Bay Area Sports Blogging

In case you haven't heard, the New York Giants have won SuperBowl XLII. Entering the game, the Giants were a 12 point underdog against the almighty New England Patriots and their undefeated season. Both teams didn't play well during the first three quarters of the game, but reality set in and both teams picked it up in the 4th. The game winning drive from Eli Manning and the New York Giants was incredible. This is the stuff legends are made out of.

After enduring almost 2 hours of pre-game shows, something started popping up in my head: Rose Bowl. Specifically, Rose Bowl 2006 between the USC Trojans and the Texas Longhorns. There are a lot of similarities between that Rose Bowl and the recent SuperBowl, with the Patriots playing the role of USC and the Giants playing the role of Texas.

The 2006 Rose Bowl is arguably the best Rose Bowl game in a long, long time. Two powerhouse schools were meeting head-on in the biggest game of the year. The University of Southern California's Trojans football team entered the 2006 Rose Bowl on a 34 game winning streak. They were undefeated for about 2.5 years. The Texas Longhorns entered the game on a 19 game winning streak. They, too, were undefeated that year. This was the #1 ranked team versus the #2 ranked team for the BCS national title. Everything a championship game should be.

USC's list of star players included former Heisman winner Matt Leinart at quarterback, current Heisman winner Reggie Bush at half back, and LenDale White at half back. Texas' list of star players include Heisman runner-up Vince Young at quarterback and Michael Huff as a defensive back. All of the mentioned players are on NFL rosters.

It was a great game, with a drama filled 4th quarter. If you haven't seen the game, find it. USC was a heavy favorite to win the game, but a heroic fourth quarter performance by Vince Young won the game for the Longhorns. I'm sure many fans out there lost money on the game.

Unless all of the mentioned players are voted onto the Pro Bowl teams of their respective conference (NFC: Leinart, Bush. AFC: Young, White, Huff), the Monday Night Football game next week is the closest thing to a reunion for the Rose Bowl game. The Tennessee Titans visit the New Orleans Saints.