Is the Rose Bowl good enough?

Once you get over just how disgusting it is for a headline like the one you see here (I almost threw up in the back of my mouth while typing it), it's actually a fair question.

USC, unless it stumbles into the BCS National Championship game or stumbles against any outmatched UCLA team next week, will be in Pasadena on Jan. 1 playing Penn State. It'll be the Trojans' fourth straight trip, and fifth in the last six years. The one year they missed was due to a bigger engagement -- a national title game in Miami. Had Oregon State beat Oregon on Saturday, the Trojans held out hope for another BCS game -- most likely the Fiesta, but possibly the Sugar or maybe even the Orange.

If you take the BCS National Champion Game out of the equation ...

Incidentally, the Trojans secured at least a three-way tie for the Pac-10 title tonight and that makes it seven consecutive years -- extending their existing conference record. Beating UCLA would also secure a seventh straight BCS bowl and seventh straight 11-win season, which would extend USC's NCAA records in both categories. There's also a chance for the Trojans to finish in the AP top four for, you guessed it, a seventh straight year.

-- Adam Rose

Comments

[Andrew]

Did you see how disgusted Rey looked when he said "we're going to the rose bowl for the...fourth time"? The Rose Bowl is far past its prime; it might be time for this grand-daddy to pass on. Get a better match up, please? The Big 10 is a joke and has been for the past 5 years, it will be such a waste of possibly the greatest defense of the Pete Carroll era to play Penn State instead of a team with a competent offense in the Fiesta or Sugar bowl. I'd even take the Holiday Bowl at this point just so we could play a Big 12 school. I'm sick and tired of the Rose Bowl: the Big 10/PAC 10 "rivalry" is dead and has been for a very long time. Change to keep up with the times, or prepare to suffer the consequences (look at the "game" last year between USC and Illinois).

[AVNevis]

This blog post is amazing. U$C fans complaining about the Rose Bowl being too boring for them. Spoiled children indeed.

[Rohan]

Regarding the students all cheering the Civil War game, I think it was less about the implications (which we have all considered over and over again rest assured) and just a prime instinct of seeing a team that beat us, lose.

We will be wasting a great, great, great defense against Penn State, but that's the way it is.

Also, this gets us thinking about media narratives also; The SEC doesn't look so great today as it did in the preseason (who have Alabama and Florida beat? LSU, Clemson and Georgia, all of which shouldn't be ranked at the end of the season), and the computers won't rank it that high, but over the weeks that media narrative has meant high rankings in the other two polls.

To add to that, if the Pac-10 had a championship game (which is what sustains the SEC claim to the title this year, because even if Florida and Alabama haven't played anyone, they play each other), and we got to play a reasonably ranked Oregon State or Oregon, we have exactly the same argument for a Title game as one-loss Florida does.

These smaller things bear thinking about, even if we can't reform the entire system.

[Dirk]

Yep, it would be good to get a better match up. Penn State already thrashed the best team in the Pac Ten 45-14 (Oregon State, who beat USC). Penn State versus a B12 team would be good. Let the Pac10 champ play the Mountain West champ - that is more their level - or perhaps not, given the way the Mountain West gas pounded the Pac 10 this year.

[Bill]

Andrew, did you even watch the Oregon-Oregon State game? That was the ugliest game, on both sides of the ball, in the history of college football. These are supposedly 2 of the better teams in the Pac-10. These 2 teams are the kind of crap that USC plays every year and beats up on. Am I supposed to be impressed with a USC team that goes undefeated through a pathetic Pac-10 schedule year after year? I have to hand it to you for embarrassing Ohio State this year, but they do have a freshman quarterback, so even that is not very impressive. Penn State will come to California and show you how very overrated you are. The Pac 10 is a joke.

[SanFranciscoJim]

You are right, USC should not be going to the Rose Bowl, they should be on probation for paying Reggie Bush to play football. Luckily, his deposition was postponed but not canceled, so justice will be served after all.

