Rose Bowl matchup makes diehard fans happy
Dec. 11, 2007
The only College Football fans happy with the Rose Bowl matchup are diehard traditionalists, but since it?s the oldest and most prestigious of all the bowl games, that?s all that matters.
Organizers opted to stick with the historical Pac-10-Big Ten matchup for ?The Granddaddy of Them All," picking 13th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini to face the No. 6 USC Trojans in Pasadena on New Year's Day.
Bet the Rose Bowl Game at betED.com, which has USC favored by 13? and the total at 50?.
Illinois gained its berth after the Ohio State Buckeyes got upgraded to play the LSU Tigers in the BCS Championship Game on Jan. 7 in at the Louisiana SuperDome.
It is the first trip to Pasadena for the Illini (9-3) since 1983, and their first bowl game since the 2001 Sugar Bowl season. For the sixth-ranked Trojans (10-2), it?s their third straight trip, fourth in the past five seasons and 32nd overall.
The main reason Illinois, which finished strong with four straight wins, is headed to the Rose bowl is it was the only team in the nation to beat Ohio State this season.
The Rose Bowl appearance represents a dramatic turnaround for the Illini. After going 2-10 last season, they beat two top-five teams ? the No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers and then the Buckeyes on the road.
USC entered the season ranked No. 1 and aiming for the BCS Championship, but that goal was gone as soon as the then-No. 2 Trojans lost 24-23 to the 41-point underdog Stanford Cardinal on Oct. 6, and then lost three games later to the Oregon Ducks, which was a seven-point underdog.
Trojan QB lost quarterback John David Booty missed three games, including the Oregon loss, before returning to lead the Trojans to wins in their last four games.
The Trojans won their sixth-straight Pac-10 championship and the Rose Bowl berth with a 24-7 win over cross-town rival UCLA Bruins on Dec. 1.
In their last game, the Illini rushed for 341 yards in a 41-22 win over Northwestern.
Quarterback Juice Williams was 15-for-23 for 220 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while running for 136 yards and two scores.
USC and Illinois have met once in their history, on Sept. 7, 1996, when the Trojans bombed the Illini 55-3 on the road.
First played in 1902, the Rose Bowl has taken place annually since 1916.
The game takes place Tuesday, Jan. 1 at 4:30 pm ET.
Dec. 11, 2007
The only College Football fans happy with the Rose Bowl matchup are diehard traditionalists, but since it?s the oldest and most prestigious of all the bowl games, that?s all that matters.
Organizers opted to stick with the historical Pac-10-Big Ten matchup for ?The Granddaddy of Them All," picking 13th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini to face the No. 6 USC Trojans in Pasadena on New Year's Day.
Bet the Rose Bowl Game at betED.com, which has USC favored by 13? and the total at 50?.
Illinois gained its berth after the Ohio State Buckeyes got upgraded to play the LSU Tigers in the BCS Championship Game on Jan. 7 in at the Louisiana SuperDome.
It is the first trip to Pasadena for the Illini (9-3) since 1983, and their first bowl game since the 2001 Sugar Bowl season. For the sixth-ranked Trojans (10-2), it?s their third straight trip, fourth in the past five seasons and 32nd overall.
The main reason Illinois, which finished strong with four straight wins, is headed to the Rose bowl is it was the only team in the nation to beat Ohio State this season.
The Rose Bowl appearance represents a dramatic turnaround for the Illini. After going 2-10 last season, they beat two top-five teams ? the No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers and then the Buckeyes on the road.
USC entered the season ranked No. 1 and aiming for the BCS Championship, but that goal was gone as soon as the then-No. 2 Trojans lost 24-23 to the 41-point underdog Stanford Cardinal on Oct. 6, and then lost three games later to the Oregon Ducks, which was a seven-point underdog.
Trojan QB lost quarterback John David Booty missed three games, including the Oregon loss, before returning to lead the Trojans to wins in their last four games.
The Trojans won their sixth-straight Pac-10 championship and the Rose Bowl berth with a 24-7 win over cross-town rival UCLA Bruins on Dec. 1.
In their last game, the Illini rushed for 341 yards in a 41-22 win over Northwestern.
Quarterback Juice Williams was 15-for-23 for 220 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while running for 136 yards and two scores.
USC and Illinois have met once in their history, on Sept. 7, 1996, when the Trojans bombed the Illini 55-3 on the road.
First played in 1902, the Rose Bowl has taken place annually since 1916.
The game takes place Tuesday, Jan. 1 at 4:30 pm ET.
