2006 Herbie Awards

Updated: December 9, 2005, 9:08 AM ET

With the 2005 regular season in the books, Kirk Herbstreit stopped by to hand out a few of his annual Herbie Awards.

Email Share

STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME Become an Insider Today

By Kirk Herbstreit
Special to ESPN.com
Archive

As we catch our breath from another great college football season (and watching USC's Reggie Bush run wild in the Trojans' last two games), it's time to hand out my annual Herbie Awards for the 2005 regular season. Pete Carroll's Trojan Horse kept rolling on to the tune of 34 straight wins while the 2005 season saw Joe Paterno show that he is far from finished in Happy Valley.

Team of Year: USC Trojans
It's hard to not go with USC. Outside of the obvious reasons (ranked No.1 and a 34-game win streak heading into the Rose Bowl), what I've really appreciated about this team is every week it had to take its opponent's best shot, and a few times those best shots put the Trojans against the wall and force them into some a couple of late come-from-behind wins, especially against Notre Dame and Fresno State. Even trailing Oregon and Arizona State at halftime and finding ways to come back and win really showed the heart and character of the Trojan football team. Not only was USC having to compete and take somebody's best shot, but the Trojans never seemed to panic when they were trailing. For them to get through that adversity and maintain this perfect run is pretty special.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider