USC Football’s Biggest Showdown With LSU Wasn’t On A Football Field — But At The White House

There is plenty at stake for both USC football and LSU on Sunday. Both teams find themselves in a pivotal year for their third-year coaches, with brand-new starting quarterbacks. It should prove to be one of the best college football tilts of the year. LSU even anticipates a fistfight .

But this isn’t a traditional rivalry in the traditional sense. This isn’t the Victory Bell game or the Magnolia Bowl. These two teams have played exactly two times in their long storied histories. And the last time they faced each other on the football field was nearly 40 years ago.

But even with the high-stakes matchup on Saturday, September 1st in Las Vegas , the hottest this war ever got wasn’t even during the football season and was miles from a football field.

USC Football/LSU Tigers Share 2003 National Championship Stage At White House

These two teams both won the National Championship in 2003. The short-lived, computer ranking system, Bowl Championship Series, crowned LSU and USC by the tried and true Associated Press voters.

Legendary coaches Pete Carroll and Nick Saban led their teams through equally charged paths to their Championships.

LSU beat No. 7 Georgia 17-10, No. 17 Auburn 31–7, No. 15 Ole Miss, 17–14, No. 5 Georgia, 34–13. They finished the year 12-1 ranked second in both the AP and BCS rankings. They beat top-ranked Oklahoma 21-13 in the Sugar Bowl to take the BCS title.

USC football opened the year by destroying No. 6 Auburn 23-0. Their dominance continued, beating opponents by a combined 295 yards, or 22.7 points per game. They beat No. 6 Washington State 43-16. They also finished the regular season 12-1, ranking first in the AP and third in the BCS. They went on to beat the fourth-ranked Michigan 28-14 in the Rose Bowl. USC scored 21 points before the Wolverines got on the board.

The resolution? Both teams were invited to the White House for their photo op with then-President George W. Bush. ON THE SAME DAY! AT THE SAME TIME! IN THE SAME ROOM!

The atmosphere was tense as the teams were being held in the same room in the East Room of the White House. President Bush attempted to inject some levity, suggesting the teams hash this out right then and there.

There’s been “a lot of talk about who’s number one,” Bush quipped . The South Lawn of the White House is “a pretty good size,”

According to contemporaneous reports, the day passed without incident. But luckily with the 12-team playoff, the days of contested National Championships are a vestige of yester year.

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