Top-ranked USC plans to tune out controversial Sugar Bowl

PASADENA, Calif. -- Let the rest of the country tune in to the Sugar Bowl on Sunday night. The USC Trojans believe college football's championship has already been decided.

"I'm not going to watch it and I don't care," Southern California receiver Mike Williams said. "All we know is that we took care of business.

"We came in as the No. 1 team in the country and we won our bowl game, so we're still the No. 1 team in the country. That's all I need to know. BCS, Oklahoma, LSU, whatever, that has nothing to do with us. We're going to enjoy this win. That's all that matters."

USC staked its claim to The Associated Press national title with a convincing 28-14 victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl on Thursday.

While most poll voters surveyed agree that the Trojans should finish No. 1 in the AP poll -- the top team has never dropped after winning its bowl game -- USC can't win the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll.

The coaches have agreed to make the winner of the BCS title game their champion, meaning USC will drop behind the winner of Sunday's game between LSU and Oklahoma no matter what.

While many coaches don't like the arrangement, almost all have agreed to abide by it this year.

"A split national championship is better than not having one at all," Trojans receiver Keary Colbert said.

The Sugar Bowl winner will get its trophy on the field after Sunday's game. USC will have to wait a few more hours to get official word of the AP title and is poised to accept the trophy as early as Monday.

The Trojans will have plenty of company.

Assuming USC holds onto its AP ranking, this would be the 11th time since the coaches' poll began in 1950 that the two major polls disagreed about the champion.

USC was involved in two of the previous split titles. In 1974, Oklahoma won the AP poll but was ineligible for the UPI title because it was on probation.

The Trojans settled for only the coaches' championship in 1978 when Alabama won the AP poll.