re: Why is Media So Insistent That USC Won 2003 Championship

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When the media is discussing LSU national championships they count 2003.

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Exactly. That’s the part I don’t understand. When counting how many NCs a school has, split champions don’t count as 1/2. When listing NCs, there is no separate list for co-champs. All glory and honor that comes with an NC accrues to LSU for 2003 regardless of what people think about USC.

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When listing NCs, there is no separate list for co-champs. All glory and honor that comes with an NC accrues to LSU for 2003 regardless of what people think about USC

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You’re right there are no co-champs, but there are multiple outlets that named National Champions that are recognized by the NCAA. Some seasons, including but not limited to : 1970, 1973, 1978, 1991, 1997 and 2003 have multiple different champions regardless of what some insecure LSU fans think.

If you think 2003 is bad in 1973 Notre Dame was 11-0 and beat 11-1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl but Alabama was named and still counts the UPI (coaches poll, the same poll that gave the BCS title) National Title

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No outlet named UCF a national champion. They just called themselves one because they went undefeated.

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nope.

"In 2017, UCF finished #1 in the Colley Matrix, which is recognized by the NCAA as a championship selector for the FBS level. UCF claimed that title."

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Posted by Message
geauxtigers33

Why is Media So Insistent That USC Won 2003 Championship
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Those are two separate entities that recognize a national champion. Why is this so hard for people to understand? This was the norm before the BCS came to be.

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Then why didn't USC 'claim' the 2004 AP National Championship, like they were so quick to in 2003 ???

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Colley Matrix

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The same poll that has Oklahoma State as the 2011 champion and Notre Dame as the 2012 champion after getting destroyed by Alabama?

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don't get me wrong - I think UCF claiming the NC is absurd and the Colley Matrix ranking UCF no. 1 was nonsense.

But my post was merely a reply to your comment that UCF just anointed themselves national champs on their own. They didn't - they hung their hat on the Colley Matrix.

There are few things that motivate me to post. LSU / USC ‘03 is one of them.

A few of you say that you don’t understand why it matters. I can’t speak for everyone, but for me…

I was born and raised near Lafayette. My first LSU game experience in Tiger Stadium was in 1998. I’m in my upper 30s now. As a young kid (pre BCS) I didn’t understand the complexity of the polling system and final rankings. Didn’t really care. Just loved LSU and watching #3. By the time I reached the age of reason, the BCS championship was established. There was a title game, perfect or not. All I’ve ever known was that you play title games to win titles.

In 2001 my dad moved us to Texas. LSU lost to UT in the cotton bowl in the ‘02 season. This is important because my pride and bias of all things Louisiana greatly increased in ‘01. LSU was starting to keep big name in-state players & competing at a high level. In my mind, Louisiana was the best state for football. Lots of trash talk between me and my Tx friends. Then 03 happens. The very night of the bowl selection, the credibility of the BCS championship game was challenged and downplayed by the media. After LSU won the title I would see the Sports Illustrated & memorabilia type commercials for both LSU & USC. Very strange in my ~ 16 yr old mind. If you weren’t in Louisiana or SEC friendly territory in 03, everyone challenged that LSU was the best team in the nation that year. At least where I lived. Typically champions get that bragging right. Winning a national championship is a really big deal. Now you have the people with the biggest voice (the media) saying that we didn’t beat the team that they said was the best. You’re telling me that doesn’t take away from LSU’s championship? Now you know why I loathe UTx and USC.

The 03 championship was the single most exciting sports memory of my lifetime. More than the Saints Super Bowl. More than LSU 07 & 19.

I’ve never really cared about the AP and coaches polls when it comes to final “championship” selection. For me it’s simple… who won the title game. If some of you are older than me, maybe you’re accustomed to the old way. I was / am not.

So for me, the early 2000’s in college football will always be remembered by this photo of championship & title GAME winners. The BCS Champion game was the more important game that year and was the goal of every team to start the season. LSU won it.

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If you weren’t in Louisiana or SEC friendly territory in 03, everyone challenged that LSU was the best team in the nation that year. At least where I lived. Typically champions get that bragging right

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^^^This. Tiger fans outside Louisiana had to deal with the shadow of USC over that incredible year.

Because the only Nation Championship they won was the AP Writers poll.

Everyone else was playing for the BCS Championship.

USC claiming the 2003 Title is just as big of a joke as SEVERAL of the Titles claimed by BAMA fans, (the 1918 Better Homes & Gardens Title, the 1929 Southern Living Championship, the 1977 Juggs Magazine Title, etc….).

GEAUX TIGERS!!!

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A celebration after winning the big one.

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That USC was denied a chance to play for, not because public sentiment, expert opinion or any poll thought they didn’t belong, but because computers that were not allowed to consider the 28 point margin of Oklahoma’s loss had the Sooners higher. Do you honestly think LSU fans would have accepted that the issue was really decided on the field if LSU had been the odd team out in that scenario because of flawed computer systems? Different outcomes in the Boise St and Hawaii games on the final weekend would have produced exactly that result.