If there was a Sweet 16 in college football, USC wouldn't be in it

On a historical level, of course USC football is a top-16 program. More than that, USC is easily a top-10 program and very possibly top-five, probably top-eight. However, the overall historical record is different from the present moment.

Lincoln Riley has not created an elite program. With the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament being the main college sports story this week, we have to admit: If there was a Sweet 16 in college football, USC would not be part of it. Indiana On a historical level, Indiana is one of the worst programs ever, but right now, Indiana is very clearly the best program going in college football under Curt Cignetti.

Oregon USC is far better than Oregon historically but can't be viewed as superior to Oregon in the past five or 10 or 16 years. This is not a controversial take. Over the past 25 years, you could say that USC is better than Oregon because of the national championships, but certainly not since 2010.

Washington USC is -- again -- clearly way better than Washington on an all-time basis, but Washington has appeared in a playoff and in a national title game in separate seasons over the past 10 years. USC hasn't even made the playoff. Utah The Utes have very little going for them in terms of all-time college football achievements, but they have been markedly better than USC over the past decade and a half, similar to Oregon.