The whining has reached a crescendo. The plaintive pleas have become loud and pronounced. The claims that a true injustice is being perpetrated are unending. It's a topic that just doesn't seem to want to go away.
But to be blunt, it's becoming tiresome and tedious. It's gone beyond the pale. In short, it's just plain ridiculous.
And of what do I speak? Namely, the ludicrous notion that somehow USC should be considered for the national championship. That just because the Trojans are playing some splendid football now, albeit against some rather suspect competition, that everything that went before should somehow be discounted.
That the utter flop against Stanford should be dismissed, a loss incidentally that could be considered the greatest upset in the annals of college football based upon the point spread. Or that their misstep versus Oregon should somehow be ignored and forgotten.
To many, it's as if those two setbacks, one of which was totally inexcusable, should be wiped from the books and that the men of Troy should be given a clean slate. A free pass if you will. It's like people are only suppose to admire SC's prowess and forget their warts.
But the last time I checked, a national championship isn't determined on a selective basis. That parts of a team's year are to be weighed and measured while others are conveniently disregarded. It simply doesn't work that way. The season in question must be considered in its' totality. A team's body of work, from start to finish, is what determines who's the most deserving to lay claim to college football's mythical crown. And on that basis alone, USC has about as much of a case as Charles Manson did.
It should be case closed but many honks in the media, perhaps blinded by SC's mystique and seemingly bleeding cardinal and gold, seem hell bent on selling the public that Troy is as deserving as anyone else including the likes of Ohio State, LSU, Missouri, Georgia and West Virginia.
Sorry, but I'm not buying. SC shot itself in the foot and the Trojans should be made to pay for that self-inflicted damage.
Above any other reason, falling to Stanford virtually eliminates SC from being in the conversation. It was a loss of epic and historic proportions. In some quarters, Troy was rated better than a 40-point favorite and to come up short in such a circumstance is beyond astounding. It's downright breathtaking. Why it's a wonder Traveler didn't keel over of a heart attack after witnessing such a debacle.
Now the SC apologists have attempted to excuse this stunning outcome by claiming that John David Booty was banged up and that injuries elsewhere undermined the Trojans. That amounts to a weak ass argument and the consummate cop out. If Booty was so impaired, then coach Pete Carroll should have turned elsewhere. Reserve QB Mark Sanchez, he of the glittering prep resume, isn't exactly chopped liver. Just ask Notre Dame.
The truth is that SC's second and third teamers should be able to whip Stanford's starters handily. Reputed to have more pure talent than anyone else in the country, if any team should be able to absorb and overcome injuries, it's SC.
Besides, virtually any squad could play the injury card as an excuse if it so chose. Football has always been a game of attrition and greatly influenced by how the substitutes of a given club respond when thrust into prominent roles. The truly great teams rise above injury and continue to excel.
Under any scenario, the Trojans should be able to whip Stanford in their sleep. It should amount to nothing more than a walkover. This is what is meant when people refer to something as being a mortal lock. The epitome of a sure thing.
The fact that SC succumbed to such an inherently inferior foe, particularly at home, is more than enough to take them out of the equation. There are losses and then there are monumental defeats that can't be spun or rationalized. Setbacks that damn a team forever. SC's collapse versus the Cardinal ranks as an all-time stunner. No other team in title contention suffered anywhere as near as embarrassing and unexpected a loss. The only gaffe that even approaches it was West Virginia's implosion against Pitt.
USC's subsequent stumble against Oregon merely reinforced the fact that Troy wasn't the juggernaut that most had predicted. Nor were they worthy of all the preseason hype that deemed them invincible and potentially one of the greatest teams ever.
When you take it in the shorts twice, you've got absolutely no room to talk. No excuse you offer will fly. In other words, any case you attempt to advance is basically without merit.
You had your chance to prove your mettle on the field and you were found wanting. So just learn to accept it and move on without all the bleating about how it was only injuries that derailed your dreams of glory. When it comes to the Trojans, given all the built-in advantages they possess, any rationalizations should fall on deaf ears. You didn't get it done and that's the bottom line.
What really grates the SC boosters is that a two-loss LSU team, through an incredible series of events, lucked into having the chance to play Ohio State in the BCS Championship game. If LSU can be considered, then why not us the Trojans bemoan?
Well, to begin with, the Tigers play in a much tougher conference and neither of their defeats, both of which came in overtime, was to a lightweight opponent. To be honest, I have a real issue with any two-loss club wearing the national crown but in a year when the upset became commonplace, LSU can put forth a stronger case than anyone else who got nicked twice.
But, if someone else other than LSU had snuck in the door and it was the Tigers who were bitching, I'd smack them down the same way I'm doing SC. There's simply a fundamental truth at play here. If you falter twice during the season, you lose all right to complain about not being in the national championship mix. You should forfeit any consideration, LSU not withstanding.
So SC nation, just pipe down and shut up. Take your Top 5 ranking and go quietly into the night. Learn to deal with reality and accept the fact you just weren't the best.
And next time, try to beat Stanford. Then maybe, I might be more inclined to listen to your incessant crying.