The Time an UNDEFEATED SEC Team Was Left Out of the National Title... (The 2004 BCS Controversy)

Back in 2004, Auburn finished undefeated and as the SEC champ but was left out of the BCS title game. Instead, Oklahoma and USC faced off in the title game and Auburn instead settled for the Sugar Bowl. #auburn #usc #oklahoma
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[@user-lb9lb1sg6f]

The worst omission in college football history and it’s not close at all. The SEC was the best conference at this time. It may have been a little early for people to realize it. That AU team would have beaten a USC team that struggled to beat a .500 UCLA team in the PAC conference championship. AU beat a lot of really good SEC teams that year. They were stacked

[@RobbieStacks90]

Auburn would have been double digit underdogs to USC. That was an all-time team. The worst omission by the BCS was when Oklahoma got destroyed by Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game, and USC was #1 in the AP Poll but not selected to play in the Sugar Bowl for the national championship.

[@MattBuild4]

Ehhh Id still say it was 2010 TCU. For one TCU went undefeated and back to back seasons and TCU outranked both Oregon and Auburn to start their season unlike 2004 Auburn. And for the comparison: 2004 Auburn: 13-0 SEC Champs - Ranked #1 per Darryl W. Perry and GBE College Football Ratings - Ranked #2 by AP/Coaches - Beat #7 Georgia 24-6 - Beat #8 Tenn (x2) 34-10 road and 38-28 - Beat #10 Virginia Tech 16-13 - Beat #16 LSU 10-9 - ranked #18 Offense, #1 defense, 20.7 MOV per game 2010 TCU 13-0 MWC Champs - Ranked #1 by CSR, Cosgrove, Billingsley - Ranked #2 by AP/Coaches - Beat #4 Wisconsin 21-19 - Beat #8 Utah 47-7 road - Beat #14 Oklahoma State 45-10 - Beat #21 Air Force 38-7 road - beat #24 Oregon State 30-21 - ranked #4 offense, #1 defense, 31.4 MOV per game Both teams beat 5 Top 25 teams. Auburn beat more Top 10 teams. TCU beat higher ranked teams. TCU beat ranked teams by a larger margin. Auburn has arguably a better resume, but the fact that TCU got jumped in the rankings (unlike Auburn) despite going undefeated and having better stats and better wins than some of the teams that jumped them is more eggregious imo. Think about the fact that when 2010 Auburn jumped TCU, they beat FCS Chatanooga, while TCU beat #8 Utah by 40. Thats is flat out insane. Oregon jumped TCU when TCU beat Oklahoma State by 35, while Oregon beat ASU by 21.

[@markjackson6431]

SEC wasn’t the best conference even in 2004. it was still very much the Big 12. SEC didn’t retake that spot until 2006. nice try though

[@MattBuild4]

@ckson6431 The SEC really didnt even take that spot in 2006. The rankings of that season are sus af...... How LSU is the #3 team in the country despite being 4th in the SEC and having uh ZERO Top 10 wins is sus af.... Why even is the 4th ranked team in the country playing the 11th ranked team in a bowl game, and wtf does that magically count more than #5 USC beating then #3 Michigan somehow? USC had 4 more higher ranked wins than LSU, the same record and USC had two common opponents which they beat by more points than LSU - but somehow none of this mattered for some reason? Not to mention the fact that the OOC schedule for the SEC was garbage. They basically invented the rankings to ensure a SEC team made it.

[@kylegross1081]

Are you clueless? You say USC struggled to beat a .500 UCLA team. You forgot to mention Auburn struggled to beat a .500 Alabama team….

[@SportZFan4L1fe]

USC was so Dominant in the Pete Carroll era that ESPN and NCAA did everything in their power to protect the SEC from them West Coast boys. 😂

[@rayrayschnapps8217]

This was period where OU was continually overrated. Once they lost big 12 championship to kstate 35-7 and still went to the championship game. oh right it was the year before this. thats right 2003 ou was supposed to be the greatest team in the history of football... it was just ridiculous.

[@williamjones9707]

that Oklahoma team shut out a top 5 11-1 texas team with vince young.