[Madden]

Andrew: PSU whipped Oregon State 45-13. Oregon State a couple weeks later beat USC 27-21. USC beat Ohio State, but so did Penn State and Penn State did it at the Buckeye's house, which is much harder to do than beating them on your own turf. Penn State will beat you down. My prediction? 45-10. The Pac-10 is weak, and beating up on a bunch of Pac-10 teams doesn't impress me much.

[gerrrg]

So close to another shut out. Well, there's always UCLA!

10 years from now, when the national media gets its head out of its you-know-what, it'll remember how incredible this defense was.

And if at that point in time there's a playoff system in place, the same media that has hob-nobbed itself over to the Big-12 / SEC will wonder if this team would have won it all with "The most incredible defense in the history", if a playoff system had been in place.

And of course you know the answer: hell yeah.

[pk-mesa]

I think we will get more of contest out of Penn State, because we both played better out of conference teams than sec and 12.

[pk-mesa]

Will the Ruins pass GO in next weeks game?

[gerrrg]

Just to pour gas on the fire...I suggest that if it did come down to USC versus Penn State, PSU will lose soundly.

Why?

1. 1/4 of all PSU's scores come from field goals (20 of 80), while only 1/8 of USC's scores come from field goals. The task of getting into the end zone only gets harder against the #1 defense in the country.

2. PSU's defense is vastly over-rated. Their three lower conference mates that are in the polls, rank 46th, 56th and 73rd on offense. Their defense is relatively untested against good offenses. Meanwhile, USC's next 4 lower conference mates are ranked 7th, 16th, 24th and 30th on offense (notice they're all ranked higher than those other 3 Big-10 teams). USC's defense is well-tested and has performed extremely well against very good offenses.

3. Speed. Everyone in the Big-10 talks about how much speed PSU has, but they've never seen the likes of USC's speed at all positions, not at just a few.

4. Coastal Carolina. I-AA (FBS) team. USC hasn't played a I-AA team since....1978. Penn State offered no jeopardy to their record by scheduling a middling I-AA team.

5. PSU's defense has nearly as many tackles as their opponents: 814 for PSU versus 833 for their opponents. USC's defense has just 689 tackles while USC's opponents have 742. PSU's defense is on the field a lot longer than USC's, and USC's defense is a ton more efficient.

6. USC's tackles for loss differential is 45 (USC's defense better than their opponents), while PSU's is 25.

7. True, USC lost to Oregon State who lost to PSU. But, remember that PSU lost to Iowa, who beat Purdue, who lost to Oregon, which lost to USC by a larger margin than Oregon State to PSU.

Can Penn State beat USC? Of course. Will Penn State beat USC? Not likely. But that's a discussion for next week Sunday.

[Gary]

To Adam Rose and his other myopic readers---are you kidding?? USC lost to Oregon State, barely beat Arizona and Cal---DUH!! With one month to prepare, USC will be lucky to score, maybe late in the game after it's decided. You havent seen a classy team yet until you see the Nittany Lions.

[Brian Boger]

Please, please remain as arrogant and cocky as you are now. You're about to find out that the PSU defense hits a lot harder than Washington State, Oregon State and the other Pac-10 patsies.

[Andrew]

Bill-
I did watch the Oregon/Oregon State game, and I will say that it was not the ugliest game in the history of college football. For that, you have to look to the 3-2 game between Auburn and Miss. St. earlier this year (or, of course, the 13-6 tOSU/Penn State game). Have you been watching the Big 10 for the past few years? And you want to call the PAC 10 a joke? And just so you know, PSU played tOSU when they had their freshman quarterback, we played them while they still had their senior on the field.

Madden-
PSU lost to Iowa, who lost to Northwestern, who lost to tOSU, who lost to USC. Therefore USC>PSU? The transitive property does not work in football; you have to prove yourself on the field, and the Big 10 has not done that against USC. Who was the last Big 10 team to beat USC, anyways? My prediction is that USC will hold another Big 10 team without a touchdown, with a final score of 24-3, USC winning the Rose Bowl. Again.

