20. Best college football teams of all-time: 2004 USC
This Trojans team won the AP title for the second year in a row and claimed the program’s first undisputed national championship since 32 years earlier. Their taking the national championship marked the second time a team went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team.
All vacated wins aside, this team was the real deal. They rode the stellar play of Heisman-winning quarterback Matt Leinart and stellar running back Reggie Bush all the way to the Orange Bowl without skipping a beat, following up on their rally cry to “Leave no doubt” following their split title with LSU the year before.
In the Orange Bowl, they defeated a strong No. 2 Oklahoma led by Jason White and Adrian Peterson by the score of 55-19. Pete Carrol’s team saw a school-record six Trojans awarded All-American first-team honors after the season, including four defensive players.
Fueled by a dynamic offense that had an unstoppable duo in Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush backed up by a tough, huge offensive line, the team was also solid on defense thanks to players like defensive end Shaun Cody and linebacker Matt Grootegoed and more.