4 USC legends earn ultimate honor in new Sports Illustrated list

USC football's legendary presence was remembered again by Sports Illustrated in a big way. Reggie Bush, Marcus Allen, O.J. Simpson and Matt Leinart were all featured in the Top 50 best college football players of all time list.

The list shows the school's football dominance spanning three decades. The only players who overlapped were Bush and Leinart, who won two national championships for the Trojans.

Sports Illustrated' s ranking for each player

No. 42 Marcus Allen, RB (1978–81)

Out of everyone on this list, he is certainly the player who has had the most success in the NFL. He's the only person to ever win a College Football National Championship, Heisman Trophy, Super Bowl, an NFL MVP award, and a Super Bowl MVP award. But, since this list is only about college, let's only consider his college impact.

Allen is one of USC's best running backs in school history. During his Heisman season, he made history running the first-ever 2,000-yard season. He ran for 2,342 yards and 22 touchdowns and he still holds a school single-season record for his rushing yards. Not only was it impressive on campus, but only four people in all of college football have posted better numbers.

Considering his impact on the game, he's ranked far too low in comparison to others. Billy Sims' - who is rated No. 38 - college stats don't compare to the former NFL MVP. He rushed for almost a thousand yards more over four seasons compared to Sims' four seasons. With all that said, the 1981 Heisman winner should be ranked at least in the top 30s.

No. 33 Matt Leinart, QB (2001–05)

Unlike Allen, Leinart didn't have much success in the NFL. But he certainly had one of the best college careers at USC. The Santa Ana native sat out his freshman year behind fellow Heisman winner Carson Palmer. He must've learned a lot because once he got the start his sophomore year, he led USC to two national championships, earning a Heisman trophy during one of the seasons. He could havewon two, but lost to another guy who is on this list.

Throughout three years, Leinart threw for over 10,000 yards and 99 touchdowns. Throughout his tenure at USC, he put the team back on the map and established them as true contenders again. He's ranked behind NFL legend Peyton Manning, who had a great career in his own right, but never won two national championships back-to-back. Those championships were won alongside some legendary teammates, but you can't win without a good quarterback, especially not back-to-back.

Since Leinart basically put USC back into relevance and won consecutively, he deserves to be in the top 30 on this list at the very least. The only reason he could be ranked low is if you're counting his NFL career, which wasn't great.

No. 23 O.J. Simpson, RB (1967–68)

The third Heisman trophy winner checked off his own milestones during his college career. In his best season, Simpson had 1,709 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns in 10 games. Meaning he averaged 170.9 rushing yards per game, a monstrous number.

During the running back's first year, he won a national championship, but got second in Heisman voting after being beat out by a UCLA rival. In his second year, the Trojans didn't win the national championship, but he ran for almost 300 more yards, winning him the Heisman trophy. After his second year, he declared for the draft and was drafted first overall by the Buffalo Bills.

He deserves to be at this spot because he only played two years in college, but quickly put up crazy numbers. It was clear why he didn't need to stay in college any longer, though.

No. 15 Reggie Bush, RB (2003–05)

Now, the rankings are getting into people who just had that X-factor and stardom feel to them. Bush was considered the most exciting player in the early 2000s, beating his own teammate for a Heisman trophy in 2005.

The California native showed out for his hometown team while at USC, winning their only back-to-back national championships. During his Heisman season, he rushed for 1,740 yards and scored 16 touchdowns, averaging 133.8 yards per game. His pure athleticism, speed, and versatility made him a constant threat to other teams.

Bush was one of the players who transcended his era of college football. After college, he had a long 11-year career in the NFL, where he won a Super Bowl ring.

USC's other four Heisman winners were left off this list, but of all of them, these four deserve to be on this list. Their college careers were marked by pure dominance from start to finish and they still have a lasting impact.

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