Stop for a moment and think about Pac-12 college football win leaders in the 21st century. USC has rarely been relevant since the NCAA brought about the end of the Pete Carroll era nearly 15 years ago. USC had a lot of rough and difficult seasons. Oregon has made multiple national title game appearances since then, and the Ducks have been more successful than USC over the past decade. Surely Oregon has moved ahead of USC in Pac-12 wins in the full 21st century, right? Wrong.
Despite USC holding a significant lead in the overall standings, Mark noted that in the 21st century, the Trojans had only secured two more wins than Oregon. Yet, it’s actually amazing that USC does still have the overall wins lead. Remember that for over a decade, the Trojans have faced challenges, and other Pac-12 teams have filled the void in USC’s absence. Notably, however, Oregon did not have to deal with the erroneous investigation and severe sanctions imposed on USC (circa 2010), which were second only to the “death penalty” given to SMU in the 1980s. Despite these obstacles, USC has maintained its dominance in the Pac-12, leading the conference in victories for almost the last quarter century.
For more in-depth discussions and analysis of the impact of Oregon, Utah, Stanford and various other teams in the Pac-12 Conference rankings, check out the complete show available through the provided link:
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