Orange Bowl Thread

[Moderator]

Use this thread to discuss the game and cheer your team.

[dobegrrrl]

1. I'll go with the blue state!

[greatauntoftriplets]

2. Go Sooners!!!!!

And thank you, Moderator.

[goodbody]

6. Let's hope the Moderator's lock the OJ thread too!

[RoyGBiv]

3. Thank you ...

I gotta say that despite my Crimson and Cream blood, I just saw my first reason not to root for an OU team. Toby "f-ing" Keith. Urk.

I think I'll just ignore that.

I'll also try to ignore the STUUUUUUPID move by Mark Bradley.

[OKNancy]

5. Bradley

is probably from Texas.
:-)

[RoyGBiv]

15. Probably ...

Starting to seriously wonder what's up with him. He just basically did an "ole'" move when he should have been providing a block.

[argyl]

35. As are about half of the OU players.

[Bluzmann57]

4. Pretty good game so far

USC just scored a touchdown because of an Oklahoma fumble and took the lead 14-7. Still the first quarter. Stoops and Chuck Long have Iowa connections, but USC is awfully good. Not sure who to root for. Oklahomans are going to be hard to live with if Oklahoma wins though.

[RoyGBiv]

7. Nah ...

Now if we lose ... :-)

Seriously, though, it has been a good game so far, for which I am grateful. For these teams to be rank appropriately, it should be one of the best games of the year.

[RoyGBiv]

8. I gotta say it ...

OU's secondary is outclassed in every way. This may well be a long, long night for Sooner fans.

[goodbody]

9. 50+ YARD TOUCHDOWN USC

Keep talking about OJ all you want!!

[OKNancy]

10. Please drop the OJ business

I posted that news story as a comment on OJ, not your team. No one would judge USC because of OJ.

[goodbody]

12. You are very decent!

I guess it was someone else's comment (greataunt of...?) that made me wonder what OJ has to do with an entire city of fans in Los Angeles cheering USC, anymore than Jason's teeth or Norman's hillbilly reputation has to do with anything. We're all just fans. It wasn't the Trojan fans that acquited OJ.

Thank you for being a nice fan!

[OKNancy]

17. LOL

I was born and raised in Norman. It's a sea of blue in Oklahoma and hardly hillbilly. When I was there, even the cops had masters degrees ( actually you had to have a Bachelor's Degree to be on the force)

Anyway, I think we should talk about the game.

[goodbody]

19. okay. but seriously about Jason's grammar

He needs a little work before he graduates from college, after listening to him at the Heisman awards.

[chimpymustgo]

11. USC is kicking ass!

I hope Oklahoma will get their act together, so we'll get a better game.

Sh*t. White just threw another interception. Game set match.

[goodbody]

13. STOMP

ANOTHER TOUCHDOWN

[El Supremo]

14. This is making Texas look bad.

Not two years in a row!

[Lefty48197]

16. Toby Keith wants Oklahoma? GO TROJANS!

FUTK

[Bluzmann57]

18. WOW! What a catch!

A kid named Smith just made a helluva catch for USC. This is a good team. Thet are very deserving of their no. 1 ranking, at least for now. And Leinert is a deserving Heisman winner. But look out for Drew Tate in 2005! Sorry, just had to get that homer Iowa pride in there. Right now though, it doesn't look like anyone can beat USC.

[goodbody]

20. and USC is without their No. 1 college player - Mike Williams

who left for the NFL draft year. Matt Leinart is a rock, and for such a young kid, it's amazing.

[chimpymustgo]

21. Leinart has a great arm...and balls.

He's playing fearlessly. Though his receivers are making some amazing catches. I love the way he throws the long ball.

Another Okie turnover. This is getting ugly.

[El Supremo]

22. Ultra Thin!

[chimpymustgo]

24. Naughty, naughty. They are BAAAD boys.

ILet's see what happens - second half starting how. Ooooh - with new U-2 video.

[Mz Pip]

23. Gotta admit

it's kinda cool to have the pundits eat some crow. All that talk about how weak the Pac 10 is...

Mz Pip
:dem:

[goodbody]

25. damm straight!

