The Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual pits No. 5 Iowa (12-1) against No. 6 Stanford (11-2). These were the first two teams left out of the College Football Playoff, and they've never faced each other before. Here are three reasons to watch -- other than the fact that this is the Granddaddy of Them All.
Iowa's drought is over: This is Stanford's third trip to the Rose Bowl in four years, but the Hawkeyes will play in Pasadena on the 25th anniversary of their last appearance, a 46-34 loss to Washington in 1991. So it has been a long time coming for Iowa, whose fans have escaped snow in the Midwest to see their team play in the California sunshine on New Year's Day.
Interesting side note: Stanford defensive line coach Randy Hart remembers Iowa's last appearance in this game very well. He was an assistant at Washington back then, so he was on the opposing sideline. Friday's game marks Hart's 10th Rose Bowl as either a player or a coach.
Stanford tries to build on the greatest stretch in program history: For the Cardinal, these are the good ol' days. They've won three Pac-12 championships in four seasons. They've been to elite-tier (BCS or New Year's Six) bowl games in five of the past six years. Their senior leader, Kevin Hogan, is about to become the first Pac-12 quarterback to start in three Rose Bowls.
Put simply, times have never been better on the Farm, and this game is a chance to build on that success. Stanford comes in as an offensive juggernaut, having averaged more than 40 points per game in conference play. Iowa has a top-20 defense that'll present a stiff challenge to prolific Swiss army knife Christian McCaffrey. This should be a hard-hitting matchup between two teams that have made a living off crisp execution this season.
Desmond King vs. Joshua Garnett: Yes, you read that correctly. This is a matchup to look out for, even though Iowa's King is a 200-pound Jim Thorpe Award winner and Stanford's Garnett is a 321-pound Outland Trophy winner. Because the Cardinal employ plentiful pull-blocking schemes and King prides himself on his ability to provide run support, there already has been banter regarding the two stars meeting in the open field.
When I asked King about that possibility, he confidently responded that he'd be able to knock down Garnett despite the 121-pound weight deficit.
"I like when guards pull and all that," King said. "It's a challenge for me ... I have a good, big heart, and I know what I can do."
Garnett didn't respond to King's bravado directly, but he has posted a series of tweets to let us know he's well aware of what's been said. Here's one:
— Joshua Garnett (@IamJoshG) December 30, 2015
So King, the best defensive back in the nation, has the attention of a man capable of eating seven slabs of prime rib in one sitting, who also happens to be the best offensive lineman in the nation. They'll be on the same famous Rose Bowl field together Friday.
Someone prepare the popcorn.