Cory McCartney, SI.com

Back in September, Pasadena was the last place USC thought it would be spending New Year’s Day — and it’s most certainly not where Illinois thought its season would come to a close. The Trojans, ranked No. 1 in the preseason, were supposed to be back in the BCS National Championship Game behind a wealth of talent. But this Hollywood script didn’t go as planned — and not because of the ongoing writer’s strike… continue