I'm sick and tired of all the pundits creaming their jeans over Oklahoma, barely giving credit to USC. This is the 3rd year in a row for USC with this crap.

[nankerphelge]

26. Should have been Auburn vs. USC

Joke-lahoma sux.

[HuckleB]

30. Nope. Should have been Utah vs. USC.

Anyone who saw them tear apart Pitt knows they'd do something similar to Auburn.

[nolabels]

33. That Utah coach looks like he is going to be worth every penney..........

that Florida is going to be paying him.

Miami, prepare to be dominated :scared:

[RT Atlanta]

41. What point, specifically, are you keying on

that leads you to believe Utah would whip on AU similar to woeful pit? Their receivers, running game, secondary, LBs, what?

Just curious since the sham that is the "BCS" has now been put to bed for a few months....

[HuckleB]

42. Huh?

Try the whole package. I've gotten to watch the Utes more than most folks in the eastern US, and they are the real deal, across the board.

I'm just talking smack here, of course. That's what these boards are for, but I don't think Auburn would have taken care of Pitt as handily as the Utes, and I do think the Utes would take Auburn three times out of four.

[RT Atlanta]

46. I'd love to have whatever you're smoking

Ain't no way the Utes take 3 of 4 from Auburn, or from any of the Top tier SEC teams for that matter. Sorry. Meyer is a damned good coach and he'll be good at Florida, but it's a different world down here.

Friendly smack! :)

[HuckleB]

48. Oh, you don't want my stuff. Yours is much better.

And you've probably been smoking it for years. Yeah, "it's a different world down (there)" all right.

;)

Whatever you neeed to believe to think that there ain't no way that there are any teams worth a damn out west. I've heard it all before, and I've seen it smashed on the floor repeatedly.

Stick with the drugs you've got. They sure do work well, without wearing off. You can't beat that.

[hijinx87]

27. yikes. no controversy this year over who is #1.

sorry OKNancy. it's gotta be a tough night.

[RoyGBiv]

28. None at all ...

OU got an old-fashioned butt-whoopin'.

USC is undoubtedly the best team in the nation.

I know this is just going to fuel the Auburn controversy some more, but let me be up front and add my two-cents on that now. I saw Auburn play last night. They played pretty well. They would not have given USC any more of a game than OU did.

OU and Auburn may have been about equal, but USC was better than both by a significant degree.

My hat's off to them. Amazing team. If you're going to get beat, getting beat by a team like that is the only way to go.

[hijinx87]

29. auburnites need to settle down

USC would have stomped them worse than they did OU.

[RT Atlanta]

34. Hijinx?

Please enlighten this AU graduate on your statement? Any proof? AU has as much claim to No. 1 as Southern Cal. and will rightfully claim No. 1 this year.

[nolabels]

37. I kind of hope some team knocks USC down a notch, but I don't...........

get my hopes up. USC has become like a magnet for all them dudes who think they might be able to go Pro in a couple years. If Matt Leinart decides go go pro this year there is still is a good chance they can find another player to plug into there with all them other dudes hanging around.

The USC coaches, alum and others are turning it into a system that won't bode well for others. I look to the NCAA to tweak the rules real soon to stop it from happening like that.

[HuckleB]

39. Wait a minute. Why do Auburn fans blow off the Utes?

You can't make your claim unless you include Utah in the mix.

[RT Atlanta]

40. Give it to them too

Only "right" way to do it this year is to have 3 teams with a claim; but as far as an answer, I personally don't view the Utes conference as being all that tough and many AU fans share the same sentiment. It certainly doesnt include playing the likes of Tennessee twice, LSU, Georgia and Alabama like AU did this year.

[hijinx87]

43. Auburn has as much claim to #1 as USC?

that's just ridiculous.

Reasons?

You can start with common sense.

And then there is the one common opponent, VT. USC dispatched them with ease, while Auburn won by a mere field goal, and would have probably lost if VT hadn't just dropped the ball on a couple of big pass plays.

