Top 10 West Coast Teams Since 2000

Think the Top 10s have been too East coast biased lately? Let’s show the Left Coast a little love. Here are the top 10 West Coast teams since the turn of the century.

10. 2003 USC Trojans. Split the National Title after beating a game Michigan team in the Rose Bowl. A good start for QB Matt Leinart.

9.2001 Oregon Ducks. They should have been in the national title game, and after that year the formula was tweaked in a way that they would have been had it been used that year. It was the last time anyone thought Joey Harrington was an NFL-caliber talent but he played Heisman-quality football that year.

8. 2002 L.A. Angels of Anaheim. YES WE CAN! The nation became familiar with the Rally Monkey for the Angels’ solid play against the juiced-up Barry Bonds and his Giants. This lovable team headed by Mike Scioscia was top-to-bottom good and ended one of the longest title droughts in baseball.

7. 2010 L.A. Lakers. Best in the West, Phil’s last title, beat a great Suns team and stopped the Celtics for their 11^th title in L.A.

6. 2004 USC Trojans. L.A. has no NFL team but USC made sure it could see NFL-caliber talent. Leinart/Bush ’04 proved a winning ticket.

5. 2009 L.A. Lakers. 65 wins, Kobe was the star, Phil was Zen, and the Lakers won a title without Shaq for the first time since Showtime.

4. 2012 San Francisco Giants. These Giants weren’t dominant but got hot at the right time, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to oust the Reds in the playoffs on the way to their second title in SF.

3. 2001 Seattle Mariners. This team featured Ichiro and set an AL record with 116 wins, winning the AL West title and advancing to the ALCS where it fell to the New York Yankees.

2. 2010 San Francisco Giants. World Series title comes to San Fran for the first time since the move out West! No Bonds, but Lincecum was a star on this club.

1. 2000 L.A. Lakers. 67 wins, Shaq, Kobe and Phil, and Showtime was back in LA!

Next Top 10: Top 10 Big East basketball teams in conference history.