The Time When USC Ran College Football

Pete Carroll is widely regarded as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time. During his tenure as the head coach of the University of Southern California football program, he led the Trojans to unprecedented success and cemented his place in the annals of college football history. Carroll's legacy at USC is defined by his impressive record of success, which includes a national championship, record-breaking winning streaks, and a roster of talented players who went on to the professional level.

Carroll was hired by USC in 2001, and from the outset, he was out to revitalize the program, which had fallen on hard times in the late 1990s. Previous coach Paul Hackett went 19-18 in the 3 years prior to Carroll's arrival and the program was certainly far from glory. This is where Carroll would go on one of the greatest runs in the sport.

Perhaps the hallmark of Carroll's tenure at USC was his ability to consistently recruit and develop top-tier talent. During his time at the helm, he helped guide a slew of future NFL stars, including Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, and Carson Palmer, among others. He also led the Trojans to four Top-5 recruiting classes, an impressive feat that solidified USC's status as a perennial contender for the national championship.

But it wasn't just the talent that made Carroll's USC teams so dominant; it was his innovative approach to coaching and his ability to adapt to changing game conditions. His teams were known for their relentless energy and physicality, and they often overwhelmed opponents with their speed and athleticism.

All of these factors combined to create an incredible run of success for USC during the mid-2000s. Between 2002 and 2008, the Trojans made two BCS National Championship Game appearances, including one victory, seven consecutive Associated Press Top-4 finishes, and an NCAA record of 63 straight 20-point games. They also enjoyed a 34-game winning streak and a 25-1 record in the month of November. Along the way, they defeated rivals Notre Dame and UCLA 14 times in 16 games, and produced a staggering 25 1st team All-Americans.

Carroll led the USC Trojans to a successful career, but his start was shaky as he went 6-6 in his first year of 2001, losing to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, 10-6. The following year, in 2002, the Trojans started 3-2 with losses to Kansas State and Washington State but won the remaining games and finished the regular season 11-2 with senior quarterback Carson Palmer leading the team. Palmer's outstanding performance won him the Heisman Trophy, making him the first USC quarterback to receive the honor. USC tied with Washington State for the Pac-10 title, and although they had the highest BCS "strength of schedule" rating and the nation's top defense led by safety Troy Polamalu, they finished the season ranked No. 5 in the BCS rankings. They defeated BCS No. 3 Iowa 38-17 in the Orange Bowl.

In 2003, the Trojans suffered a triple-overtime loss to the California Golden Bears in Berkeley but won the remaining 10 games and finished the season 11-1. Both the coaches' poll and the AP Poll ranked USC No. 1, but the BCS ranked Oklahoma first, despite their loss in their conference title game. In the 2003 BCS National Championship Game, BCS No. 2 LSU defeated BCS No. 1 Oklahoma 21-14, and BCS No. 3 USC defeated BCS No. 4 Michigan 28-14 in the Rose Bowl. USC finished the season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll and was awarded the AP National Championship, but LSU won the BCS National Championship title for that year, resulting in a split national title between LSU and USC. The NCAA refused to permit an LSU-USC game to settle the matter.

In 2004, USC was preseason No. 1, with quarterback Matt Leinart, and running backs LenDale White and Reggie Bush leading the team. The defense was considered one of the best in the nation, but the offensive line and receiving corps were questioned due to the lack of returning starters. Despite close calls against Stanford and California, the Trojans finished the regular season undefeated and headed for the 2004 BCS Championship Game at the Orange Bowl. They played against undefeated Oklahoma, captained by sixth-year quarterback Jason White, who had won the Heisman in 2003. USC won the BCS National Championship Game by the score of 55-19, making them the BCS Champions and earning the team the AP National Championship as well. Leinart won the Heisman Trophy, and Bush finished fifth in the vote tally.

So in 4 seasons, Pete Carrol made 4 straight bowls, 3 BCS bowls, and won a national championship. He led 2 Heisman quarterbacks, built a stout defense, and brought back the most electric player in all of college football: Reggie Bush, as well as his quarterback Matt Leinart. If the run ended here, it would be more than most teams dream of, but this was only the beginning.