I suppose Auburn could argue that the SEC is tougher than the PAC-10, which may or may not be true. But they defeated that argument themselves by scheduling a DivI-AA opponent, the Citadel, for heaven's sake, and two other non entities, La-Monroe, and La-Tech. Any BCS Conference school that boasts the Citadel and La-Monroe on their schedule should be ashamed to even suggest that their won-loss record qualifies them for anything.

Sagarin's ratings also militate against an overall SoS argument in favor of Auburn. According to Sagarin, SoCal's SoS was a very respectable 77.67 (ranked 7), while Auburn was an underwhelming 71.09 (ranked 60, for heaven's sake). Even OU was higher, at 76 or so.

In other words, USC is just a much better team. You were fortunate that you didn't encounter them this year.

[RoyGBiv]

44. Agreed ...

As I feared, what's getting lost in all the OU bashing is that USC was quite simply amazing. They didn't blow out a low-quality opponent. They came with something to prove and blew out one of the top teams in the nation.

[RT Atlanta]

45. follow up

Ridiculous? About as ridiculous as saying So. Cal. dispatched Va. Tech with ease! That penalty call GAVE your team the game, without it, you start the season 0-1. Clearly you didnt watch the AU game - 16 to zip until the D backed off toward the end. AU has the No. 1 ranked D in the country for a reason.

You are also buying into the non conference schedule BS, when conference schedule is the better measuring stick. Tell me about your "signature" conference win this year - over a sorry Cal team that ran toe to toe with you the whole game? How did Cal do in their bowl game ==> waxed. What about UCLA? They gave you all you could handle too.

How many other Top 10 teams did the Trojans beat this year? Auburn beat 4, that's as many as USC and OK combined.

Though this is just friendly sports bantering, here are some numbers on the just completed season that I think support Auburn's contentions nicely:

Records: AU 13-0; USC 12-0; OU 12-1

Rank: 2 1 3 (which is bullshit!)

Wins v. finl top 25 5 4 2

Wins v. final top 16 5 3 1

National QB Rating 3 7 6

Wins v. 10 Win Teams 4 3 1

Conf. teams in top 25 5 SEC 3 PAC 3 Big12

Conf. teams in top 16 4 2 2

Scoring Defense Rank 1 3 11

Total Defense Rank 5 6 11

Wins by <=7 points AU 3 (all ranked opponents), So Cal 3 (one ranked opponent), OK 3 (one ranked opponent)

For all the talk of soft schedules, that looks pretty strong to me.

[RT Atlanta]

47. last bit from me (recognizing this is mostly academic)

AU gave up 147 points all season, the lowest point total in the nation. Of those 147 points, 64 were given up when AU was up by 20 or more points. Thus, 43.5% of all AU points allowed were when the game was in hand.


USC gave up 169 points all season, the fourth lowest point total in the nation. Of those 169 points, only 34 were given up when USC was up by 20 or more points. Thus 20.1% of all USC's points allowed were when the game was in hand.


AU trailed 2 times in 2 games all season.

Against LSU, AU trailed until late in the 4th.
Against UA, AU trailed until three minutes into the third, never to relinquish the lead.
AU has trailed at the end of 5 quarters all season, and never trailed once they got the lead.


USC has trailed 7 times this season, in 7 games.

Against VT, USC trailed in the second quarter to regain the lead in the third, never to trail again.
Against BYU, USC trailed in the first but never trailed at the end of a quarter.
Against Stanford, USC trailed from the second through 6:15 of the third quarter, never to trail again.
Against OSU, USC trailed the first and second quarters, regained early in the third never to trail again.
Against Arizona, USC trailed in the first quarter through the first 5 seconds of the second quarter, never to trail again.
Against Notre Dame, USC trailed in the first quarter until the end of the second quarter, never to trail again.
Against Oklahoma, USC trailed 7-0 in the first quarter, never to trail again.

USC has trailed at the end of 7 quarters this year, and has only relinquished the lead twice all season.

AU has never trailed by more than 6 points all season.

The SEC has 4 teams in the top 20 (AP).
Average ranking: 9.5

The Pac-10 has 3 teams in the top 20 (AP).
Average ranking: 9.67


Average ranking of top 3 teams
SEC: 7.33
Pac-10: 9.67

Auburn has won more games against 9 win teams than the entire Pac-10 conference combined.

