The 2008 Golden Bowl - Setup

Once again, I had one easy selection and one in which I had to make the tiebreaker:

#5 LSU v. #11 USC
Once again, what home field gave to Georgia in the Capital One Bowl, it took away in the Rose Bowl. A ten-point win for USC gives the Men of Troy a game... has it really been five years in the making? Yes, it's exactly the same national championship game we thought we'd get at the start of the season, but how we got here is another matter entirely.

Simply put, this is a battle between the solid LSU offense, keyed by a strong running attack... and one of the toughest defenses in the country.

But LSU is no slouch of a defense. In total yards allowed, it's third and USC is second. If the old adage - "defense wins championships" - is true, this game will certainly prove it. And perhaps the only reason LSU trails USC is because LSU had to come out of the SEC... not to mention its high-powered offense... and the game, like the real national championship game, is in New Orleans...

Polls close 8 PM PST on Monday.