Rose Bowl: USC 49, Illinois 17 (final)

[Best Buckeye]

So stop already, We win the BCS bowl WE GET the glass. and USC, ESPN , The talking heads and the AP can go jerk off in the corner or come to our house to see the glass.

 

[Lockup]

To the Illini:

Next time you're given a gift, act like you freaking appreciate it. Ingrates.

I really don't understand why OSU fans are all over ILL for their performance yesterday. We all know that ILL while having a great season really should not have gone to the Rose Bowl. To be honest we has OSU fans ought to be one of the last fan bases calling out a team that did not show up for a bowl game.

If the #6 (AP) team that beat the #13 team (Illinois) jumps over the winner of a #1 vs/ #2 game, the AP poll will lose all relevance.

That's just not going to happen. USC shouldn't even jump over #4 Georgia, who's killing Hawaii right now.

This is pretty much my feeling. As much as ESPN wants to try and force USC to the top this isn't the same as it was back when they got the AP title last time. In fact if I am not mistaken and I could be because I am too lazy to look it up this morning I believe USC was ranked #1 by the AP going into the bowls. If that was the case they really jumped nobody.

50 AP writers picked OSU as #1. I have my doubts that if OSU wins those same 50 will all of a sudden change their minds to USC.

I personally don't care anyway. If we win we get the crystal ball and in my mind that is the only real NC. If USC wants to accept another paper NC let them.

 

[akronbuck]

I wish OSU could play Stanford after we beat LSU

USC vs. Stanford + 45 points and Stanford WINS without the points

 

[milkman21]

Why is Pete Carrol constantly touted as possibly the top coach in the country? If his teams are this loaded... then they should never be 2-loss teams, and certainly not with the kind of losses they've posted in the last two seasons.

He's obviously a great recruiter, and he's a very good big game coach, but you can't tell me he's the best out there. More often than not, his teams underachieve.

 

[sandgk]

Ahern - on USC's chances for a Split Title

Ahern - on USC's chances for a Split Title - Sports - Yahoo

One writer has come down against the notion of a split title.
USC back in title hunt?

So the Trojans proceeded to pile up a 32-point win over the Illini, 9-4 and the second-best team from a sketchy Big Ten. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs whipped overmatched Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl, just as everyone expected they would.
Neither blowout victory could be considered much of a measuring stick.
One could argue that USC (11-2) looks better at this stage than Ohio State (11-1). The Buckeyes were beaten by this same Illini team just seven weeks ago in Columbus. It could be debated that the Trojans are superior to LSU (11-2), which bowed to a mediocre Arkansas team on Nov. 23.
With the BCS instead of a playoff, we'll never know.
A USC leap is highly unlikely. In addition to jumping Ohio State and LSU, the Trojans would have to hurdle Georgia and Oklahoma, another team that seems to be peaking and a favorite over West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl.
USC can only hope that Ohio State and LSU get bogged down and slog along on Bourbon Street, and the Buckeyes escape with an ugly, narrow victory.
That still won't be enough.
Why? USC would have two losses to Ohio State's one. Say what you will about the Buckeyes' creampuff scheduling (Youngstown State, Akron and Kent State) and the crummy Big Ten.
It doesn't offset the Trojans' Cardinal sin. National champions do not lose to 41-point underdogs such as Stanford. At home. Against a backup quarterback making his first start.
Even the raucous events at the Rose Bowl can't change that.

What will be interesting is to see the musings of those who actually vote on the AP Poll (aside from Wilner whose writings are not worthy as bird cage liner). How many will display too much fascination with new, bright and shiny things ignoring past frailties that are part of the season proper?

 

[ysubuck]

It's funny. The Illinois loss was a way for the media to show how overrated Ohio State was. This USC win is a way for the media to point out how great and powerful USC is.

It was funny, May was talking about USC and Holtz brought up the Stanford loss and May just shook his head. He actually said "Why are you even bringing that game up? They were banged up when they lost that game!"

Even the idea of objectively looking at the season is completely out the window.

 

[Lockup]

Why is Pete Carrol constantly touted as possibly the top coach in the country? If his teams are this loaded... then they should never be 2-loss teams, and certainly not with the kind of losses they've posted in the last two seasons.

He's obviously a great recruiter, and he's a very good big game coach, but you can't tell me he's the best out there. More often than not, his teams underachieve.

He has won 1 1/2 NC. Played in a BCS bowl six straight years (although I contribute that to a weak Pac-10). He was won like 4 Rose bowls now and has the highest winning % of any active coach, with JT close behind. I am not sure how you think his teams have underachieved.