[@rayrayschnapps8217]

@@williamjones9707 that was the only "tough" game they played. they barely beat 4-9 alabama. Texas wasnt 11-1 they lost to arkansas and were ranked 11th. oh they were ranked 5th right before they lost to washington state. usc win over auburn was way more impressive AU played 6 ranked teams and usc was the only one that beat them in auburn.

[@SJL30]

Playoff would have been great that year.

[@gray3641]

Would've been at least 2 SEC teams in it

[@tinyfalcon1185]

USC floors them

[@mr.g1758]

2004 Auburn would have gotten slaughtered by USC. They barely beat a 6-4 Bama team and unimpressive win vs. Virginia Tech in Sugar Bowl. Remember too that USC beat Aub handily in 2002 and 2003.

[@SportZFan4L1fe]

This the same Auburn that barely beeat Virginia Tech 9-6 in the Bowl game tgat year? USC travelled to Virginia and beat VT more convincingly the same year.

[@floydcarlee2389]

Should have been Auburn and USC would have been a closer and interesting National Championship to watch rather than watching Oklahoma get blown out.

[@Cspires25]

Wat do last yr win got to do with current yr. Seems like alot of Auburn haters in the comment. The Auburn team USC beat in 2003 def was not the same Auburn team in 2004 and if USC would have entered the game if they played in 2004 with the mindset we beat them last 2 yrs they def would have got fucking smoked

[@DeAngeloStevens]

Ronald Regan the President of the United States of America passed away, I've Graduated from Huffman Middle School, and into Huffman High School in Birmingham, Alabama.

[@basicmovietime3851]

I don’t think Auburn would’ve beaten USC but I think Auburn would’ve put up a bigger fight than Oklahoma did. Wouldn’t have been a blow out for sure

[@basicmovietime3851]

That Auburn team was great

[@justinalley3399]

Auburn would of beat usc

[@eleventhrunner8778]

@@justinalley3399 I strongly disagree.

[@rickysealjones1621]

@@eleventhrunner8778 we had a top 3 defense our defense was elite that year

[@williamjones9707]

They would have smoked Auburn and you know it in your heart

[@gftempleton]

If #1 is disqualified, give it to #2 Very simple

[@RollTide1987]

USC still has the national championship from that year awarded to them by the Associated Press and the FWAA. Those are major selectors and thus USC's title still stands despite what a post hoc NCAA investigation claims.

[@spiderchaw5153]

Facts usc had an ineligible player all season

[@DCSk8er529]

@@spiderchaw5153 I hate USC, being an Irish fan, but Reggie Bush or no Reggie Bush, USC was killing teams because of their defense. You don't hand shit to a team that got demolished. Plus the USC got to keep the AP Poll part of it. And what happened to Reggie after words got recently reversed. Even so it was a bogus rule, you live in California, go to a school in California, let's see if you can survive without breaking a rule. I bet you wouldn't at that time. You know how expensive California is to live man?

[@spiderchaw5153]

This was the start of sec dominance the next season Florida lost a game and went a stomped a team for a title I’d bet money auburn would’ve beaten usc they weren’t ready for that physicality and Auburn had an extremely FAST defense

[@DCSk8er529]

@@spiderchaw5153 USC would've beaten y'all by 10. They smacked Oklahoma who had the reigning Heisman winner and a Heisman finalist at runningback who will be in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame 55-19. The SEC dominance didn't really start until Florida won it in 2006. Until then, anything went.

[@robinhoodhustsle1356]

Ronnie brown, Cadillac, I forgot the 3rd back they had

[@bjr0467]

The SEC wasn’t looked at back then lik it is today

[@matthewbosshard2174]

Can you do a video on Alabama commit Emmanuel Henderson? He is a 5-star RB and should be a very big part in their offence in the coming years.

[@kbescobar2088]

Your facts are wrong Oklahoma lost a game that year auburn would have beat usc everybody know it well everybody except usc fans lol

[@Airi_Iwin]

Yeah they lost one game which was the NCG to USC

[@bernie7044]

Yes sir, that Auburn team was ridiculous. That is still one of the best teams that I've ever seen. He failed to mention just how good their defense was.

[@Bonecrusher19]

You’re high af if you think Auburn would’ve beat USC. The year before with the same players, USC shunked Auburn 23-0 at Auburn.

