They were controversially awarded with the Rose Bowl bid over UCLA, despite the Bruins' #5 ranking, 9–1 record, and 14–7 victory over the Trojans.
USC was voted in to the Rose Bowl by the AAWU athletic directors before prior to the game with Notre Dame on November 26, a 51–0 shutout loss in Los Angeles.
In that year, it was assumed that if USC upset #1 Notre Dame in its final game, they would get the nod over Oregon State.
Another factor may have been an ankle injury sustained by Bruin junior quarterback Gary Beban, the Heisman Trophy winner in 1967.
As 1967 was an odd-numbered year, the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) representative (USC) was designated the home team and wore cardinal red jerseys while Purdue, the visiting team, wore white jerseys with gold pants and helmets.
With less than two minutes to play, USC scored a touchdown on a Troy Winslow pass to Rod Sherman for 19 yards.