AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
For various reasons, the historically best program in the Pac-12 has never appeared in the conference title game.
That all changed on a sun-splashed afternoon at the Coliseum Saturday.
USC, the victim of a post-season ban and average teams over the last few years, finally punched its ticket to the conference championship game and a chance to play in its first Rose Bowl since 2009.
That it came as the result of a 40-21 win over cross-town rival UCLA made it all the more sweeter.
That it comes in the same season head coach Steve Sarkisian was put on leave of absence, then ultimately fired, for addiction problems makes it all the more surprising.