It’s always interesting to hear what media on the East Coast think about West Coast teams, but I was completely taken aback by New York Daily News sports columnist Mike Lupica’s implicit criticism of USC’s Pete Carroll during Sunday’s weekly edition of “The Sports Reporters” on ESPN.

Would you believe Lupica thinks the Trojans actually have “underachieved” under Carroll? That was his word.
After Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe supported Carroll’s decision to start freshman Matt Barkley (”We’re talking about a guy who has given us great quarterback after great quarterback after great quarterback. I think he knows something about quarterbacks.”), Lupica changed the subject and launched into this off-the-wall diatribe.
“Every year, every year, I think SC is going to win (it all),” Lupica said, his voice rising and his hands waving to accentuate his point. “As good as Florida looks — and, by the way, I think Urban Meyer is the best football coach in the world — Carroll is in his ninth year there. His record is 89-15, and I swear they have underachieved.
“I really believe SC should have won more national championships than it’s won on Pete Carroll’s watch.”
There was no follow-up discussion, as ESPN moderator John Saunders quickly switched topics. So I guess Lupica isn’t impressed by Carroll’s .856 winning percentage (tops among active Division I coaches), USC’s seven consecutive top-four Associated Press finishes, seven consecutive Pac-10 titles, seven consecutive BCS bowls and two national titles in that span.
Maybe Lupica believes the Trojans should have tackled Texas quarterback Vince Young on 4th-and-5 in the closing seconds of the 2006 Rose Bowl, which would have given USC its third consecutive national title.
But now it’s easy to understand why so many people on the Left Coast wonder if there is an “East Coast bias.”