In 2005, the Trojans had a thriller in their rivalry with Notre Dame, with a last-second play in which Leinart scored the winning touchdown with help from a controversial push from behind by Bush, nicknamed the "Bush Push." The year ended with a 66-19 USC beatdown of cross-town rival UCLA. Bush won the Heisman Trophy, with Leinart finishing third in the Heisman voting, and several other players also earned accolades, including offensive tackle Sam Baker, defensive end Frostee Rucker, and linebacker Rey Maualuga. The Rose Bowl pitted Texas and USC, both 12-0, for the National Title. In what is still called one of the best games ever, Texas won 41-38.

The 2006 Trojans had to rebuild their team after losing several key players. They developed their offense using unproven QB John David Booty and returning star receivers Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith. Mark Sanchez, a highly touted QB (yes, the guy from the butt-fumble), was expected to win the starting job, but Booty was named the starter. The Trojans started the season strong but began to show inconsistencies as the season progressed. Margin of victory got slimmer with the Trojans eventually losing to Oregon State. USC worked their way back up in the polls, however they were shocked in the final game of the season, losing to crosstown rival UCLA 13-9. Despite this setback, they earned a Rose Bowl bid and defeated Michigan 32-18 in their fifth straight BCS bowl appearance.

The strong finish to 2006 led to Pete Carroll's squad being ranked #1 heading into 2007, but we all know how that year was. USC was not immune to the rampant upset bug that year, as they fell to 41-point underdog Stanford at home. This was one of the two losses that kept USC out of the National Championship, as they won the Rose Bowl over Illinois. 2008 featured a 12-1 record, with the only loss coming at Oregon State. The Trojans beat Penn State in the Rose Bowl, which marked USCs 7th straight conference title, 7th straight BCS bowl appearance and 7th straight year finishing in the top 4. This would be the last great year of Pete Carroll's tenure.

For the 2009 nine season, USC started strong by beating Ohio State, but they lost to 4 PAC-10 teams and finished 9-4 with a bowl win. Despite all of his accolades and success at USC, Carroll ultimately left the program after the 2009 season to become the head coach of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks. His departure marked the end of an era for USC football. After he left, USC faced many penalties and sanctions related to his tenure there, with the most notable being improper benefits that were received by running back Reggie Bush.

Carroll's success at USC did not go unnoticed. In 2007, ESPN.com named USC its #1 team of the decade for the period between 1996 and 2006, citing the Trojans' renaissance and dominance under Carroll. In 2008, he was named the coach who did the most to define the first 10 years of the BCS Era. And in 2014, he was announced as a member of the 2015 USC Athletic Hall of Fame class.

Carroll also had some unfavorable things that occurred in his USC tenure related to off the field issues. At the time, L.A. did not have a pro football team, so when USC took off, they were embraced as the football team of L.A.. This is why attendance rose from 58,000 his first year to 91,000 at the height of USC football. The players were visited by people like Snoop Dogg, Jake Gyllenhall, Will Ferrell, and Dr. Dre. This fame was certainly nice for 18-21 year old players, but it also allowed way too many people to gain access to players. This is why the NCAA cited that USC ultimately lost control of the program. The access to players may have been what allowed two agents to allegedly provide Reggie Bush with improper benefits.

The controversy from USC at this time also stems from the decision to remove Reggie's Heisman, 14 wins and the 2004 National Title. The new NIL rules are in place due to it being found to be unjust for players to play and earn money for the school, but receive nothing for their image being used. It is also important to note that one of the benefits received was housing for Reggie's parents; this would hardly give Reggie an athletic advantage on the Football field. However, as of today these penalties do remain in place and at the time, Reggie did break the rules, no matter how much we may disagree with them. The biggest question that would ultimately determine how wrong the NCAA is when Reggie Bush knew about the benefits. If he knew that USC would provide them while he was in high school, then maybe he should lose it, but if he simply got presented with an opportunity to help his parents while in college, it was probably a bit excessive to take his trophy.