The USC Trojans defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 38-24 in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2009. USC scored on 5 consecutive possessions in the 1st half to take a commanding 31-7 halftime. With the nation’s top-rated defense, that was more than enough for the Trojans, as USC Cruised to the 38-24 final. USC Quarterback Mark Sanchez threw for 413 yards and 4 touchdowns. USC is 9-0 in its last 9 games against Big Ten opponents. The Pac-10, deemed to be a “weak” conference in 2008 is 5-0 in 2008-9 NCAA bowl games. On the other hand, the Big Ten has had only 1 bowl winner from its conference – Iowa’s 31-10 drubbing of South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.