What was happening in the world when USC football won its last national championship

USC football won its last national championship in 2004. The NCAA doesn’t recognize a champion for that season due to the ‘Reggie Bush improper benefits’ fiasco. We don’t care; we all witnessed the 2004 Trojans demolish Oklahoma 55-19 in the BCS Championship Game.

We think college football fans forget how good the 2004 USC football team was. We also believe people forget where the world was 20 years ago. Thus, Reign of Troy decided to take USC fans on a quick and easy trip back in time.

Enjoy the ride.

The New England Patriots stood atop the NFL; the last time USC were national champions. Like the Trojans, Tom Brady and his squad established themselves as a dynasty by winning their third title in four years. New England’s third title was a 32-29 win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Of course, most fans remember Super XXXVIII for Janet Jackson’s infamous ‘wardrobe malfunction’ during the halftime show.

We find it unbelievable that Facebook was launched in 2004. It seems like people have been using the social media platform for more than 20 years. Nevertheless, Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook from his dorm at Harvard.

Speaking of which, follow Reign of Troy on Facebook and stay up-to-date with our USC football takes.

2004 was a big year on the music scene. Kanye West released “The College Dropout” in February 2004. Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” was named the Billboard Song of the Year in 2004. Also, the 46th Grammy Awards produced some memorable winners.

• Record of the Year: “Clocks” by Coldplay
• Album of the Year: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by OutKast
• Best New Artist: Evanescence

Speaking of awards, the USC Trojans weren’t the only ones collecting hardware in 2004. The 76th Academy Awards crowned several memorable people and movies, including:

• Best Actor: Sean Penn, Mystic River
• Best Support Actor: Tim Robbins, Mystic River
• Best Actress: Charlize Theron, Monster
• Best Supporting Actress: Renée Zellweger, Cold Mountain
• Best Director: Peter Jackson
• Best Picture: The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
• Best Animated Feature Film: Finding Nemo

The Mannings are fixtures in sports and pop culture today, but they were just getting started back in 2004. Peyton Manning became the highest-paid player in NFL history after signing a 7-year, $98 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts. Meanwhile, the San Diego Chargers drafted his brother Eli Manning first overall. The younger Manning was later traded to the New York Giants in a deal that included Phillip Rivers.

Those who watched the TV sitcom “Friends” might recall the show’s 10th and final season in 2004. J.J. Abrams' TV drama "Lost" debuted in the Fall of 2004. Meanwhile, at the box office, “Shrek 2” was 2004’s highest-grossing movie ($928,961,330), followed by “Spider-Man 2” ($788,618,317) and “The Incredibles” ($631,442,092).

Of course, we must remember to highlight some significant world events from 2004.

• NASA’s Opportunity rover landed on the surface of Mars
• Belgian’s Interbrew and Brazil’s AmBev completed an $11.2 billion deal that created InBev, the world’s largest brewer.
• Martha Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison for lying to federal investigators
• A pair of 1910 Edvard Munch paintings, “The Scream” and “Madonna,” were stolen by a gunman from the Munich Museum in Oslo, Norway.
• Usain Bolt failed to qualify for the second round of the Athens Olympics after finishing fifth in the 200-meter heat.
• Michael Schumacher won his fifth-straight F1 championship.

Indeed, 2004 was an incredible year during which USC football reigned supreme. The 2004 Trojans outscored their opponents by 25.2 points and finished in the top ten in every defensive statistical category. Moreover, USC became the second program in NCAA history to begin and end the season ranked No. 1 by the AP.