After starting the season 1-3, USC reeled off eight straight wins — not enough to catch Colorado to win the Pac-12 South Division. But enough to overtake the Buffaloes in the final College Football Playoff rankings.
When Washington was selected for the College Football Playoff, USC became the next-highest-ranked Pac-12 team, earning the Trojans a ticket to Pasadena.
The No. 9-ranked Trojans will play Big Ten champion and fifth-ranked Penn State on Jan. 2.
The return to the Rose Bowl culminates a stunning turnaround for USC, which lost 52-6 to Alabama in the season opener, then dropped games on the road to Stanford and Utah.