They need bigger New Year's party

Fight yawn.

The USC slogan may have to be temporarily changed after a chilled Saturday night that featured busted noses, farewell poses and, sigh, Roses.

Playing for the last time this season on a Coliseum field that has become their fortress, the Trojans scored a 38-3 victory over a Notre Dame team that appeared to have neither coach nor clue.

But on another field up north, USC's chances of a truly big finish were going south.

With Oregon State's championship-costing loss to Oregon, the Trojans are but a slam-dunk victory over UCLA next week from returning to the Rose Bowl for the fourth consecutive season, a development that can elicit only one bit of intelligent analysis.

Whoop-de-darn-do.

As written here before, Pasadena is a nice place to visit, but the Trojans don't want to live there.

They don't need it for reputation. They don't need it for recruiting.

They needed a Fiesta against a high-scoring Big 12 team, some Sugar against a traditional SEC power, anything that could enhance their national presence and propel them into next season's polls.

They don't need another Rose bouquet against another Big Ten vase.

At this point, I should apologize to those e-mailers from Penn State, who were outraged when I included the Nittany Lions in a list of slow teams from the Midwest.

I was wrong. They're not really from the Midwest.

The point is, USC won an emotional game Saturday night, only to discover that this might be as emotional as it gets, and that's too bad.

"It would be nice," defensive tackle Fili Moala said of a berth in another bowl. "But what can we do?"

They could have beaten Oregon State back in September, that's what.

And that black eye became a complete disfigurement Saturday when the Beavers gave up 694 yards and 65 points in their biggest home game in decades.

How did they lose to Oregon State? Nobody has yet to figure it out, the only certainty being, it could be a chapter in a book titled, "Cardinal and Beavers and Bruins, Oh My."

"I know nobody wants to play in the Rose Bowl, but to me, it's home, our families can come, our friends can share, I want to play there," protested linebacker Rey Maualuga, one of several departing senior defenders who wore his Saturday emotions on his tackles.

Well, certainly, as long as they don't confuse Penn State with Illinois or Michigan -- the Nittany Lions are a little better than both -- the Trojans will do just fine in Pasadena.