Trojans’ Victory Is Shot in the Arm for Being Human

A quickening flicker of camera flashes illuminated the final seconds of USC’s 28-14 Rose Bowl triumph over Michigan on Thursday.

“A lot of people are wanting to capture this moment,” analyst Dan Fouts observed on ABC’s telecast. “And you know what, Keith? There’s not one computer in the crowd.”

Keith Jackson had to agree.

“If it is, it’s in the trash can,” Jackson quipped.

Thursday, college football belonged again to humans.

Humans wearing USC uniforms put up four touchdowns against one of the most formidable defenses in the land.

A human named Matt Leinart passed for three of those touchdowns and caught a pass for the other.

USC had just won what Jackson had described as the “human championship” of college football. That’s because, Jackson said, USC “came into this ballgame ranked No. 1 in the writers’ poll and the coaches’ poll. The other one down in New Orleans on Sunday night, of course, will be the computer version -- the BCS championship game.”

That would be the Sugar Bowl, where a faulty computer program dumped Oklahoma and LSU into a game that will also be televised by ABC. Suddenly, that game is causing more than a little trouble for the network.

“The winner of that game is going to be listed in the history books as the national champion,” Jackson said, and didn’t sound too pleased about it.

“That’s the way the contract reads.”

In other words, ABC still has a game to promote, even if it already feels as flat as spilled New Year’s Eve champagne, even if the humans working as college football commentators for ABC were breaking ranks en masse after USC’s convincing victory.

“Do you feel like you’ve seen a championship game?” Jackson asked Fouts.

“I have seen the best football team I have seen in a long time in the SC Trojans,” Fouts replied.

ABC’s on-site studio analysts felt even more strongly about it.

“Now we know that the coaches are supposed to vote for the winner of the Nokia Sugar Bowl,” John Saunders said. “I don’t think Pete Carroll is going to put his team down as No. 2 when he votes.”

“I don’t know how he can,” Terry Bowden said. “I really think Pete Carroll believes they’re No. 1. They were my No. 1 at the end of the season. If I were a voter, I’d have to pick them No. 1.”

Craig James declared the debate over ... about 72 hours before Oklahoma and LSU were due to kick off.

“Well, USC’s the national champion,” James said. “There’s no question about that.

“When you talk about USC, you’re talking about a football team that [did] it week in and week out -- and they’ve got a great system. Pete Carroll and his staff outcoached Michigan today, hands down....

“If you don’t give USC the national championship and you’re a coach out there voting, you’re crazy.”

For ABC’s announcers, this was their Independence Bowl. Rather than toeing the company line, they broke away, they spoke their mind and called it the way they saw it. Again, it was a good day for the humans.

The company line was spelled out early, with an ABC graphic sizing up the Rose Bowl as a matchup of “No. 3 USC” and “No. 4 Michigan.” Not so in the Associated Press poll, which had USC ranked No. 1 at game time. The coaches poll also had USC No. 1 -- and the coaches poll is co-sponsored by ABC’s media partner, ESPN, and USA Today.

USC is ranked No. 3 only in the BCS computer standings. Jackson said the Trojans “were done in by the computers’ ... judgment of relative strength of schedule,” an indictment of the supposed quality of USC’s Pacific 10 rivals.

But Jackson noted the recent bowl-game performance of Pac-10 teams. Including USC’s Rose Bowl victory, the Pac-10 went 4-2 in bowl games, including impressive triumphs by Cal over Virginia Tech in the Insight Bowl and Washington State over Texas in the Holiday Bowl.

“So in hindsight,” Jackson added, “as we have seen the Pac-10 teams play in bowl games, I think USC might have gained [in the strength-of-schedule computer component]. But it was too late.”

USC also helped itself by rolling up a 21-0 third-quarter lead over the champion of the reputedly mighty Big Ten. Just before the Trojans’ fourth touchdown, Fouts said Michigan’s defense “right now has no clue where USC might hit them next.”

Two plays later, Leinart pitched the ball to running back Hershel Dennis, who pitched the ball to wide receiver Mike Williams on a reverse. Leinart kept running toward the left sideline. Williams lofted a perfect pass back to the quarterback. Touchdown, USC.

Fouts, insightful and opinionated throughout the game, decided he’d seen enough by the end of the third quarter.

“You know what?” he said. “Oklahoma and LSU are lucky. Not because they’re playing in the BCS title game.

“Because they don’t have to play USC.”