Unless you watch much of Pac 12 football, you may not know what to expect going into the Rose Bowl Game on January 2nd. USC football is strikingly similar to Penn State in some ways; they're both historical programs who have met in the Rose Bowl twice prior. Overall, the teams' history is slightly more balanced, with USC winning 5 of 9 games. In order to know what Penn State is up against, here are 5 things to know about the Trojans heading into the Rose Bowl:
1. They’re hot.
If Penn State is the hottest team in the nation, USC is the second hottest. After going 1-3 through their first four games of the season, the Trojans have won their last eight games, including an upset of the playoff-bound Washington Huskies. All of these wins have been decisive as well, with their closest game being a 21-17 win over Pac 12 South champion, Colorado.
2. Adoree' Jackson exists.
This year’s Jim Thorpe Award winner finished the regular season with 51 tackles and four interceptions. He is also a talented punt returner. Jackson showed off exactly what he can do in the Trojan’s season finale against Notre Dame, when he returned both a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown, and recorded a receiving touchdown. Jackson is the fourth player in the FBS to do that in a single game in 20 years.
3. The Rose Bowl is essentially a home game for them.
USC has more appearances in the Rose Bowl than any other team and is 2-0 against Penn State in Pasadena. Although the Rose Bowl is the home stadium of USC's rival, UCLA, it’s only a half hour drive from Southern Cal’s campus, making it very easy for students and fans to travel.
4. They’re not careful.
On average, USC commits 7.4 penalties per game, 110th in the FBS. Penn State, who happens to be 23rd in the FBS, only averages 4.8,. However, in the last three games, Penn State has averaged only 2.3 penalties while USC has brought their number down to 6.7. We may be hearing more whistles than usual on January 2nd.
5. They’re 7-point favorites.
Although they are the lower ranked team in this match, USC opened as favorites over the Big Ten Champions, the Penn State Nittany Lions. Just look at Ohio State and Wisconsin-- you can see how that worked out for those teams.
