No. 5 USC (9-3, 7-2 in the Pac-12) vs. No. 6 Penn State (11-2, 8-1 in the Big Ten), at the Rose Bowl on Monday. TV: ESPN, 2 p.m.
Most intriguing story line: Bowl games have taken some lumps. Over-indulgence watered down their prestige. The College Football Playoff rendered the others less meaningful. Draft-eligible players are less willing to risk injury. Some bowls aren’t what they used to be. And then there is the Rose Bowl. USC’s players, even the ones that figure to be high draft picks, said they wouldn’t consider skipping this game.