Prior to the game, commentators had postulated that the 2005 USC team was one of or even "the" "greatest team of all-time". ESPN analysts were virtually unanimous in their declaration of the 2005 USC Trojans as the best offense in the history of college football, despite the fact that they were in second place behind Texas in terms of points scored during the season. ESPN analysts Mark May and Kirk Herbstreit declared, before the 2005 Rose Bowl had even been played, that the 2005 USC Trojans were the second best college football team of the past 50 years. May placed them behind only the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers; Herbstreit behind only the 2001 Miami Hurricanes. This led to Texas fans at the Rose Bowl mockingly chanting "Best ... Team ... Ever" during the post-game celebration. Stewart Mandell of "Sports Illustrated" observed, "ESPN spent the better part of Christmas season comparing that Trojans squad to some of the most acclaimed teams of all time only to find out that they weren't even the best team that season."