The 95th Rose Bowl Presented by Citi will be played today in Pasadena, California between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Southern California Trojans. The big game is set to kick off at 4:30pm ET at the Rose Bowl and will be broadcast live on ABC. College bowl picks at SBGglobal.com have the Trojans of USC listed as a -9 favorite.
USC received their typical amount of pre-season hype as they finished 11-2 last year and returned 11 starters from that squad. They did not disappoint, going 11-1 and earning a Rose Bowl birth by virtue of their 8-1 conference record and first place finish in the PAC 10. The Trojans only slip up this season occurred in week three when they went on the road to Corvallis and lost 21-27 to a game Oregon State unit. Pete Carroll's squad is currently ranked fifth in the AP Top 25, USA Today Poll, and BCS standings.
USC featured their usual high powered offensive attack this season, producing 452.8 yards per game and an average of 37.5 points per contest. However, it was the Trojans defense that really got things done for them, holding the opposition to a paltry 206.1 yards per outing and a ridiculous 7.8 points per game.
Penn State expected to be a solid team this season, returning 18 starters and 38 lettermen from last year's 9-4 team. They were, and then some, as they pummeled their way to an 11-1 record and a first place finish in the Big 10 standings. The Lions only loss came in week 10 on the road in Iowa City against the Hawkeyes (23-24). They bounced back to win their final two games by an average of 29 points, and come into today's contest ranked eighth in the BCS standings.
The Nittany Lions had no trouble putting points on the scoreboard as illustrated by their 40.2 point per game average. They also featured an overpowering defense, limiting teams to just 12.4 points per game.
Rose Bowl Betting Trend: The Under is 8-2 in USC's last 10 games as a favorite.
SBGglobal.com's Penn State vs USC 2009 Rose Bowl Betting Odds:
Penn State Nittany Lions +9 (-110), Over 45 (-110), +280 (Money line)
USC Trojans -9 (-110), Under 45 (-110), -340 (Money line)
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