been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll since 1997.

12. Tennessee (202)
Almost half of the Volunteers' Prestige points since '98 came in that first season (89 of 202). They've been good but just haven't been able to get over the top recently (no major bowl appearances since '99 season).

13. Boise State (176)
You may think of the Statue of Liberty when you think of Boise State, but you will have to pardon its conference opponents if they just think doom. Seven times since '98, the Broncos have had the best record in the conference. Only USC can say the same.

14. Wisconsin (168)
The Badgers would've crept into a tie for 13th place here if not for their "shoegate" incident in 2000 that brought NCAA penalties that cost the school 8 Prestige points the next year.

15. Nebraska (161)
Nebraska has suffered through a pretty prolonged portion of mediocrity after a hot start to the decade (three straight top-10 finishes from '99-01). The Huskers have a total of just 5 points in the last two seasons combined.

16. West Virginia (159)
When Miami and Virginia Tech left the Big East, the Mountaineers became the new beasts. They have 132 of their 159 points since 2004.

16. Utah (159)
The only school with two perfect seasons in the BCS era. It has two top-5 finishes and that's something that Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State can't say. The Utes were just a little too mediocre before 2003 to really charge up these standings.

18. Penn State (133)
The Nittany Lions were 23rd on this list before this past season that saw them win the Big Ten for just the second time in the BCS era.

19. TCU (131)
TCU just enjoyed its first top-10 finish since 1959, but it still had five other squads finish their season ranked in the final poll since '98. Combine that with just one losing season and the Horned Frogs have been consistent winners.

20. Oregon (127)
Joey Harrington may be a punch line in Detroit but not in Eugene. He led the Ducks to bowl wins in all three of his seasons as starter (99-01) including a 2002 Fiesta Bowl win, the only major bowl win in our study's history.

21. Louisville (122)
The Cardinals have two top-10 finishes in the last five seasons and have been one of the power players in the Big East since joining the conference in 2005 ... but their talent hasn't translated as much at the next level recently. They have just one 1st-round pick since 1995.

22. Auburn (119)
The Tigers had one of the best teams of the BCS era in 2004, which resulted in 49 points that year alone. But they haven't been able to regain the magic from that season, earning just 45 points in the next four seasons combined.

23. Boston College (108)
Most Eagles fans would be happy with this ranking, but you can't help but get the feeling that BC left a lot of Prestige points out on the field recently. Three losses in particular stand out for costing it a berth in BCS bowls ('04 regular-season finale vs Syracuse, '07 and '08 ACC Championship Games vs Virginia Tech). Wins in those games would have translated into 35 more points and at least a No. 18 ranking in the BCS era.

24. Georgia Tech (104)
The Yellow Jackets don't seem to be short on talent lately. But that big season always seems to elude them. Georgia Tech's last 10-win season was in 1998 and its last major bowl appearance was in 1966.

25. Kansas State (101)
The turnaround in Manhattan is nothing short of amazing. As recently as the early '90s, the Wildcats were the lowest-ranked team in the Prestige Rankings all-time. The school has three bowl wins since 1998, matching its total from its entire history before that.

[bob]

Where is OSU?