Come and get it: attention, heavyweight hopefuls: the Trojans dare you climb between the ropes with marvelous Matt Leinart and the big bad champs and you'll find out the hard way there's nowhere to hide

Yeah, it's nit-picking to bring up these issues. But there has to be hope for everyone else, right?

Sure there is.

Come and get it.

RELATED ARTICLE: Threepeat after me?

USC is trying to accomplish what no other team has done in modern times: win three consecutive national titles. How the Trojans (36-3 over the past three seasons with a pair of crowns) stack up against the three dynasties since 1970:

ALABAMA (1975-79)

Record: 54-6

National titles: 1978-79

Top this: The Tide won 28 consecutive games--a streak that lasted into the 1980 season. A loss to Missouri in the season opener in 1975-in Birmingham-cost Alabama a chance at another national title.

MIAMI (1986-91)

Record: 67-5

National titles: 1987, 1989, 1991

Top this: Somehow, Miami's best team (maybe the best team in college football history) lost to Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl after the 1986 season. A win would have given the Hurricanes a fourth national title. At one point in the run, the Canes were 45-3, and two of the three losses (Penn State and Notre Dame) were by a combined five points. Miami went 11-1 in 1992, losing the national title to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl

NEBRASKA (1993-97)

Record: 60-3

National titles: 1994-95, 1997

Top this: The most dominant run in the modern era. One of the three losses was by two points to Florida State in the Orange Bowl after the 1993 season. In that game,a last-second 45-yard field-goal attempt was wide left and prevented the Huskers from winning a national title.--M.H.

RANKINGS 1-119

  1 USC
  2 Tennessee
  3 Ohio State
  4 Virginia Tech
  5 Texas
  6 LSU
  7 Miami
  8 Michigan
  9 Oklahoma
 10 Iowa
 11 Florida
 12 Florida State
 13 Georgia
 14 Texas A&M
 15 California
 16 Auburn
 17 Purdue
 18 Georgia Tech
 19 Louisville
 20 Boise State
 21 Bowling Green
 22 Iowa State
 23 Virginia
 24 Arizona State
 25 Utah
 26 Alabama
 27 UCLA
 28 Texas Tech
 29 Pittsburgh
 30 Fresno State
 31 N.C State
 32 Penn State
 33 UAB
 34 Minnesota
 35 West Virginia
 36 Missouri
 37 Notre Dame
 38 Wyoming
 39 Oregon
 40 Southern Miss
 41 Toledo
 42 Miami (Ohio)
 43 Colorado
 44 Maryland
 45 Wisconsin
 46 Memphis
 47 Northern Illinois
 48 Oklahoma State
 49 Michigan State
 50 Kansas State
 51 Boston College
 52 Arkansas
 53 TCU
 54 Clemson
 55 UTEP
 56 Oregon State
 57 Colorado State
 58 Nebraska
 59 Northwestern
 60 Mississippi
 61 North Texas
 62 Houston
 63 Washington State
 64 South Carolina
 65 Kansas
 66 Middle Tennessee
 67 Louisiana Tech
 68 Washington
 69 Akron
 70 Navy
 71 Wake Forest
 72 Illinois
 73 Syracuse
 74 New Mexico
 75 Hawaii
 76 Kent State
 77 Tulane
 78 BYU
 79 North Carolina
 80 Arizona
 81 Troy
 82 Connecticut
 83 South Florida
 84 Nevada
 85 Marshall
 86 Mississippi State
 87 Baylor
 88 Vanderbilt
 89 Kentucky
 90 Eastern Michigan
 91 East Carolina
 92 Army
 93 Rutgers
 94 Indiana
 95 Air Force
 96 Louisiana-Lafayette
 97 San Jose State
 98 Stanford
 99 Duke
100 Cincinnati
101 San Diego State
102 Rice
103 Central Michigan
104 Louisiana-Monroe
105 UNLV
106 New Mexico State
107 Temple
108 Tulsa
109 Ohio
110 Ball State

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