The regular season ended with three one-loss teams in BCS contention:Oklahoma,LSU and USC. USC ended the regular season ranked #1 and LSU #2 in both theAP Poll and theCoaches' Poll. USC lost one triple-overtime game atCalifornia, which finished 8–6; LSU had a 12-point home loss against a Florida team that went 8–5; Oklahoma, which had been ranked #1 for most of the season, fell to #3 after suffering a 35–7 defeat in the2003 Big 12 Championship Game toKansas State, which finished 11–4. Controversy erupted when the BCS computers selected Oklahoma–LSU as the BCS title game. During thebowl games, USC had a convincing 28–14 win over #4Michigan in theRose Bowl while LSU beat Oklahoma 21–14 in theSugar Bowl (designated theBCS title game). USC remained #1 in the final AP Poll with 48 of the 65 votes, and LSU was ranked, by contractual obligation, #1 in the final Coaches' Poll, though three coaches did not follow instructions and voted USC #1 in that poll as well.[1]
With the late arrival of highly toutedquarterbackJohn David Booty, who left high school a year early to attend USC, the Trojans' 2003 recruiting class was considered by some to be the best in the country.[2][3]
Its legacy included manyNFL Draft picks over several years, including four first-round picks.[4]
USC opened the season visitingAuburn University: the Tigers were also ranked in the top 10 and had been named a pre-season favorite to be the national champion by at least one major news organization. In his first start, quarterbackMatt Leinart led the Trojans on a dominating 23–0 performance.[7]
