Skip to main content

Apparently Unranked Teams Are Tougher Than Ranked Teams

It is now the 3rd season without the USC trio of Bush, Leinart, and Lendale. In these 3 years the Trojans have continued to extremely talented. They have continued to pummel ranked opponents, but something has changed. Each year the Trojans come up limp against one of the lesser in conference opponents. In the past 3 seasons the Trojans are 10-1 against ranked opponents with all ten wins by a touchdown or more. Meanwhile they have a total of 5 losses in these 3 seasons. All 5 of these losses coming in conference with 4 coming against unranked opponents.

I just don't get it. I understand that it's easier to get up for big games like USC or the Rose Bowl but still, how can a team throttle a two time BCS title participant and then in their next game get outclassed by a 1-2 team with a loss to Stanford?

Maybe it says something about Pete Carroll and what always appears to be a laid back attitude. Maybe it says that he prepares and prepares for the big time matchups and eases up when their squad is heading to face a lesser opponent. Maybe he has a difficult time motivating his players when they aren't looking across the field at top competetion. Maybe it says something about the USC players that are recruited, maybe because they are all 5 star prospects they figure that when they line up against a worse team that they are just going to win no matter what.

Whatever the issue is, it is obvious that the crux of the post trio Trojans is the let down. They have the talent to beat and destroy any team in the country, and they do. But they have the mental toughness to lose to just about anybody, and they do. Mark down the 3rd straight season that the Trojans have the best talent in the country but throw it down the toilet.

2008 Ranked Win: #5 Ohio St. 35-3
2008 Loss: @Oregon St. 27-21

2007 Ranked Wins: @#14 Nebraska 49-31, @#24 Cal 24-17, @#6 Arizona St. 44-24, Rose Bowl #13 Illinois 49-17
2007 Losses: Stanford 24-23, @#5 Oregon 24-17

2006 Ranked Wins: #19 Nebraska 28-10, #21 Oregon 35-10, #17 Cal 23-9, #6 Notre Dame 44-24, Rose Bowl #8 Michigan 32-18
2006 Losses: @Oregon St. 33-31, @UCLA 13-9

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lou Holtz is the Homer / Annoyingly Delusional

As my buddy Joe and I always joke, if Notre Dame was suiting up against an all Jesus team, aka a team made up of 55 Sons of God, Lou Holtz would probably still pick Notre Dame to win by a touchdown. So of course this weekend when I'm watching Sportscenter and they have him and fellow old man Corso making predictions, Lou picks ND to beat Michigan. Not that big of a deal, Michigan is a big question mark this year, but of course than Lou says that Notre Dame will win 11 games this year. This is the same Notre Dame that lost to a service academy last year. And just when you thought the douchy homerism was going to end ESPN asks which BCS school is going to be the biggest surprise team in the country. Any guesses to whom it was? I'll give you a clue it was another team he coached. If you guessed South Carolina you would be a winner. Next up on Lou's prediction watch, the Jets win the Superbowl, NC St. wins the ACC, Arkansas dominates the SEC West, Minnesota wins the Big

M E T S = Mercifully End The Season

Do it before David Wright gets Hurt!

Ranking the New York Jets Historical Helmets

There's no way you can't go with the Helmet they won the Super Bowl in. You just can't. Next, I really don't understand why they don't where the helmet with the Jet as their throwback uniforms. That helmet is awesome. Then I'm going with the Helmets from the 80s because it's the classic feel and the white face mask is 10 times better than the black one. And the rankings continue until you get to... The Titans Helmet. I hate everything about those Titan uniforms. The Helmets are boring and the colors are GOD awful. Navy blue and Mustard? What the hell is that. Disgusting. If they wore those unis when I was a kid I'd probably be a Giant fan, and be much happier with my life in football.