[pk-mesa]

AVNevis (Nestor the greek Goddest) & Francisco

Ucla has taken the luster off of Rose Bowl, that’s because you try and play there. Maybe you should win some other games instead of focusing on the USC game and you will get to play in your pen in Jan. some day. Yes Nestor I know I'm an _______ but what are you?

Oh and by the way Walker will probably be coaching at Miss St or Washington and will take Chow- chow with him. So you better hope you buy boardwalk and park place or it's going to be a long way to GO.

Your friend that you banned from Ruins Nation
So.cal.native

[JoeB]

There's nothing quite like a post-Turkey Day serving of home shill. Southern Cal, conquered by a pedestrian Oregon State squad, competes this Saturday to earn a slot against the co-champion of a conference similarly trapped in mediocrity this year. They deserve better than . . . what? You faithfully parrot the arrogance of Pete Carroll, who wanly mutters how "unfortunate" it is on those rare occasions he gambles and fails, or his team underperforms and actually receives its just deserts.

Adam-Pete, it is indeed "so unfortunate" that USC is getting exactly what it deserves. Whine on, SC!

[bob]

Penn State will be the best USC opponent this year. Nittany Lions have solid defensive and offensive squads. Careful Trojans, the Lions are capable of knocking you off. Careless pass by Sanchez, untimely fumble by McKnight, maybe a long punt return could turn the game. Can this year's Trojan team play a mistake-free, penalty-free game for 60 minutes?

[mrm416]

Forget the name "Rose Bowl". PSU vs. USC will be one of the best BCS match-ups between two very good top-ten, one-loss teams.

[tt]

Penn State is another Big-10 pushover. The Rose Bowl will be over by half-time and USC will win by dominating an overrated Big-10 team for the fifth time.

[Steve]

I hope all the USC players and coaches buy into all the "another slow Big Ten team" talk. Penn State is nothing like the last two second place Big 10 teams USC has been forced to face while Ohio State was in the title game.

Yes, USC has crushed the last two Big10 runners-up, including a 9-3 Illinois team that everyone knew had no business being on the same field as USC. If the USC players think a Joe Paterno coached PSU team will roll over, they will be in for a surprise.

Penn State dismantled Oregon State. Penn State beat Ohio State in Columbus, with both of their best players on the field. Ohio State in Columbus with Pryor and Wells on the field is certainly a different animal that the team that USC crushed in LA. Also, don't forget that Joe Paterno prepares his team for bowls better than any other coach in history (he has the best bowl record of all time at 23-10-1).

I understand that playing in the same bowl year after year gets old, but USC hasn't had a bowl matchup like Penn State since the Texas championship game.

[JIMPSU]

Look if the Rose Bowl isn't good enough and you want a change of scenery, turn down the offer. You guys are so scary good I bet the Holiday Bowl would be happy to have you.

[Eric Sornoso]

USC has to prove themselves against another Big Ten pushover. Michigan, Illinois.... and now Penn St.

It's like beating up your little brother, whom every year believes he can beat you up, but in the end gets blacked-eyed and bruised up by his stronger and faster older brother.

[shlink]

USC vs PSU met 8 times and both teams won 4 times.

PSU's defense is placed 3 spots behind USC while USC's offense is placed 3 spots behind PSU.

Both teams faced only 5 opponents with a positive W-L record.

Coastal Carolina for PSU? How about a 2-11 Washington State and a 0-12 Washington for USC?

Both teams had an unexpected loss and both teams have the same record and both teams did considerably well.

Congratz, we can all read stats off of a website. You can BS stats you read on the net all day long. No matter what your opinion is in football, you simply cannot say that a team will certainly beat another team. Because there is always going to be those unexpected losses. That's football. It's played on the field, not here on some whine-baby's blog. Deal with it.

I happen to think it should be an excellent game and am pulling for PSU, not just because I'm a fan, but because I hate crybabies. *cough*