The Rose Bowl

This was a great game although it was mighty hard for me to figure out who to root for.

As Californian I can't root for Texas. As a Northern Californian I can't root for Southern California. As a loyal Brother I should root for the team with the black QB. But as a good football fan I hate these running backs disguised as QB's. But Vince Young can also throw the ball. Sheesh!

It weren't easy. So I took the easy way out and decided to root for whoever was behind at the time. If I didn't want either team to win, I'd just root for whoever happened to be behind at the time. Root for the underdog, no matter how momentary it might be.

I'm not a big fan of college football. I don't have anything against it. I just don't know who the heck these guys are. It's not like the NFL, where every water boysgets covered at least once a week on ESPN, Foxsports, CNN, NFL Network, local cable, wherever. There's a million college teams, who can keep track and still have a family?

But it's cold outside and the holidays are done, so the last few bowl games are a good way to pass the evening while Junior is still transfixed by his Christmas booty.

Some quick things came to mind while watching:

1. The Rose Bowl has traditionally been a test of power between the high flying Pacific Coast and cornfed Middle America. The BCS has messed with that, but this game still fit the general line.

2. The Texas cheerleaders had on some of the most ... interesting outfits I've seen on a college team. Usually these gals have the standard short skirt and sweathers, like most college teams. They rocked it up for the Rose Bowl, which pulled a staggering 22 percent share. The Texas tradition of pushing the line between cheerleader and can-can dancer was honored yet again.

3. USC should drop their experiment of lining up just seven guys on defense during the last couple of minutes. (What? They had a full complement? I didn't see 'em.)

4. Part of what makes college sports fun is the effect momentum can have on a game. College basketball teams can run off twelve unanswered points, leading to dramatic shifts in the game throughout the game. The Rose Bowl showed the same thing happening on a football field. Once Young had 'em on moving on the last drive, was there any doubt that Texas would score? The fourth and game scoring run didn't seem all that shocking given that USC was frozen in fear at the goal line.

5. USC is smart to have adopted the "Trojan" nickname. While the "Seminoles" and "Aztecs", among many others, get pounded on for adopting "demeaning" nicknames, USC takes the name of people who were slaughtered several thousand years ago.

6. Just like every black guy can't dance or slam dunk, not every black QB can run. But the stereotype still persists around the NFL. So It'll be interesting to see where Vince Young goes in the draft. Michael Vick is still seen as more running than thrower. The knock against "option" QB's is that their willingness and ability to run the ball keeps from sitting in the pocket and truly commanding the offense. However, Young is a good passer too. It'll be interesting to see if whatever team drafts him ties his feet together at training camp.

Btw, my favorite NFL player name has gotta be "Byron Leftwich", the Jaguars' QB. Tell someone to pick out "Byron Leftwich" in the team photo and how many would pick a colored guy?

7. How does 49ers' offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy, who oversaw one of the NFL's worst offenses in history, get rewarded with a head coaching job at Green Bay? Whoops, that's not really about the Rose Bowl. But its' so ridiculous that I just can't get it out of my mind.