USC Football Roundup: Which Trojan team was best of all-time? (7/3)

The 2005 Trojans were branded the best in program history, while Madden rookie ratings are out. Here’s the USC football roundup for July 3.

Which USC football team deserves to be crowned the king of all the Trojan teams ever?

Ben Kercheval of CBS Sports attempted to answer that question on Tuesday, not just for USC, but for every Pac-12 program.

His conclusion: 2005.

No, that’s not a typo.

Kercheval fully acknowledges the reason readers my tilt their head at that, but explains that what USC was that year as a whole matters more than the way the season ended, in heartbreak against Texas.

“They were riding a 34-game winning streak,” he wrote. “They were up their eyeballs with NFL-caliber talent, two Heisman winners (RB Reggie Bush and QB Matt Leinart), and multiple All-Americans. They were, up until the Rose Bowl, the wire-to-wire No. 1 team in the country. They were a dynasty.”

That’s all well and good, but respectful disagreement is in order here.

For one, the 2005 team was an exceptional outfit, but their offensive output wasn’t matched on the defensive side of the ball. They lost on the biggest stage because of it.

CHECK OUT: Ranking the 10 best USC quarterbacks ever

The 2004 team, by comparison, had all the same offensive stars—Leinart, Bush, etc.—but also had a stellar defense which ranked in the Top 10 in every defensive statistical category. Out of six All-Americans, four were from the defensive side of the ball, including Shaun Cody, Mike Patterson, Matt Grootegoed and Lofa Tatupu.

It’s easy to get blinded by one of the greatest offenses in college football history, but it should be at the expense of acknowledging complete team strength, which is what the undefeated Trojans of 2004 had.

And that’s only bringing teams from this century into account.

The 2004 squad could just as easily be countered by the 1972 team, which featured the likes of Pat Haden and Mike Rae, Anthony Davis and Sam “Bam” Cunningham, Lynn Swann and J.K. McKay while averaging 39 points per game.

That team’s defense included Richard Wood, John Grant, Artimus Parker and Charles Phillips. They posted 28 interceptions and limited opposing teams to 2.5 yards per rush.

Again, strength on both sides of the ball.

The 1974 would have as strong a claim as any other.

The conclusion of all this should be that it’s very, very hard to pick a best USC team ever because there are so many valid contenders. It just doesn’t feel like 2005 is one of them.

Madden rookie ratings

Ratings for a few of the top rookies in this year’s new Madden game were revealed on Tuesday with Sam Darnold ranking fourth among quarterbacks at a 75 overall. That’s well below the 81 overall for Baker Mayfield, 79 overall for Lamar Jackson and 78 overall for Josh Rosen.

SEE MORE: Five undrafted Trojans who found pro success

Ronald Jones II placed third among running backs with a rating of 77 overall, behind Saquon Barkley with an 82 overall and Derrius Guice with 78.

Quarterback rankings

USC doesn’t have a quarterback featured in College Football News’ Top 30 going into 2018, but the Trojans will face two who are.

It’s no surprise to see Arizona’s Khalil Tate on the list. He was given the top spot, which further legitimizes the danger of that matchup in September.

However, it is a bit surprising that it’s Tyler Huntley of Utah who commands the other distinction at No. 25.

No Brandon Wimbush from Notre Dame or K.J. Costello from Stanford may be a major oversight in the end.

Today’s Trojan Trivia

USC’s 1974 squad holds school records for most All-Conference selections (12) and most players picked in the NFL draft (14).