Auburn was outgained by 2 teams in total yards:
LSU: 308-301
Virginia Tech: 375-299

USC was outgained by 1 team:
Cal: 424-205 (that is not a misprint)

[goodbody]

49. bottom line: USC has beaten Auburn every time they've met recently

and USC has since gotten better. Auburn looked pretty bad in the Sugar bowl. They let a lead slip and barely won.

Did I mention USC has beaten Auburn at every meeting recently, and USC has since gotten better?

[RT Atlanta]

50. You're looking in the past ...

Sure you aren't a conservative at heart (looking backward)? ;)

Auburn has improved throughout the year.

[goodbody]

51. your numbers are from the past too

past games, those already played this year. Look at the bowl games. Auburn won by 3 points - and they got a break on that even. VT missed a field goal and dropped a pass in the end-zone.

Whatever Auburn did, USC has improved even more. Auburn barely made it by a 2-loss VT. USC beat VT by 11 this year. Auburn was lucky to get by them with 3.

USC has blown out the No. 2 team in the nation -- without their star player from last year: Mike Williams. USC has more than improved - they've dominated.

USC = Back-to-back Champions.

[RT Atlanta]

53. interesting

Cleary you havent followed Auburn's domination of opponents this year.

Squeaking out a wins over a 4-7 Stanford team, a 7-5 Oregon State team and a 6-6 UCLA team tell me what a dominant team you guys have. Wow! ;)

Carroll has a great team and their future certain looks bright, but you will not convince me or any Auburn graduates/fans that anything So. Cal. has accomplished this year is somehow "better" or "more dominant" or "improved more" this year.

OK was clearly exposed as being overrated (hell most of the Big 12 was) for that matter. Texas looked like the only team worth a damn in the bowls. Throw out 24 points in turnovers and there might have been a "game."

Cheers!

[goodbody]

54. Auburn opponents: the Citadel , Louisiana Monroe

Division 1AA teams? LOL.

[goodbody]

55. Auburn's only decent opponent: LSU (Score: 10-9) Wow!

Auburn dominated by one whole point!! Kentucky was 1-6 when you played them. ROFL. Mississippi was 3-5. ROFL!!

Sugar Bowl: Auburn against a 2-loss team: 3 point margin - you were lucky to not let that slip! Not seeing the domination there, sorry!

ORANGE BOWL: USC against a 0-loss team: 36 point margin.
D-O-M-I-N-A-T-I-O-N!!!!

Not to mention USC has beaten Auburn that last couple showings, which I've mentioned before, and has since gotten better.

USC fans aren't too worried about what Auburn fans think -- when you're the ones scheduling Division 1AA teams. Bwahahahhaha!

[RT Atlanta]

56. Only decent opponent?

"Riiiiiight." (Said in my best Dr. Evil voice)

Dude, after after the bowl games were over, So Cal had played 3 games against top 15, 9 wins teams (VT, Cal, OU), whereas AU had played 5; a So Cal grad/fan should be able to understand AU played almost twice as many (LSU, UT, UGA, UT again, VT) top 15 teams. If that is not enough, remember the #1 and #2 scoring defenses in the nation played in the Sugar Bowl, not the Orange Bowl. On top of that, AU also played the #7 (UAT), #9 (UGA), and #14 (LSU) scoring defenses during the year.

Here are relevant scoring defense numbers:

#1 AU
#2 VT
#3 SoCal
#7 UA
#8 Cal
#9 UGA

Total defense numbers:

#2 UA
#3 LSU
#4 VT
#5 AU
#6 SoCal
#8 UGA

The only supposedly good teams So Cal played all year was Cal and VT, and we all know Cal was destroyed by a 24-ish ranked Texas Tech team.

AU played by FAR the harder schedule. It is ranked #6 by the NCAA, well above OU and So Cal. I understand why you may want to compare So Cal and AU's patsies instead of comparing the power teams we played, because SoCal pretty much played patsies the whole season.

Finally, as you well know, both teams are 13-0, both teams won their BCS game, both teams are within 5% of each other in the two polls used, and Auburn had the additional burden of winning a conference championship game.

