[Black Aces 518]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Oklahoma was controlling the game against USC?? I can't argue against this kind of stuff.


[/ QUOTE ]

DRIVE 1: USC 4 plays, 7 yards, punt
DRIVE 2: OU 12 plays, 92 yards, TD
DRIVE 3: USC 6 plays, 75 yards, TD, after converting a 3rd and 11
DRIVE 4: OU 3 plays, 7 yards, punt
DRIVE 5: USC 4 plays, 20 yards, punt

So with :45 to go in the first, total yards are 102-99, and OU has the longest sustained drive. USC's drives are 2 4 play punts, and another drive where they converted barely a 3rd and 11, and then hit a 33 yard diving, spinning TD catch to Byrd. A great play, but it's not like USC had been driving hard.

OU was taking the ball back and ready to drive again, then the Bradley muff giving USC 1st and G on the 7. After the TD, OU drove right down the field again, until White is picked on the USC 11 after a WR slipped making his cut. USC got held to 3rd and long again but converted, then hit Jarrett on the bomb, and the snowball was on, leading White to force into triple coverage on the next drive. GG OU.

I'm not saying OU was def better, but you can't just look at the score and think, oh OU didn't deserve to be there. They clearly had the talent to match up with USC and provide a classic matchup, and a couple of unforced errors happened at the worst possible time.

Again, I ask, what would the USC-Auburn score be if Auburn turned it over 4 times in the 2nd?

[/ QUOTE ]
this is not sying anything. usc was a slow start team that year. i don't remember the specifics, but games against stanford, cal and oregon state played out like this at first too i believe. and those games ended much closer than oklahoma.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, that helps make my point. Does anyone really think Stanford or Oregon State were better than Oklahoma? I'm sure some think Cal was, and some don't. But the final score of OU-USC doesn't prove that OU shouldn't have been there, it proves that if you turn the ball over 4 times in 14 minutes against a Top 2 team, you lose. Badly.

Edit to add that USC jumped out 10-0 on Stanford and 13-3 on Cal. Oregon State did take a 13-0 early lead. USC scored the first TD in every game they played, save Oregon State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.