[@RevAlSharptonz]

LSU beat Auburn in 2003 super easily as well. That 2003 Auburn team was far, far worse than the 2004 team. Also, Jason Campbell, the QB for Auburn, wasn’t even considered as a possible NFL QB until his senior season in 2004. He had massively improved his senior year.

[@vplexico]

If you actually watch the video of the 2003 Auburn-USC game, it was kind of fluky. Reggie Bush was held by Auburn to like 5 yards rushing. USC got all their points on AU turnovers in their own red zone. Auburn had a vastly improved offense in 2004 as well.

[@jaycollins9155]

Auburn would have been destroyed

[@Hopeful_Libertarian]

Had Tuberville scored instead of allowing the clock to run out with Auburn on the TN 6 in the SEC Champ game & almost 1 min left Auburn mightve been #2 instead of OK. We had been after the GA game. The 2004 Auburn Tigers were probably the SECs best team that decade & better than the Auburn team that won in 2010. Auburn won 2 small titles but Auburn should lobby for the overall 2004 title!

[@DeAngeloStevens]

NOT to Mention Ken Jennings' Record Breaking Run from June 2 through November 30, 2004 on J!

[@jrow3101]

Auburn lost to USC the previous 2 year in a home away series and it wasn't even close USC was unbeatable that year.

[@chuckwest7045]

That's a bad argument. I could site you hundreds of examples of a team beating another team two years in a row and then losing to them the third year. What happened in 2002 and 2003 has nothing to do with 2004. Furthermore, USC was hardly unbeatable in 2004. They had a few close calls.

[@jl2696]

It makes sense when you think of it from the perspective of the voters and marketing for the championship game.

[@pickledcottoncandy]

As a Bama fan, i say Auburn was robbed at a shot, and they pribably wouldve won. Give them the title.

[@jeremycagle3890]

War Eagle 🦅

[@bellzo5]

This the real reason. 1. They not a true blue blood like USC and OU so the 💰 is a factor 2. USC beat auburn one year ago on the road so what's the point in seeing that matchup again. 3. OU had 2 heisman finalist on that team it was the better team to face USC it's just they got hot and destroy them. Auburn would gotten that beating as well

[@ragnarlothbrok4281]

Auburn would have beaten usc by 30 points in 2004.

[@bellzo5]

@@ragnarlothbrok4281 no they wouldn't you must be an sec homer

[@ragnarlothbrok4281]

@@bellzo5 the pac twelve is second rate compared to sec. USC only played one ranked team in the regular season. They had no business being in the national title game.

[@bellzo5]

@@ragnarlothbrok4281 uh you forgot they just played Iowa in the rose bowl they a blue blood so yeah they have more what y'all kids like to call it clout then most teams in the SEC. Get over it

[@toddbradford4700]

Oklahoma was overrated as hell that year as they often were back then. They would breeze through their sham of a conference looking fine against mighty opponents like SMU and then get their ass beat when they finally played a decent team in a bowl game. Back around 2004 they were about 1-6 in bowl games for a stretch there, with the only win being by a 3 point margin over a then awful Oregon team.

[@tiddles360]

It's (Tub)erville lol... as in a bath tub...good video though. He's a US senator now

[@dawsondudark]

OU, Auburn, and USC were all so good that year. I don’t know that anyone would have stopped that USC team tho. Like Jesus, they destroyed an almost 2 time Heisman winner and a young and healthy AD along with a loaded veteran defense. Make no mistake, that OU team was a good team that just happened to play like absolute dog crap in the biggest game of the year. I wonder how Auburn would have done. They didn’t have a great Bowl game that year vs VT..

[@JK-gu3tl]

OU was the fraud. Their secondary was pathetic. Utah has better claim.

[@muddywaters2818]

Lot of people forget in 2003 USC destroyed Auburn 23-0 which made it a lot easier for people to want Oklahoma to play USC. Honestly Utah would’ve been a better matchup for USC. Utah had Alex Smith(#1 pick),Eric Weddle(NFL star and champion), Ryan Smith(who had 7 interceptions and was a shutdown CB for Florida in 2006), and at that time had a unique spread offense that teams didn’t know how to defend. In 2004 Utah destroyed Texas A&M by 30 and Oklahoma beat Texas A&M by one TD at the last second.

[@dg8994]

Only a moron compares two different teams and seasons in a college sport. AU boasted a top ten most difficult schedule. I believe USC was below the 30th best schedule. Let’s be honest AU got screwed. Period! And since USC cheated AU should have been given the vacant title. But.... the rest of the country hates the SEC because they dominate!!!

[@muddywaters2818]

@J Ygb yes but the 2003 matchup and domination helped the voters pick USC who was way more talented. Plus USC and Utah would’ve killed Auburn.

[@muddywaters2818]

@J Ygb well the BCS rankings, coaches poll, and AP polls didn’t really give a crap about Auburn. Plus the SEC wasn’t that great that year.

[@muddywaters2818]

@J Ygb no Oklahoma definitely would’ve been way more competitive than Auburn.

[@bellzo5]

He is right the Utah think is a stretch but auburn couldn't beat SC no body was going to that year

[@JuanMasaVB]

You almost lost me when you said Tooberville not gonna like lol

[@billygene9789]

Auburn was the best team and had the best schedule.

[@Becauseimme]

Auburn would have gotten ran out the stadium against USC, nobody was beating the Trojans that year. Everyone still knows who won that title. FIGHT ON✌️

[@pels_stacked]

There should’ve been a playoff decades earlier

[@nickphillips4559]

GOD BLess YOU ALL

[@tinhornproductions4769]

Please do a video on Georgia Southern!

[@EmbracetheGrind]

Reach out to me on social media

[@Plants28]

Usc wouldve clapped cheeks no matter who they played. This reminds me on 2012 though If OSU took the bowl ban in 2011 gator bowl they wouldve had an undefeated season playing against notre dame in the natty instead of Alabama going. But we all know bama was the goat.

[@muddywaters2818]

Question why doesn’t Auburn do what USC did in 2003 and also UCF in 2017, claim a fake national title? LSU beat Oklahoma in the BCS national championship game and USC beat Michigan in the rose bowl but USC claimed a fake title. It’s funny because I have friends who claim USC won back to back titles in 03 & 04 and I’m like they didn’t…

[@spartacus3250]

Bro they did, in 03 the AP poll by rule still helped decide the national title splitting it between LSU & USC. Whether vacated or not they still won the 2004 national championship

[@muddywaters2818]

@@spartacus3250 no they didn’t. The AP poll isn’t the BCS national championship. LSU played Oklahoma in the BCS national championship not the AP poll made up national championship. LSU won and USC cried about it and claimed a fake title for themselves.

[@spartacus3250]

@@muddywaters2818 The ncaa rules were changed look it up

[@muddywaters2818]

@@spartacus3250 what AP poll national championship? I didn’t see it televised.

[@sickofguysnamedtodd2293]

Because Auburn doesn’t claim fake or mythical national championships. Save that shit for Alabama.

[@jl2696]

Well USC beat Auburn both in 2002 and 2003 (like others have mentioned). If Auburn had won at least 1 of those games, it might have helped them get in the championship game.

[@SWBPro]

That's dumb to base a team on past seasons

[@kam9477]

@@SWBProfunny how the bcs saw auburn getting beat the last two seasons by usc as a reason to leave them out but when bama loses back to back years to lsu they give them a rematch the same they beat them

[@jl2696]

​@@SWBProI agree but the people making those decisions are also considering revenue from TV ratings. They probably thought OU wouldve drawn a bigger audience and put up a better fight. Its the same reason why FSU was left out of the playoff this year - nobody woulve wanted to tune in to see a potential blowout against Michigan.

[@JK-gu3tl]

USC barely beat Auburn first time around. Second time was self-explanatory.

[@joelsmith2266]

Wasn't auburn on probation?

[@luke2574]

That was 93’

[@sportsmanwilliam3441]

No!!!

[@markschneider3947]

Mental masturbation. Its history. Life is not always fair. Gee, who knew?

[@savagecabbage138]

there was one image that is engrained in my mind that pictured the German soldiers stationed in France reacting to the Holocaust in 1945, their facial expressions were unexplainable

[@markschneider3947]

That is quite an extrapolation! Football is a game. The holocaust was one of the greatest tragedies of human history. I don’t see the connection. That’s both macabre and bizarre!

[@savagecabbage138]

​@@markschneider3947 i think I layed out pretty well how they were connected

[@cvzphotography]

Utah would have won! 😁

[@bellzo5]

Cut it out