 

[milkman21]

He has won 1 1/2 NC. Played in a BCS bowl six straight years (although I contribute that to a weak Pac-10). He was won like 4 Rose bowls now and has the highest winning % of any active coach, with JT close behind. I am not sure how you think his teams have underachieved.

I should have focused my comments on the last two seasons, because that's what I'm talking about. Look at losses to Oregon State, UCLA, and Stanford in the last two years--all of whom were unranked, and all of whom were dogs to USC.

Even a team this talented may slip up at times, but a team that is supposedly this well-coached and this talented should never lose all 3 of those games. That's all I'm trying to say.

 

[Lockup]

I should have focused my comments on the last two seasons, because that's what I'm talking about. Look at losses to Oregon State, UCLA, and Stanford in the last two years--all of whom were unranked, and all of whom were dogs to USC.

Even a team this talented may slip up at times, but a team that is supposedly this well-coached and this talented should never lose all 3 of those games. That's all I'm trying to say.

Oregon St is not a horrible team and they are certainly capable of coming up and biting a better team every now and then. While they should not have lost to UCLA that is a rivalry game and we know how those go.

Now Stanford, at home, I will agree with you on. I don't care if they had a lot of players hurt. They should be able to beat them with their entire 2nd string playing. Not to mention I believe Stanford was playing with its backup QB too.

All that being said Pete is still a pretty damn good coach. You really can't take anything away from him just because USC is a media darling.

 

[bkochmc]

To go along with sandgk's link, Fiutak at CFN gets it too:

Scout.com: 5 Thoughts - The New Year's Day Bowls

Be Careful What You Wish For, You're Still Not Going To Like It.
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]By Pete Fiutak [/SIZE][/FONT]
1. So you want a plus-one system, right? That would solve everything and all would be happy with college football fans skipping and jumping across the land. Uh, maybe.

While it appears obvious that USC is one of the strongest teams in America now that it's healthy on both sides of the ball, but Pete Carroll's club wouldn't likely have been close to getting in a final four in a plus-one format.

Ohio State finished as the BCS No. 1 and would face the No. 4 team in the BCS, Oklahoma. No. 2 LSU and No. 3 Virginia Tech would square off. Remember, USC finished seventh, Georgia finished fifth, and Missouri sixth. After what happened on New Year's Day, there'd be plenty of weeping and gnashing of teeth from Trojan, Bulldog and Tiger fans, but too bad.

USC lost to Stanford. Sorry, but USC lost to STANFORD. Georgia didn't win its conference title and didn't even represent the East. Missouri didn't win the Big 12 title. So while there would still be plenty of debate if the plus-one format were in place, and lots of fans clamoring for an eight or 16-team format, a plus-one this year really would've been fair, even if the best teams at the end of the year might not have been in it.

 

[buckeyesin07]

Illinois showed last night that the only way they can play with the upper-echelon of college football teams is when they execute absolutely perfectly on offense and defense, as they did against tOSU.

 

[muffler dragon]

I really don't understand why OSU fans are all over ILL for their performance yesterday.

Because they played with no passion. Juice looked like a two-year-old trying to make a tower out of Playdoh. They come to the 'Shoe with over 100,000 people and they're able to handle the pressure against the #1 team in the land, but they laid an egg yesterday. I expected better; hence, my being "all over" them.

I should note that I wasn't even so much EXPECTING a win, but instead, a competitive game. Illinois put up 445 yards on the SC defense, but they did little with that yardage due to mistakes, poor play-calling amongst other things. They should have presented better than they did.

We all know that ILL while having a great season really should not have gone to the Rose Bowl.

Why not? They were playing their best ball at the end of the year like so many other teams. Furthermore, after listening to the director of the Rose Bowl explain the decision, I find no fault in his reasoning.

To be honest we has OSU fans ought to be one of the last fan bases calling out a team that did not show up for a bowl game.

Why not (again)? We as fans called out our own team for laying a turd last year.

Personally, I don't understand your beef with me having a beef. I'm disgusted with the way the Illini played yesterday. I'm disgusted with the poor play calling by Bielema in the waning minutes of the Tenn/Wiscy game. I'm happy for the scUMmers in their win. I root for the Big 10 every bowl season. That's my prerogative.

 

[stowfan]

Going back a month ago both USC and UGA claimed they should be playing in the NC game based on how they were playing at season's end. These two should have been matched up in the Rose Bowl to avoid what is going on this morning. Already I can't wait for our game with USC next year.

 

[mooktarr]

WE are going to get an earfull of playoff talk for the next year jmo

 

[graveyard.roses]

I honestly thought Illinois would win. It's crazy to say this with the way the score was, but I wasn't really impressed by USC. Illinois moved the ball against them well, at times, but, like other big 10 teams this bowl season, was gashed by turnovers. They had some bad bounces going against them, also.