Presumably USC fans have gotten over Rose Bowl fatigue.
Remember? The Trojans walloped Illinois and Penn State in consecutive Rose Bowls. Their supporters trudged into Pasadena because they were supposed to. They really wanted to be wherever the BCS Championshp Game was, but they also wanted variety. Maybe a night at Preservation Hall. Maybe some Scottsdale golf.
Then Pete Carroll left and the NCAA dropped its napalm, and USC suddenly was housebound during bowl season. That was followed by a withering experience at the Sun Bowl, when Lane Kiffin & Co. were late for press conferences and the team basically didn’t show up at the game.