I was wondering why and how a shitty team like Illinois got into the Rose bowl while much better teams were subjected to lesser bowl games. Then I realized it has nothing to do with records, skills, talent, or anything of the kind and has everything to do with marketing.
IF USC had not been selected for the Rose bowl - shitty Illinois would not have either. Why do I say this? Because the BSC is, no way in hell, going to put USC up against a team that actually has a chance against them in a major, nationally watched, BCS game.
Basically, in the name of marketing and in the spirt of money making - USC gets their opponent cherry picked - ensuring the team they play is a team they can beat without a lot of effort.
A real team - like say Florida, Oklahoma, etc - you know - teams that would pound USC into the mud had no chance from the start.
That's the only explination. That's the only thing that makes sense... how a shitty team like Illinois (who couldn't beat a AA team on their best day) gets to go the ROSE bowl of all games.