In closing, So Cal should be happy (not disgustingly arrogant as you are coming across). If it wasn't for a blatantly rigged ref call at the end of the first half against UCLA, it would have been AU whipping up on OU instead of SoCal. I don't remember Auburn needing a ref to blatantly throw the game (10 point swing in one play) to help us to a 5 point win over a 6-5 team this year.

[goodbody]

58. the Citadel? Louisiana Monroe? LOL You barely made it past #9 VT

Auburn barely made it past No. 9 Virginia Tech in the Sugar. Auburn squeeked by, you were lucky, pure and simple. Hardly the look of a champion, but then again, your past schedule reflects just a pretty average team. That's were past schedules come into play, Auburn was a very average 8-5 in 2003 and 9-4 in 2002. Yet Auburn was ranked above USC in 2003 because of Cadillac; that's when USC wiped you out on August 30: 23-0.

2003 USC 23 Auburn 0
2002 USC 24 Auburn 17

BOWL GAMES:
2005 Orange Bowl No. 1 USC 55 No. 2 Oklahoma 19
Auburn - Sugar: Auburn 16 vs. No. 9 VT 13

2004 USC Rose Bowl: USC 28 Michigan 14
Auburn - NO BOWL GAME

2003 No. 4 USC 38 vs. No. 3 Iowa 17
Auburn - NO BOWL GAME

Sorry about your sour grapes - you're really unraveling. This shit is nothing new though -- USC fans are used to this sniping. You can snipe all you want, that doesn't take away the fact that there is no way in hell Auburn played like a champion. USC DID!!!

[RT Atlanta]

59. Stop it really, you're making me laugh.

Again, it is patently clear you did not watch the game and see the defenses match up, but whatever. 13-0 and winners of Auburn's BCS game. No sniping there, just the facts.

By the way, I like how you omitted any references to the all of the "facts" like the squeakers So. Cal. played in this year against either teams with losing records or barely above .500.

Let's talk about playing like a champion - Auburn first win's its conference championship in the most difficult D1 league in the country and what does it do for an encore? Follow that up by beating the ACC champion with the No. 2 scoring D in the country. Who'd So. Cal. beat in it's championship game? Oops, I forgot the Pathetic 10 does have one.

It seems to me its the So Cal fans such as yourself with the chips on your shoulder that you keep looking over. At the end of the game the other night, I was glad to hear that in the school's moment of glory, all your fans could think about was chanting "Auburn sux" - clearly they felt the heat and knew they lucked out not to play AU.

War Eagle!

Later...

[goodbody]

60. The Citadel? Louisiana Monroe? LOL --War Chicken

Read what some coaches have written about Auburn's lackluster performance in the Sugar Bowl. It's not USC fans -- it's an analysis of how your team under-performed from professionals who watched.

No. 1 USC 55 vs. No. 2 Oklahoma 19

[RT Atlanta]

61. 13-0 BCS Winner

I know you're having a hard time with facts as you have again failed to address any of So Cal's squeakers. By the way, the professional analysts who really count, the NFL scouts who determine who plays on Sundays, have said Since October that Auburn is the team to beat talent wise.

Here's another fun fact for you to chew on:

Cal 430 total yards
USC 206 total yards

Whew boy, how did you call it, domination?

13-0 BCS Winner SEC Champions

War Eagle!

[goodbody]

62. Total season points SCORED: USC 496 Auburn 427

It doesn't matter how many yards you run if you don't score!

Auburn had a poor showing in their bowl game. Auburn 16 vs. Virginia Tech 13 = NOT DOMINATION, especially against a 2-loss team.

No. 1 USC 55 vs. No. 2 Oklahoma 19 = DOMINATION

ROFL, the Citadel? Lousiana Monroe? <snicker>

[iwantmycountryback]

64. Those squeakers did not include the championship game

They crushed the opponent in every possible way in the championship game. In Auburn's bowl game, they beat a weaker opponent by a field goal. If USC did that to the Sooners, they certainly would have done the same to AU, especially if they played like they did against Va Tech. I'm a Michigan fan, but USC IS #1

[iwantmycountryback]

63. You're kidding me right?

Auburn won 16-13 against a weaker opponent than Oklahoma, and USC completely destroyed those guys. If the game was remotely close, you might have a case. But when a team wins 55-19, there is no doubt. USC is the national champ and #1.

