The Rose Bowl this year features a match-up between two also-rans in the race for the BCS Championship:
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Dec. 31 ? Even Chad Henne, the Michigan quarterback, called this year?s Rose Bowl ?almost like a consolation match.? And Henne is as enthusiastic as anyone about Monday?s game between the Wolverines and Southern California in Pasadena.
There is just no avoiding the feeling of a letdown because Ohio State, ranked first in the Bowl Championship Series standings, will play Florida, ranked second, in the B.C.S. national championship game on Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz.
The Wolverines of the Big Ten and Trojans of the Pacific-10 had each hoped to play for the B.C.S. championship but lost their regular-season finales to their biggest conference rivals ? ? the Wolverines to Ohio State, the Trojans to U.C.L.A.
This has turned the ?Granddaddy of Them All? into something of a stepchild despite the pairing of two glamorous teams from the two leagues that traditionally play here. U.S.C. Coach Pete Carroll acknowledged the perception Sunday when asked if the B.C.S. had done a disservice to the Rose Bowl and other major postseason games.
Heh. Oh well, them’s the breaks guys.
