The stage is set. The only match-up the country clamored to see is now a reality. The Texas Longhorns and USC Trojans will do battle on January 4th in the Rose Bowl to determine which program is the best the country had to offer for the 2005-06 season.

You couldn’t help but be impressed with the way both these programs performed in their final test of the season.

Texas wasted no time in stepping on the Colorado Buffaloes throats’ as they bolted out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and increased it to a more than comfortable 42-3 count at the half. QB Vince Young bounced back from his horrific performance vs. Texas A&M, and the Longhorn ground game simply dominated racking up 268 total yards from scrimmage. There was no stopping these guys in returning to Pasadena, and they now get a shot at prohibiting HC Pete Carroll and the Trojans from pulling off the three-peat.

Speaking of the Trojans, holy wow! I could not believe what I was seeing as their game vs. UCLA progressed on Saturday afternoon. There was so much hype heading into this game out West that it should have been a foregone conclusion the game would end up a stinker. More times than naught when something in the media, news, or sports is publicized to death the topic usually fizzles out and becomes a huge letdown. That was exactly the case in this circumstance. I thought UCLA plus the points was a stone cold solid lock. Good thing I released the ‘Over’ to all my clients instead, and we still had to wait till the final minutes to cash that ticket. USC simply dominated. The Bruins explosive offense looked like a peewee outfit going up against the Bears of ’85. And I’m still a firm believer that the Trojans “D” is still a year away from becoming dominant once again.

QB Matt Leinart had himself a fantastic day, but it was all everything Reggie Bush who once again stole the show. This kid is simply the most electrifying collegiate athlete I’ve seen since Michael Vick dawned the Hokies jersey only a short five years ago. He rushed for over 200 yards in the first half of the game, and sat out a majority of the second to give way to RB’s White and Kirtman in mop up duty. This performance no doubt clinched his ownership of the Heisman in my mind, and it would be very disappointing if anyone other than he was standing on the podium giving his acceptance speech in a few weeks.

This is by far one of the most anticipated BCS Championship games since the system was unveiled. There will be tons of talent roaming both sidelines, and one can only hope this year’s game in Pasadena will be as entertaining as it was a year ago when Texas knocked off Michigan in a high scoring thriller. That being said, we’ve already seen what USC can do to the hype monster. Was the Trojans regular season a bunch of exhibition games leading up to the ONLY game that interested them? Will HC Mack Brown go a season without choking one away? Will history repeat itself, or will one of the best dynasties in all of college football pick up the hardware for the third season in a row? I don’t have the answer to any of those questions as of right now, but be sure to get my take on this pone before you lay any of your hard earned money down. I’m known for picking the big upsets in recent National Championship games (Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ohio State). Tune in on Wednesday the fourth to see what transpires!

Mike Rose is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Mike_Rose.htm

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