10 Most watchable Bowl Game matchups

3. Rose Bowl Game (Jan. 2): No. 9 USC vs. No. 5 Penn State

USC started the year 1-3 before finishing on an eight game win streak. During that win streak, they beat both Colorado and Washington. Those teams were in the Pac 12 championship game. As for Penn State, they own what might be the best win of the year with their victory over Ohio State. They haven’t lost since that game.

USC is one of the hottest teams in college football right now and are led by their freshmen QB Sam Darnold. Darnold played a very limited role in the team’s first three games. They switched to him in Week 4 and it has been his team since that point. All he has done is go 8-1 and lead the Trojans to the Rose Bowl. The last time that USC made the Rose Bowl was in 2008 where they actually played none other than Penn State. They won that game 38-24. This USC team is a lot of fun to watch and they want to finish the year with a big win.

Penn State shares a lot of things in common with USC. They both had a big mid-season turnaround that got them to where they are now. They also both have QBs that are performing very well as of late, along with some of the best running backs in college football. Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley have been great for Penn State this year and are huge reasons as to why the are the Big Ten champions and are in the Rose Bowl. If Penn State is to win, these two will have to play at their best.

This game features a ton of young talent that are soon to become household names. Both teams can score so a shootout may be in store. Prediction: USC 27, Penn State 24