Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Juiciest Orange


Tailback Reggie Bush, shown against WSU in October, gave USC an average of 10 yards whenever he touched the ball. 
 (File/ / The Spokesman-Review)
Ralph D. Russo Associated Press

MIAMI – Pete Carroll calls this one the perfect matchup – USC vs. Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl for the national title.

In many ways it is.

Preseason favorites to make it to Miami, the Trojans and Sooners were No. 1 and No. 2 in the polls all year. They feature the last two Heisman Trophy winners and about a dozen All-Americans between them.

Two of college football’s most storied and tradition-rich programs, Oklahoma and USC have 11 Associated Press national titles combined.

Of course, rarely is anything perfect when the Bowl Championship Series is involved.

Just ask Auburn.

The top-ranked Trojans (12-0) and No. 2 Sooners (12-0) meet Tuesday night for a national championship that will wrap up the college football season, but not necessarily the debate over who’s No. 1.

On Monday night, No. 3 Auburn puts its 12-0 record on the line against Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl with a chance to finish a perfect season that will compare favorably the Orange Bowl winner’s.

“It stinks the way it played out this year for them,” Oklahoma quarterback Jason White said of Auburn. “They’re a great team. They probably deserve to be in this championship game just as much as either one of us. But that’s the way it worked out.”

USC and Oklahoma were at the center of last year’s BCS mess. The Trojans were left out of the BCS title game despite being No. 1 in the polls. The Sooners got in despite a lopsided loss in the Big 12 championship game.

In the end, USC finished on top in The AP Top 25 and LSU beat Oklahoma to win the BCS crown.

“We were playing for the title in our minds last year,” said Carroll, the Trojans coach. “But this year there’s an added dimension.”

The BCS guys were determined to make sure a consensus No. 1 would never again be left out of the title game, so this year’s formula emphasized the polls over the computers.

Problem solved.

Next problem: three unbeaten teams, all clearly worthy of a spot in the title game. For that, there is no BCS solution.

“I’d love to see a playoff, though this does feel a little like a playoff,” Carroll said. “But I’m not hopeful for that.”

At least this season neither title game participant is being labeled undeserving, as the Sooners were last season after being throttled 35-7 by Kansas State for the Big 12 championship.

With a chance to redeem themselves, the Sooners fell flat in the Sugar Bowl. A battered White looked little like a Heisman Trophy winner in the 21-14 loss to LSU.

The Sooners turned last year’s failures into this season’s motivation.

“That’s the last game we played, so we had that game fresh in our minds,” All-American tackle Jammal Brown said. “So all through the off-season that’s something that we talked about and you never want to end it like that.”

White returned for a sixth season and threw for 2,961 yards and 33 touchdowns, making a run at another Heisman.

A new star also emerged in Norman, Okla. Freshman Adrian Peterson has run for 1,843 yards and 15 TDs and finished second in the Heisman voting, just ahead of White.

“I’m not surprised to be (in the title game) my freshman season because I knew what I was coming into; I knew what kind of team I was coming to,” Peterson said.

USC also lived up to its hype. The Trojans were an overwhelming preseason No. 1, despite losing several All-Americans from last year’s title team.

The Trojans showed some flaws but never came undone.

“A lot of people had us No. 1 at the start of the year, but didn’t think we’d go undefeated,” USC quarterback Matt Leinart said. “It says a lot about the kind of team we have.”

Leinart’s leadership and precise passing made him USC’s second Heisman Trophy winner in three seasons. The left-hander who took over for 2002 Heisman winner Carson Palmer has thrown for 2,990 yards and 29 TDs.

Leinart was joined at the Heisman ceremony in New York by teammate Reggie Bush. The versatile and explosive tailback averaged over 10 yards per touch with 15 TDs.

With Leinart on one side and White on the other, the ninth meeting between the Sooners and Trojans is not only the most important, but it’s a college football first. Never before have two players with Heismans faced off.