[nolabels]

31. What goes around, comes around

That stupid QB from the Sooners should of got out while there was something left for him in the NFL. College might make you knowledgeable but it won't make you smart.

Even living in So. Cal. is still not that great if your routing for another team like the UCLA Bruins who have got beat by them for the last few years Yet I don't feel bad. UCLA even almost had a chance this year. The Sooners just got buried from the first quarter on

Now all the Necks from back east with all their trash talking got whats coming to them.

Guess we won't be hearing much from them for the next couple years :hi:

[RoyGBiv]

32. Not sure what that means ...

With White's injury and horrid conference and late-season (even in games they won) performance last year, he wasn't very high on very many draft lists. He was looking to improve his position this year -- and he was being honest when he said he wanted to try to make up for last year to his teammates and fans -- and he did that pretty well right up to the last game.

He played poorly, but on the whole he probably made a better economic decision for himself to remain another year. There aren't the nagging questions about whether he can recover from the injury he had. He did recover, last night's game notwithstanding.

[nolabels]

36. Yea, your correct, I shouldn't have be bagging on him

Really the whole team got beat, they got socked in the face and hadn't really faced any team that didn't let up like USC. The adversity is what the sooners hadn't seen yet.

Why I made that comment is one these air bag radio show hosts was saying Matt Leinart should go to NFL draft year and take what ever crap and lumps he gets from them. While others saying he could stay and have some more fun and have better options to game the NFL draft next year.

I like the idea of gaming the NFL draft. If he stays the three peat and a lot of other things could happen.


Sooners powerless to stop it

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

MIAMI - Ashlee Simpson was booed with conviction during the infamous Orange Bowl halftime show. Twice. When she began and again when she finished.
(snip)
Not that USC needs any more help. Two national championships in a row these days count as a mini-dynasty.

Finally, we may never hear again from the immortal Larry Birdine, the sophomore OU defensive end who chose to light up Leinart on the record two weeks ago, then declined to back off Sunday.

Birdine was not available for comment in time for this edition. Smart guy.

So everyone wanted to see a great game. Most people thought it would be one. By kickoff, the Sooners were actually a one-point favorite.

Which goes to show you, sometimes the "smart money" ain't that smart.
(snip)
http://pennlive.com/columns/patriotnews/jones/index.ssf?/base/columnists/1104920416320741.xml

[RoyGBiv]

38. Indeed ...

I lost count of the number of stupid decisions Sooner players made last night, and I actually was trying to keep track. It just got to be too much. White made his share of them. So did Bradley. Bradley, in fact, probably played the worst game of his college career. He was barely there, mentally or physically.

I disagree mildly about the lack of adversity OU had faced. They had been in a few tough situations, although, as you said, not for an entire game.

Anyway, no excuses. OU got thumped and deserved their thumping.

[ChairOne]

52. To my eyes, the difference between USC and OU was....

... just plain coaching. It's not so much that the OU players lost to the USC players, but rather Stoops got his ass KICKED by Carroll. Did anyone notice the off-kilter way the USC d-line lined up? That's scouting. Did you notice the OU qb getting clocked left n right? That's effective scouting.

All in all, I think the game was an object lesson in how-to-outcoach someone.

[Yavin4]

57. Why USC Is Cleary No. 1 (A Simple Answer)

USC was ranked no. 1 in the preseason polls. That meant that every week that USC played, they were playing for the national championship. Being ranked No. 1 is a burden, not an asset. EVERY team that USC faced wanted to knock them off. USC met the challenge and the burden of being ranked No. 1 without losing a single game. Auburn and Utah did not have that same burden.

College sports are more emotional than athletic. Any fan of college football or basketball can tell you stories about seeing an inferior team take out a highly ranked opponent just on emotion. When you're the highest ranked team, you have to face a highly motivated opponent week in and week out.

USC deserves the National Championship.