SAN FRANCISCO — Southern California will face Boston College in the Emerald Bowl.
The bowl announced Sunday that the
Trojans (8-4) will play the Eagles (8-4) on Dec. 26 at AT&T Park in
San Francisco. This marks the first time USC has played in the bowl.
The Trojans had played in a BCS game
the past seven years and had hopes to make it back there again this
season. But they dropped three of their last five games, including
Saturday's 21-17 loss to Arizona. USC fell out of the AP Top 25 for the
first time in eight years after the loss to Wildcats.
"We're disappointed with the way we
played the last half of this season, so the Emerald Bowl gives us a
chance to finish the year on a positive note," coach Pete Carroll said.
"We'll work hard to send our seniors out in the fashion they deserve.
And it'll give our younger players some extra practice time that will
pay off in the future.'
Boston College is making its 11th
straight bowl appearance. The Eagles are the first team to play in the
Emerald Bowl twice, beating Colorado State 35-21 in 2003. Boston
College is 8-1 in bowl games this decade.
"We could not be happier with this
matchup," bowl director Gary Cavalli said. "In USC, we have one of the
great brands in college football and a program that is almost always in
the national championship hunt. In Boston College, we have one of the
nation's premier academic institutions and an overachieving team that
overcame a lot of adversity this season."