I dont think so either. It's easy to squeak out the close wins when there's nothing on the line and no consequences. We'll see how great they are next year when there's outlandish expectations to live up to. I believe they'll get nipped a couple times as well.
The reason I say that is pretty much what you just described. When you have no bowl game to play for, there is very little pressure on your football team. But when you're trying to win a conference championship and get to a BCS bowl or the National Championship game, there is all kinds of pressure.
USC is a perfect example of that. Undefeated last season on probation, preseason #1, and six losses this season. There were more factors that contributed to that outcome than just the added pressure, but I think it was the biggest part of it by far.
I think U$C had 2 losses last year but it is a very good point about pressure