Despite all the talk about the controversial BCS system, it did its job in 2005: setting up a national championship game between the two best teams in the country.
After more than three months of play, the two teams that entered the season ranked at the top, USC and Texas, are still there. Both teams rolled over their weekend opponents to set up a Rose Bowl date on Jan. 4 for the national championship.
No. 1 USC faced a tough challenge this week, playing rival UCLA. The Bruins entered the game with a 9-1 record, a No. 11 ranking, and a chip on their shoulder after losing a heartbreaker to the Trojans last season, 29-24. There was nothing close about this game. Instead of exacting some revenge, the Bruins left the field with their heads hanging.
USC junior Reggie Bush ran all over the UCLA defense as the Trojans sprinted to a 66-19 victory. Bush ran for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns as USC notched its 34th consecutive victory. Bush's backfield mate LenDale White kept pace, running for 154 yards and two touchdowns of his own.
Bush wasted no time punishing the Bruins, taking the second snap of the game and bolting for 28 yards. USC capped off the 70-yard drive with a field goal. The possession proved to be one of UCLA's most successful, as USC charged for nine touchdowns on the day.
Bush is putting an absurdly emphatic exclamation point on a season that will likely end with a Heisman Trophy. Two weeks ago against Fresno State Bush ran for 294 yards and a pair of scores, adding 68 yards receiving for good measure. Bush wrapped up the regular season with 1,658 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns with an 8.9 yards per carry average.
While Bush likely put the trophy in his pocket with his performance on Saturday afternoon, another Heisman contender, Texas' Vince Young, also added to his resume in a 70-3 massacre of Colorado in the Big 12 Title Game.
The team came out fired up and secured a trip to the Rose Bowl with its first perfect season since 1983. Young led the way for the Longhorns, completing 14 of 17 passes and throwing for three touchdowns. He also ran for 57 yards and a touchdown. Sporting a 42-3 halftime lead, coach Mack Brown pulled Young early in the third quarter, saving his star for the Rose Bowl.
Yet the damage was done. The Longhorns jumped on the Buffalos for two first-quarter touchdowns, then added four more in the second quarter.
Even without Young, the Horns kept up the rout, adding another four touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a blocked punt returned to the endzone. With 7:36 left in the fourth quarter, the Longhorns had a 70-3 lead. Mercifully for the Buffalos, that's where the scoring stopped as the Horns patiently counted down the seconds until the Rose Bowl.
The win gave the Longhorns their first Big 12 Championship since 1996. If things go right on Jan. 4, they could earn their first national championship since 1969, when they beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl.
Notre Dame earned a spot in a BCS Bowl this weekend. The Irish will take on fellow wild card Ohio State in a Fiesta Bowl matchup between two traditional powerhouses.
Another intriguing game will take place when Florida State and Penn State meet in the Orange Bowl. The Seminoles and the Nittany Lions are coached by the two most-winning coaches in college football history, Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno, both of whom are looking to add some hardware to their collections.
The final BCS matchup will be the Sugar Bowl, featuring West Virginia and Georgia. The Bulldogs defeated LSU this weekend to win the SEC Championship and secure the BCS bid.
