O/NSO: The Rose Bowl is a CFP legitimate goal edition

The Obvious: Remember the good old days when Pete Carroll would “drag” yet another Pac-12 championship team to the Rose Bowl, and USC fans would complain it was like a consolation prize because the expectation was the national championship game? The Not So Obvious: Well, it’s not been since the first day in 2017 that the Trojans have graced the sacred grounds of college football’s most celebrated cathedral in Pasadena, California on New Year's Day. Hard to believe it has been that long ago when Clay Helton – remember him? – and quarterback Sam Darnold, or was it the other way around, led the way into the Granddaddy of Them All. And what a Rose Bowl it was with the magnificent Darnold frantically leading a Trojans’ fourth quarter comeback, and placekicker Matt Boermeester applying the lethal 46-yard field goal to crush the hearts of the Penn State Nittany Lions and Joe Paterno, 52-49, as time expired.