An interesting perspective on USC from Slate about why the 2005 Trojans are overrated. But mostly it pokes fun at the 24-hour non-stop lovefest that ESPN (or as some wags call it USCPN) has become. Regarding the highly-flawed methodology of the USC vs. greatest teams of all-time analysis:
The ESPNers also entertained the thought of this year's Trojans facing off against great powers from a generation ago. May noted that the 1969 Texas Longhorns ("the size of the players ... forget it, they're gonna roll over them") and the 1955 Oklahoma Sooners ("Not even close, and I look at the size of the players … their starting center was 5-8, a sophomore, and 158 pounds") would both be overwhelmed by today's Trojans. Which is probably true, though one could use this method to prove that the 2005 Temple Owls were the greatest team of all time. Fielding H. Yost's 1901 Michigan team trampled opponents by a cumulative score of 550-0. But, hey, the forward pass wasn't legal then, and those guys didn't even wear helmets. The concussions alone would make this a huge Temple blowout.
I guess we'll find out how good they are on January 4. But clearly nothing will be settled until they take on Temple.
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