| 2004 USC Trojans football | |
|---|---|
 | |
AP Poll national champion BCS national champion (vacated) Pac-10 champion (vacated) Orange Bowl champion (vacated) | |
| Conference | Pacific-10 Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 1 |
| AP | No. 1 |
| Record | 13–0, 2 wins vacated (8–0 Pac-10, 1 win vacated) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Norm Chow (4th season) |
| Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Captains | |
| Home stadium | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (c. 92,000, grass) |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 USC † $ | 8 | – | 0 | 13 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 California | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Arizona State | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 0 | – | 8 | 1 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2004 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. The 2004 Trojans football team won the 2004 BCS National Championship by winning the 2005 Orange Bowl, that year's BCS National Championship Game. The team also won the AP title for the second year in a row. It was the Trojans' first unanimous national championship since 1972, and the second time a team had gone wire-to-wire, with the Trojans holding the number 1 spot in the polls all season. The team was coached by Pete Carroll in his fourth year with the Trojans, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The team is widely considered one of the greatest college football teams of all time.[1]
Quarterback Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding collegiate football player in the U.S. His teammate, running back Reggie Bush, finished fifth in Heisman voting, winning the following year. Both were named co-winners of the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year.[2] The team captains were Shaun Cody, Matt Grootegoed and Matt Leinart.[3]
Because of the controversy that ended the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season with a split national title between LSU and USC, the motto for the Trojans' 2004 season became "Leave No Doubt."[4] Ironically, the changes made to the BCS due to the 2003 season did not resolve issues with multiple undefeated teams, as Auburn and Utah finished undefeated, yet they did not get to play USC or any other team for the title.
On June 10, 2010, USC was forced to vacate its two final wins from the 2004 season (December 2004 against UCLA and the BCS championship game), as well as all wins from the 2005 season, following an NCAA investigation into possible violations by the Trojans' football and men's basketball programs. Since the vacated games included the Trojans' Orange Bowl win, the Trojans were later stripped of the 2004 BCS title in June 2011. However, the Associated Press (AP) still recognizes USC as winners of the 2004 national championship.[5]
- ^ Kenyon, David. "The 10 Best College Football Teams of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ PREVIEW: (1) USC vs. UCLA, Yahoo! Sports, December 4, 2004.
- ^ All-Time USC Record Archived May 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, 2006 USC Football Media Guide, USC Athletic Department, pg. 96.
- ^ Malcolmson, Ben (January 11, 2005) Trojans leave no doubt with blowout Archived May 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Daily Trojan.
- ^ Report: USC to keep AP title. ESPN, June 11, 2010.