Here is my take on the whole MNC thing. USC is not exactly unbeatable, but you never know it based on the coverage of the OU-SC game by the media...but of course the pollsters vote on the strength of the latest game and not on the full record of the teams. For example, during this season...
Stanford 28 USC 31 (Stanford scored 28 pts in the 1st half) Stanford record: 4-7
Cal 17 USC 23 (Cal outgains USC 424-205) Cal record 10-2 (routed by Texas Tech in Holiday Bowl)
Oregon St 20 USC 28 (Oregon State finishes 7-5 after beating ND in the Insight Bowl)
UCLA 24 USC 29 (Blown fumble call costs UCLA a TD and a victory) UCLA finishes 6-6 after losing to Wyoming in the Las Vegas Bowl
SC's rout of OU, IMHO was somewhat predictable based on OU's vunerability to the deep pass and this has been an issue at OU for a few years now (originally exposed by their loss to Texas A&M a few years ago). Here is why OU was in trouble...
Okla State 35 OU 38 (OSU gets 357 total yards, OSU averages 26 yds per catch and they can't throw!) OSU finishes 7-5 after getting routed by Ohio St 33-7 in the Alamo Bowl
Texas A&M 35 OU 42 (A&M gets 489 total yards/360 yds passing w 4 TDs) A&M finishes 7-5 after getting pounded by Tennessee 38-7 in the Cotton Bowl
OU was in this game because of the previously discussed overrating of the Big 12 South and those "quality" wins vs Okie State and A&M. In reality, OU's only quality win was vs Texas and they shut out UT 12-0. UT IMHO may be the most overrated team in the Nation...should have lost to Arky (Jones' late fumble costs UA a short FG late in game in a 22-20 UT win, Okla St hangs 35 1st half points on UT before UT storms back to win, Kansas loses 27-23 on a late TD set up by a horrible pass interference call vs KU, UT also struggles with A&M until the 4th qtr and they win 26-13).
So, we have an OU team that played one quality opponent and that opponent has major issues on defense (Texas) and is one dimensional on offense and OU prevails 12-0 (note that Michigan hung 37 on UT in the Rose Bowl, so UT is not exactly a defensive juggernaut either). OU surrenders 70 points to two marginal teams Okla St and A&M and is vunerable to a passing attack. USC, which did show that it was mortal during the season, is/was by far the best team that OU faced and as we know SC can throw the ball! SC also possesses a better defense than Texas, add those things up and it says that OU was in big trouble in this game...and it turned out to be a rout. But USC is beatable as previously pointed out and were simply a mismatch for OU...not an Auburn and not even possibly a Utah. Games are determined by on the field match ups for the most part and there is no way to know who would beat who between AU and SC...it has to be played...you cannot extrapolate how good USC looked last night and assume they would play the same way vs AU.
Awarding a National Title should be based on the total body of work for the entire season and not exclude an undefeated AU and Utah because SC pounded an inferior and overrated OU squad in the final game...and have that one rout be the end-all/beat-all. If you look at the full record of all of these teams, who they played (4 Top 10 wins, 4 wins over teams that won at least 10 games and another win over a 9 win team by AU), how they performed, how consistent they were, and how sound they were in all phases of the game, then AU deserves a co-MNC. Period.
