To the consternation of football fans anticipating a Georgia-USC matchup–which would have pitted arguably the nation’s two hottest two-loss teams–the Rose Bowl has selected No. 13 Illinois to be the Trojans’ opponent in Pasadena on January 1st. In addition to Georgia, Rose Bowl officials passed on several higher-ranked teams, including Missouri, Kansas, and Hawaii. The mostly one-dimensional Illini (9-3) have no passing game to speak of, but they do boast one of the nation’s top rushing attacks. Of course, the Trojans have one of the country’s best run defenses, and Illinois’ defense doesn’t seem up to the task of stopping the Trojans. Expect USC to be heavy favorites in the game, although it should be noted that Illinois is the only school to defeat top-ranked Ohio State this season.

The Trojans finished the regular season ranked 6th in the AP and USA Today polls, 5th in the Harris poll, and 7th in the BCS standings. No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 LSU will meet for the national championship on January 7th.

LSU takes the second spot in BCS, will face Ohio St. (AP via ESPN)