congrats usc...

Now that I have absolutely no case to deny USC the respect they deserve, I must grudgingly admit that the Trojans have actually earned the national championship this year (although they are not defending champions any more than Al Gore was the incumbent in the 2004 election). Their defense was great, their offense was outstanding and they had the Orange Bowl won in the first half. What a colossal a** kicking.

I think the thing that makes USC so dangerous is that passing plays for 30, 40, 50 yards or more are not reserved for desperate situations in the second half of the game. They are the as common as handing the ball to a running back. It's also a high percentage play for this team. This forces the defense to cover every inch of the field on every down. With a quarterback and receivers of this caliber, the Trojans are in the red zone as soon as the offense takes the field.

And Matt Leinart looked like more like he was playing catch in the park than playing in a championship game. He almost looked bored, or stoned, or something. Of course it's easy to be relaxed when you're up 38-10 at half time.

There are only a couple of rocks I can throw at USC's performance. The first is that a good chunk of their points came from ridiculous OU turnovers. Not that it matters much. The way USC plays, moving the ball another 50 yards down the field would only mean 3 or 4 more plays and a minute or so off the clock. The second is that the Trojans have a serious lack of class on the field. When you've got the game in the bag, you don't rub it in by racking up two excessive celebration penalties in the end zone, even if you can afford it. You also don't get all pissy and spike the ball in the end zone after you're dropped for a safety. Other than that, a pretty flawless game by USC.

My biggest complaint about this game is that Auburn was not in it. I feel a playoff rant coming on but it's late and I'm tired so it will have to wait.

Congratulations USC.