It’s not often a fan from the SEC shows the University of Southern California some respect. It is even less often that the Florida media gives credence to the Trojan football machine. That is why it so poignant that Gatorbait.net, Rivals’ source for Florida football has posted an article christening the Trojans as the team of the decade.

Seriously, though, USC is the team of the decade. The Trojans are 93-22 to Florida’s 87-31 through the first nine years of the 21st century, a sizable difference. You can point out the weakness of the Pac-10 all you want, but it is much harder to explain away the slew of top-rated recruiting classes and constant supply of high NFL draft picks USC has produced to back up its record…

The Trojans have finished fourth or higher in the final Associated Press poll for seven consecutive seasons. The Gators have finished among the top 10 only four times in the decade…The Trojans have won six of their last seven bowl games and are 6-2 overall for the decade. The Gators have won three of four bowl games under Meyer but were 1-4 from 2000 to 2004. The Trojans won 34 in a row from 2003 to 2005, a streak that ended with a BCS title loss to Texas in one of the most exciting games ever played. The Gators’ longest winning streak is 11…

Now to throw some respect back, Florida has not been doing too bad itself with its 2006 & 2008 National Championships and holier-than-heisman Tim Tebow. But until USC and Florida meet on the field, I guess the debate will rage on.