Ranking the top 50 college football programs of all time

When you think of USC football, do you picture Reggie Bush making defenders look foolish with incredible moves and long touchdown runs? Do you also picture Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer engineering Heisman-caliber seasons? You’re not alone.

History, talent and excitement have filled the past and present for this program. While the USC Trojans aren’t currently what they used to be, the program is on the rise and Clay Helton has turned it around from a disappointment at the start of 2016 to the hottest team in the country.

Although Bush has had his Heisman vacated for student-athlete violations under NCAA rule, he’s still considered one of seven Trojans to win the coveted trophy. Others include Palmer, Leinart, O.J. Simpson, Marcus Allen, Mike Garrett and Charles White. Some schools don’t even have one winner of the award, but USC has seven.

USC has had more players drafted and more first-round selections than any other college football program. This place has become a haven for kids who want to get to the next level. Winning 33 bowls, 17 national titles, 38 conference titles and producing 80 consensus All-Americans will do that.

The Trojans rank fifth all-time in bowl appearances with 50, and have won 33 of them, ranking second in college football history only to Alabama. That’s an impressive feat for a team that’s only ranked No. 6 on this list. That just goes to show how elite the top five teams are.