I’m sure a lot of critics and pundits out there will be second-guessing the Rose Bowl committee’s decision to invite Illinois to play in Pasadena following USC’s 49-17 rout yesterday, but it’s good to see that at least some traditions survive in this crazy, mixed up world of ours. The Granddaddy of all Bowl games is about more than winning and losing, you see, the annual meeting of Big 10 and Pac-10 football teams is a key part of what makes America great.

The grand panorama of our national fabric is made all the richer each year waking on New Year’s Day to see the Big 10 representative, fresh off a grueling and bone crushing schedule of smashmouth football, get its behind stomped by the “weaker” Pac-10 team that uses guile and speed and cunning to best the competition. The Rose Bowl is a chance for a bunch of corn-fed football fans and boosters from the Midwest to take a holiday to the coast, to marvel at the warm weather, and then have their hopes of victory crushed once again.

The cycle of life, you see, can’t be stopped by BCS computers and some notion of competitive pairings. The Rose Bowl serves as both a reward for the hard working farmers in America’s breadbasket, as well as reminder that the Left Coast will always reign supreme over the Midwest. To stand in the way of that tradition would be unpatriotic.

How dejected they all must have been when the mighty Trojan army was felled this weekend 24-23 by Stanford — Stanford! — dashing any and all hopes of another national title run for SoCal. I bet the sun doesn’t tan as evenly today, the pool doesn’t seem as soothing, the McMansions must feel cold and empty. Well boo freakin’ hoo!

But if the current Trojan corps couldn’t get it done on Saturday night, maybe some alumni could get it done in the NFL on Sunday.

Former USC running back Reggie Bush has been having a tough time of it this season, with his Saints winless and he not being able to do a whole lot about it. Against Carolina he rushed for 67 yards on 21 touches and caught nine passes for 52 yards, but New Orleans still fell to the Panthers 16-13. Just a year after his rookie season and the whispers are already starting. Keary Colbert, though, had a decent outing for the big cats, catching four passes for 74 yards.

Cleveland might not be the place you’d expect a Trojan to end up, but Willie McGinest recorded two assists for the Browns as they played the Patriots. Too bad the Pats had Junior Seau on their side: He had a monster of a game with four tackles, two assists, two interceptions, and another pass defensed.

In Pittsburgh it was another Trojan defenseman, Troy Polamalu, tearing up the Seahawks with two tackles, one assist, and one pass defensed. Linebacker Lofa Tatupu got a sack for Seattle, but it was barely enough to slow the Steelers juggernaut.

In Jacksonville’s 17-7 win over Kansas City, that was Sammy Knight with eight tackles and one pass knocked down. Brian Kelly, meanwhile, had a couple tackles for Tampa Bay in their loss to Indianapolis. And LenDale White carried the ball for 32 yards in Tennessee’s inexplicable win over Atlanta; he also accounted for one of the five Titans turnovers.

Finally, a word about Matt Leinart. It looks like the season might be all but over for the former super stud on campus after his collarbone was broken on a sack against St. Louis. Before that happened, though, he completed seven of 13 passes for 100 yards with an interception. Having your collarbone broken would suck, admittedly, but it might be better than ourtright losing your job to Kurt Warner.

First Michigan gets overrun by Appalachian State, then five of the top 10 get upset last week, and now the Trojans fall to Stanford 24-23 at home. Is there something wrong with college football? At the very least there’s something wrong with the poll system, because it is just not accurately predicting winners and losers. Perhaps the NCAA needs to look into new rules designed to help ranked teams maintain supremacy and dominance on gameday, because we just can’t have these upsets happening each and every week. It’s all too upsetting.

And now we see that the press is pouncing all over this little tidbit: Matt is apparently dating Paris Hilton. Yes, she is an internationally renowned slut. Yes, she cashed in on the fact that she’s a slut and a dimwit with her own TV series on FOX. Yes, she has an Internet sex tape. Yes, she got paid by a hamburger joint to splash soapy water all over herself in a television ad. But this is love we’re talking about here, and you can’t criticize love. Unless you’re a terrorist. Hater Nation has the right idea, though, to look on the bright side: Paris is at least more attractive than Kurt Warner’s better half.