2003 College Football Bowl Selection Special (ESPN College Gameday)

Rece Davis, Trev Alberts, and Mark May host the controversial 2003 BCS selection special. The 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with an abundance of controversy, resulting in a split national championship. This was the first split title since the inception of the BCS, something the BCS intended to eliminate.
At season's end, three major conference teams finished the regular season with one loss, with only two spots available in the BCS National Championship Game. Three non-BCS conference teams also finished with one loss, TCU, Boise State and Miami (OH), stirring the debate of the BCS being unfair to mid-major teams.
LSU defeated Oklahoma in the 2004 Sugar Bowl, securing the BCS National Championship, as the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll is contractually obligated to vote the winner of the BCS National Championship Game #1. Meanwhile, when AP #1 USC beat Michigan in the 2004 Rose Bowl, the AP voters kept USC in the top spot, and USC secured the AP title.
USC had lost in triple overtime at California on September 27, LSU lost at home to Florida on October 11, and Oklahoma, which had been #1 in every BCS rating,[1] AP and Coaches' Poll[2] of the season, lost to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game, 35-7 on December 6. Although USC, then 11-1, finished ranked #1 in both the AP and Coaches' Polls, with LSU (12-1) ranked #2 and Oklahoma (12-1) #3, Oklahoma surpassed both USC and LSU on several BCS computer factors. Oklahoma's schedule strength was ranked 11th to LSU's 29th and USC's 37th. Oklahoma's schedule rank was 0.44 to LSU's 1.16 and USC's 1.48. As such, despite the timing of Oklahoma's loss affecting the human voters, the computers kept Oklahoma at #1 in the BCS poll. LSU was ranked #2 by the BCS based on its #2 ranking in the AP Poll, Coaches Poll, 6 of 7 computer rankings (with the remaining one ranking them #1), and strength of schedule calculations. USC's #3 BCS ranking resulted from it being ranked #1 the AP and Coaches Poll, but #3 in 5 of 7 computer rankings (with the 2 remaining computer rankings at #1 and #4) and schedule strength, though separated by only 0.16 points.
Ted Waitt, CEO of Gateway Computers, offered the NCAA $31 million for a national championship game between USC and Louisiana State.
**Up until recently, I've been downloading my personal VHS collection. However, the collection is obviously limited. I started a Patreon page to better find and purchase old VHS videos on EBAY and other websites, as well as at garage sales and other locations that might have VHS available, so I can upload them for all to see and share for free. See it here: / tombombadil
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[@ejonesart8070]

They should have taken the money, I wanted to see LSU and USC. The only thing worst than Oklahoma getting in the Championship in 2003 after a blowout was when they got in the next year when it should have been Auburn. They got blew out for their troubles.

[@DontDrinkthatstuff]

OU always got nut hugged by the BCS.

[@notoriouseagle1074]

Travesty. Sugar Bowl should've been USC-LSU, Rose Bowl would've been Michigan vs Oklahoma, Fiesta and Orange stay the same.

[@alexkain8564]

Keep in mind that the team USC lost to…California…in 2003 was unranked and had six losses. Plus K-State beat that same California team by 2 touchdowns in the opening game of the season. So USC saying they should have been in the national championship game in 2003, when K-State was a better team and beat them in 2002 head to head…makes no sense

[@borla4491]

@@alexkain8564 👍. Everyone has a short term memory and/or selective memory.

[@CoreyT127]

This season was the beginning of the end for the BCS! USC got hosed and we got a split championship. The very thing the bcs was created to much sure never happened again after 91, 94, an 97!

[@kickoutpodcast8436]

Jill Conner I remember this it should’ve been LSU vs USC for the national championship Oklahoma got their behinds straight up kicked everyone knew USC was going to beat Michigan in the rose again in a playoff scenario it would’ve been get this USC vs Oklahoma in the sugar bowl LSU would play Miami in the orange bowl how about that

[@kickoutpodcast8436]

LSU vs Michigan my bad

[@calebjackson2490]

My how college football has changed

[@williamdiemert9866]

Bo Pelini first wins bowl game.

[@michaelmore2luv]

Thank you for this man! That year was something else lol

[@chrisuncleahmad]

If I were choosing the BCS bowls that year, here is what I would have done: Sugar: LSU-USC Rose: Kansas State-Michigan Orange: Miami-Oklahoma Fiesta: Ohio State-Florida State

[@raccoonman11111]

Rose bowl has to be big 10 vs pac 12

[@chrisuncleahmad]

Joey Brown if USC played LSU, who takes their place vs Michigan?

[@raccoonman11111]

C. K. It would have been 9-3 Washington State

[@raccoonman11111]

C. K. In your scenario, with a LSU/USC BCS, the bowls would have been as followed: Sugar: LSU-USC Rose: Michigan-Wash St Orange: FSU-Miami Fiesta: Oklahoma-Ohio State

[@thomascrowley9122]

​@@raccoonman11111 The year Before Oklahoma played in the Rose Bowl against Wazzu. So that could've happened.

[@thomascrowley9122]

The beginning of the end for the BCS

[@markjackson6431]

that was 2001 with Nebraska. scratch that….2000 with FSU making it over Miami

[@bransonr1478]

Does anyone have the show where the final BCS standings were first released? Would love to see that initial reaction.

[@willpitts5223]

Wait, wasn't this it?

[@pryingopenmythirdeye1830]

@@willpitts5223 no cause you see the bottom line showed the results before they shown it on the graphics

[@wildethang93]

Can someone please tell me the name of the song during the commercial at 16:53?

[@EF-fc4du]

When this season is over all the experts thought USC would beat LSU heads up. Now all these years later and all those championships won by Saban and people look back and imagine LSU could absolutely have found a way to shut them down.

[@Bonecrusher19]

Because they would have beat LSU in this game lmao. LSU defense wouldn’t have been able to slow down USCs offense

[@GTUF]

Do you have any Georgia Tech games?

[@nflisrigged1395]

Yawns ...... lol why Nobody program And that's fact . Never won shiiit

[@santiagoorozco28]

USC National Champions

[@Bonecrusher19]

@@Amocat1here’s how it makes sense. USC was #1 in both Coaches & AP Polls. Writers and Coaches thought USC was #1. That’s how it makes sense.

[@Bonecrusher19]

@@Amocat1 be thankful LSU didn’t have to play USC and suffer that L. Also, in that same poll, USC got 3 votes, why? Because coaches deep down knew USC was better but just had to vote because that’s what the rules were.

[@Bonecrusher19]

@@Amocat1 and LSU earned it being #2 and beating #3 Oklahoma in both Coaches and AP Poll? Btw, USC has 2 national championships, the NCAA removed the BCS one due to Bush but also was given his Heisman back so that omission tells you it wasn’t a situation that affected USCs play and based on todays rules, that national championship should be returned. Not sure what Ohio State being ranked #1 in 06 and 07 has to do with your point because Ohio State wasn’t screwed over by the BCS like USC was in 03. Never before or after has #1 not made the national championship game, and they were #1 in both polls.

[@malcothomas7902]

Take the L bozo. USC beat LSU yesterday and settled the score