Pete Carroll's 2023 USC team would have beaten Nick Saban's LSU roster

It is one of the bigger moments that was robbed of fans in college football. To the bewilderment of USC fans to this day, the Trojans were left out of the BCS National Championship for the 2023 season. Instead, that Sugar Bowl matchup featured LSU and Oklahoma.

The Trojans, though slighted, did not have a bad consolation prize in being able to play in that season's Rose Bowl, as they would go on to defeat the Michigan Wolverines 28-14.

Still, there was a split national champion for a reason that year in college football. Although the BCS title game (as the name suggests) was the assumed deciding fixture to crown a title winner, voters were not entitled to go by that as the sole metric.

Disagreement on who the best was resulted in USC being named the number one team by the Associated Press and FWAA that year, and LSU was selected by nature of winning the BCS, as well as the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll and NFF.

Unfortunately for the Trojans that year, the lone triple-overtime loss at California and late stumble by Hawai'i that year gave enough of a reason for the BCS system to move Oklahoma ahead of USC that year, and they were left out of the championship game altogether.

Taking nothing away from coach Nick Saban, and with all respect in the world to that year's Tigers team, LSU would never have stood a chance against the 2003 Trojan squad.

Elite options on both sides of the ball for USC

When evaluating the team, any area shows a tremendous amount of talent, regardless of where one begins when revisiting that Trojan roster.

At the quarterback position alone, USC went three deep. Matt Leinart, Matt Cassell, and John David Booty would have had their way with the LSU secondary. Then the players of the caliber of Reggie Bush, Mike Williams, LenDale White, and Keary Colbert would have been too overwhelming.

Defensively the Trojans had Lofa Tatupu, Will Poole, Mike Patterson, and Kenechi Udeze. With plenty of playmakers on that side of the ball as well, LSU would have been hard-pressed to get to 21 points had they lined up against each other.

It would have been a fun one, but barring a complete off-day from USC, the Trojans would have solidified their status as the unanimous No. 1 overall team in the land for the 2003 season.