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USC aims for second straight Rose Bowl win

Jan 1, 2008 - 2:25 PM No. 13 Illinois (9-3) at No. 6 USC (10-2) 4:30 pm EST Rose Bowl January 1

PASADENA, California (Ticker) -- Southern California is no stranger to playing in the Rose Bowl, while Illinois is a relative outsider to "The Granddaddy of Them All."

In a matchup which seemed highly unlikely four months ago, the sixth-ranked Trojans square off with the 13th-ranked Fighting Illini on New Year's Day in the Rose Bowl.

Led by preseason Heisman Trophy candidate John David Booty, the Trojans were a consensus favorite to finish first or second in the BCS standings and earn a spot in the national championship game.

But USC suffered a stunning 24-23 loss to Stanford, a 41-point underdog, on October 6 - an upset which dropped the Trojans in the national rankings.

With Booty sidelined by a broken finger three weeks later, the Trojans were beaten by Oregon, essentially ending their national title hopes.

However, USC won its last four games, including a convincing win at then-No. 7 Arizona State on Thanksgiving, to clinch a share of the Pac-10 Conference title and secure its 32nd Rose Bowl appearance.

While USC likely is relatively disappointed with a Rose Bowl bid instead of a BCS title berth, Illinois must be thrilled with the opportunity after being widely predicted to finish in the middle of the Big Ten Conference.

Following a season-opening loss to Missouri, the Fighting Illini won six straight contests before dropping consecutive decisions to Iowa and Michigan.

Illinois rebounded with four straight wins to close the season, including a 28-21 upset of then-No. 1 Ohio State in Columbus on November 21.

Courtesy of Ohio State's berth in the national title game, Illinois received the Big Ten's traditional bid to the Rose Bowl. It marks the Fighting Illini's first Rose Bowl appearance since 1984, when they dropped a 45-9 decision to UCLA.

Illinois may have a tough time improving on that outing, as it will oppose USC's second-ranked defense - a unit which allows just 16.0 points and 258.8 yards per game.

The Fighting Illini figure to lean heavily on junior running back Rashard Mendenhall, the Big Ten offensive player of the year who rushed for school records of 1,526 yards and 18 TDs.

The Trojans feature a more balanced attack headlined by Booty, who passed for 2,106 yards, 20 TDs and nine interceptions in nine games this season.

Booty was brilliant in last year's Rose Bowl, throwing four TDs in USC's 32-18 victory over Michigan.

It was the Trojans' third Rose Bowl victory since 1996 and their 22nd in 31 appearances in this contest.

Conversely, the Fighting Illini are just 3-1 all-time in the Rose Bowl and have not even made a postseason appearance since the 2002 Sugar Bowl, when they were thrashed by Louisiana State, 47-34.