CBS Sports crowns USC football as program of the decade in 1970s

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USC football has enjoyed considerable success in several decades. Howard Jones had the Trojans rolling in the 1930s. John McKay brought the Trojans back to the top tier of college football in the 1960s. Pete Carroll's dominance in the 2000s was impossible to ignore or forget. Yet, other programs had bigger runs of success in those decades, so if we are to identify programs which ruled a given decade, not all of USC's greatest decades were good enough to be number one in the sport. One decade, however, was greater than all the rest. CBS Sports identified USC as the program of the decade in the 1970s.

"John McKay's success in the 1960s would return at the start of the decade, with the Trojans claiming two more national championships in 1972 and 1974. But USC's bona fides were strengthened when he handed the reins to former assistant John Robinson, and the Trojans added a share of a third national championship in 1978. It's a shared title with Alabama, which is interesting not just because USC won a head-to-head game that season in Birmingham, but also because the Crimson Tide similarly have a strong claim to being the best program of the decade," CBS wrote.

"But while Alabama's run through the 1970s was an extension of Bear Bryant's rule over the sport, USC's decade reflected a successful transition of leadership without losing the program's standing against its peers. Between the final four years of McKay's tenure and the first four years of Robinson's tenure, there are six conference championships and five top-two finishes, along with the three national titles. Heisman Trophy winners continued to come out of Los Angeles (Charles White being the program's third winner in 1979), and USC's power as a television draw enabled its stars to become household names well beyond California. 

"Alabama's argument for inclusion here is extremely strong, boasting a better win-loss record and far greater consistency over the decade than the Trojans. Bear Bryant's Tide lost more than one game in a season just twice throughout the entire decade, and had more conference championships and top-10 finishes, tying USC for three national championships (including the 1978 title they share)."

That last detail magnifies USC's case for being the team of the 1970s in college football. Technically, USC and Alabama did share the 1978 national championship, but USC beat Alabama head-to-head in Birmingham that season. The Trojans deserved a full title and not a split one that season. USC definitely deserves the nod over the Tide if we're going to choose, as CBS did.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: CBS Sports crowns USC football as program of the decade in 1970s

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