Our Rose Bowl Friday miniseries begins its final push with the initial years of the “traditional” agreement for the Granddaddy of Them All: the B1G versus the Pac-12 (or their ancestors, at least). The 1946 season also was the first one not really impacted by World War II in awhile, so it was a return to normalcy for many campuses and colleges around the country, which were no longer bleeding their superstars to the military.

The Western Conference champion was the Illinois Fighting Illini, a team that edged out the Michigan Wolverines by half a game in what would eventually be known as the B1G Conference. Illinois beat Michigan on the road by a 13-9 score, as well, so this was the best the league had to offer Pasadena. The Illini came into the Rose Bowl with a 7-2 record, a No. 5 ranking in the AP poll, and the No. 5 SRS ranking as well.

Meanwhile, the Pacific Coast Conference champions were the UCLA Bruins, a school that ran the table to finish undefeated on its way to the Rose Bowl—not yet its home field at this time. The Bruins’ closest wins were identical 13-6 victories over California and USC, respectively. Overall, UCLA was 10-0, ranked No. 4 in the AP poll, and owning the No. 17 SRS ranking due to a very weak SOS rating (60th out of 120 teams). Ouch.

Of course, contemporary awareness of SOS ratings wasn’t a thing, so the Bruins still were in contention for the MNC, really. This was an era when the polls determined the mythical champs, and the bowl games didn’t factor in to the pollsters’ voting choice(s). Imagine what a travesty this might have been! Either way, the game itself revealed plenty: Illinois rolled UCLA by a 45-14 score, demonstrating the future B1G’s power.

The Bruins actually led 7-6 after the first quarter, but it was all Illini after that. UCLA went scoreless in the second half as Illinois ran up the score: the biggest issue was the six turnovers, including four interceptions, by the Bruins. But the UCLA offense also earned a mere 12 first downs while punting eight times on the day, so the mismatch went beyond the turnovers that plagued the Bruins. This day was all about the Illini, really.

Six different Illinois players scored touchdowns, including two pick-six scores in the fourth quarter which really made the scoreboard light up. In addition, UCLA’s second TD came on a kickoff return, so the Bruins really scored just once on offense. Oddly, the Illini missed four extra points; there were no field goals; and neither team scored in the third quarter after Illinois had taken a 25-14 halftime lead. It was a quirky game.

What truly stands out today is the 320 rushing yards by the Illini: they ran all over the Bruins. End of story.

Editor’s Note: The “traditional agreement” lasted until the 1998 season when the Rose Bowl finally became a part of the corrupt Bowl Championship Series. The Granddaddy still would host some traditional matchups after that, of course, but the January 1, 1998, matchup between Michigan and Washington State was the last official one of the conference agreement that started in 1946.