2002 USC Trojans football team

2002 USC Trojans football
National champion
(Dunkel, Matthews, Sagarin)
Pac-10 co-champion
Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl, W 38–17 vs. Iowa
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 4
APNo. 4
Record11–2 (7–1 Pac-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorNorm Chow (2nd season)
Captains
Home stadiumLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum (c. 92,000, grass)
Seasons
← 2001
2003 →
2002 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 10 Washington State $+   7 1     10 3  
No. 4 USC  %+   7 1     11 2  
Arizona State   5 3     8 6  
UCLA   4 4     8 5  
Oregon State   4 4     8 5  
California   4 4     7 5  
Washington   4 4     7 6  
Oregon   3 5     7 6  
Arizona   1 7     4 8  
Stanford   1 7     2 9  
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2002 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. USC ended the regular season ranked #5 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. Trojans quarterback Carson Palmer won the 2002 Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in America. During the bowl games, USC had a convincing 38–17 win over #3 Iowa in the Orange Bowl. USC became #4 in the final AP Poll and Coaches' Poll. Other notable players for the USC Trojans in 2002 include WR#2 Kareem Kelly, RB#21 Malaefou Mackenzie, QB#10 Matt Cassel, RB#4 Sultan McCullough, RB#34 Hershel Dennis (FR) RB#25 Justin Fargas, RB#39 Sunny Byrd, RB#34 Chad Pierson, S#43 Troy Polamalu, WR#44 Gregg Guenther, TE#86 Dominique Byrd, WR#83 Keary Colbert, WR#1 Mike Williams, WR#7 Sandy Fletcher, WR#82 Donald Hale, TE#88 Doyal Butler, and WR#87 Grant Mattos.

The team was named national champion by the Dunkel System, Matthews Grid Ratings, and Sagarin Ratings, all NCAA-designated major selectors,[1]: 115  although none are claimed by the university.

  1. ^ 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.