LOS ANGELES >> USC and Penn State are two of the hottest teams in the nation and the Rose Bowl is considered the most attractive matchup outside the College Football Playoff.
But if the game lives up to the hype, it will overcome a long history of underwhelming and often boring Penn State-USC games since 1923. Although the teams played nine times, only two contests were decided by less than double digits.
Exhibit A might be the 1982 Fiesta Bowl, where No. 8-ranked USC featured Heisman Trophy-winning tailback Marcus Allen vs. a No. 7-ranked Penn State team led by All-American tailback Curt Warner and quarterback Todd Blackledge.