8. USC – You can say one thing about the Trojans—they sure know how to finish strong. In basketball, Tim Floyd’s team knew its only chance of making the Big Dance was to win the Pac-10 tournament, which is exactly what it did for the first time in school history. In the fall, Pete Carroll’s kids rallied from an awful loss to Oregon State in September to win another conference championship and their final 10 games, including the Rose Bowl. USC finished No. 3 in the AP poll and No. 2 in the Coaches Poll behind the nation’s best defense.