We have reached the point on Rose Bowl Friday where we started so long ago with MNC Wednesday: the 1936 season. That was the first year the Associated Press started its college football poll, and we’ve come “full circle” to the point that when our current Olympic Wednesday miniseries ends, we will return to the MNC analysis for the years prior to 1936. In the meantime, though, we move forward here with this Rose.

Today’s Granddaddy of Them All feature takes on the matchup between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Washington Huskies. The former came into the game with a 7-1-1 record, a No. 2 SRS ranking, and Top 10 units on both sides of the ball. The latter arrived with the same 7-1-1 mark, the No. 8 SRS ranking, and … significantly lesser-ranked units. But the Huskies had played the slightly better schedule, so there’s that.

As far as the AP poll goes, too, the Panthers were ranked No. 3, and Washington was fifth. Thus, to the general public, it looked like a pretty good matchup. Continued increases in seating capacity at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena meant an all-time high attendance of just over 87,000 people in the stands. Again, by the January 1, 1950 game? There would be over 100,000 fans in attendance, so growth was on.

What about the game, you ask? Well … if you’ve read our 1936 MNC analysis linked above, then you know the result: Pittsburgh 21, Washington 0. After losing three prior Rose Bowls (1927, 1929, 1932), the Panthers finally delivered. They scored touchdowns in the first, third, and fourth quarters to thoroughly dominate the overmatched Huskies. The final score was a 71-yard interception return, sealing the game quite nicely.

Pittsburgh would never return to the Rose, thanks to college football’s dealmaking for bowl game matchups that would soon go into effect. Washington? Its next Rose Bowl came during World War II, and the Huskies would win their fair share of Granddaddies as the century unfolded. However, for this moment, the Panthers stood on top of the college football pyramid, having taken advantage of their moment so perfectly.