TRADITION!!!!!!!

Today is the Rose Bowl and this year the participants are USC and Illinois.....as if the BCS flame needed to be stoked at all. The Rose Bowl Selection Committee had to choose USC's opponent this year. Typically, for those just joining the college football world, the Rose Bowl is played between the PAC 10 and Big 10 conference champions. This year, due to Ohio State sneaking into the BCS title game, there was not an absolute contender for USC. The committee had the choice between a competitive match up between USC and Georgia, or the more traditional PAC 10/Big 10 match up between USC and Illinois.

USC and Georgia are clearly playing football that could be described as the best in the country. If there were a playoff system in place, USC and Georgia could easily end up in the championship. This would have been a phenomenal event to see these two teams fight it out on the field. Of course, I believe USC would have walked away the victor and proven once again that the best from the SEC is not better than the best of the PAC 10. USC wrecks the SEC every opportunity.

USC and Illinois should be a good game, but hardly the caliber of the other option. This is a game for the traditionalist and proves to be part of the problem that is the BCS. The Rose Bowl is the "Grand Daddy of them All" as far as post season college football is concerned. It was not naturally conceived that way. This took years to create and was done so by two conferences, the PAC 10 and the Big 10. The first Rose Bowl was played in 1902 and over the years has become the most watched and loved game in college football. The payout at the inception of the BCS was $14 million. The next highest paid bowl game was $7 million! When the BCS came about, this posed a great problem. Why should the PAC 10 and Big 10 (incidentally there are 11 teams in the Big 10...go figure...midwest math) give up the prize that they spent years building and share it with others? I can understand the dilemma, but it has only added to the problem....guaranteed conference bids in the BCS, not enough spots for non BCS conferences in the big games, no playoffs, etc.

As a USC fan, I side with the traditionalists. I would always rather see a Pac 10 and Big 11 match up, than to see other schools from other conferences who should not be there, such as Texas, Oklahoma, Miami and Nebraska. These are all great schools, but go get your own bowl game! The BCS stinks. Everyone agrees. It has made the regular season better, but has encouraged schools outside the PAC 10 to pad their schedules with powder puff teams. The BCS will never make everyone happy, yet has made it very clear there will never be a playoff system. I, for one, prefer the old way.....vote. Let the AP vote and the Coaches vote. If there is a contradiction, let the schools then decide if they want to share a championship year or duke it out on the field.

Tomorrow's game is by no means a cake walk for USC. Illinois' offense is potent. They have the triple threat in the running game, passing game and a running quarterback. They are good. Their defense will need to step up. They tend to play a "bend, don't break" style of defense and are willing to give up the small yardage plays. The small yardage plays are USC's bread and butter and USC will march the ball up the field all day if that is the case. The best thing about college football is that on any given day, the other team can beat you. We have witnessed this this year more than ever.

I am babbling now at 4:30 in the morning. I must sign off for now, but before I do, I wish you and yours a happy and peaceful 2008. I hope you make all your dreams and wishes come true this year. I know I will. Fight On!