NCAA Football NEWS
USC’s Loss Serves As A Warning To Others
Published by MoonDog on September 27, 2008
Oregon State’s 27-21 victory over USC Thursday night in Corvallis was obviously the biggest upset of the college football season to date.
The Trojans’ loss had far-reaching effects, most notably, if you’re a contending BCS national championship team, don’t make hotel reservations in Miami just yet.
With the 85-scholarship limit, limited practice time, ever-increasing parity and virtually no margin for error, there isn’t a team in the nation that can afford to overlook an opponent,
USC Head Coach Pete Carroll
The Trojans’ overconfidence did them a huge disservice but served as a warning to the other legitimate BCS title contenders.
The coaches at Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma and Missouri, among others, are pointing to USC’s loss as motivation to their teams.
USC suffered a devastating loss to a weaker opponent for the third consecutive year, essentially ending any hope of winning the BCS national championship.
You have to wonder why this continues to happen to a team with so much talent.
Since 2003, no team in college football has amassed more bally-hooed prep prospects, at least on paper, than the Trojans.
Southern California has signed more than double the number of Top 100 players than any other program, with Florida a distant second.
Yet the Trojans lost to UCLA in 2006, Stanford last season and now Oregon State, teams that had far less talent than USC.
For a team like USC, with so many top-level players who have been told how great they are since pee-wee football, it’s hard to convince them that the opposing team can win.
But in the Trojans case, you’d think last season’s loss to Stanford would serve as the ultimate reminder.
Apparently not.
Around the nation, specifically those teams that are in the hunt for a berth in the title game, they’re being reminded of how important it is to show up every week.
One slip can take you out of the national championship picture, as is the case for USC.
The Trojans’ loss actually opened up the race to Miami for more teams.
Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt
While the known contenders like Georgia, Florida, LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas had realistic shots at being in the title game, other teams are now in the mix.
Wisconsin, Penn State, Ohio State and Texas Tech along with non-BCS teams like BYU, Utah and Tulsa have renewed hope for making an appearance in South Florida.
Starting today, a clearer picture will begin to develop, with Georgia and Alabama squaring off in Athens. One of those teams will see their BCS title chances seriously damaged, or even ended.
With a slew of games still to come that will determine the participants in Miami, one thing is certain.
Every game will be played with USC’s loss to Oregon State on their minds.
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My Sports Rumors - The Goon Squad on Sat, 27th Sep 2008 12:53
[...] Moon Dog Sports – USC’s Loss Serves As A Warning to Others [...]
Around the blog world in 3 minutes . . . | The Sports Culture on Sat, 27th Sep 2008 14:17
[...] SC’s loss serves as a warning for others. [MoonDog Sports] [...]