The 1940 Rose Bowl was the 26th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Monday, January 1. In a matchup of undefeated teams, the third-ranked USC Trojans of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) shut out the #2 Tennessee Volunteers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), 14–0. USC quarterback Ambrose Schindler was named the Player of the Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively. Teams The Rose Bowl committee had both USC and Tennessee on their list and it was likely that USC and Tennessee would play each other. The Volunteers were offered a berth in the Sugar Bowl on November 25; they were also in the mix for the Cotton Bowl, which would have pitted them against the #1 Texas A&M Aggies. But the Rose Bowl committee did not extend official invitations until December 10, 1939. Tennessee In the regular season, Tennessee shut out all ten opponents. Led by two All-American guards, Ed Molinski and Bob Suffridge, the Volunteers were forced to play without their star tailback George Cafego, who fell victim to a knee injury against The Citadel on November 11. After a 7–0 win over Auburn on December 9, Tennessee officially was extended an invitation to the Rose Bowl. USC The Trojans opened the season against Oregon, tying the Ducks 7–7, then scored three straight shutouts, becoming ranked #8 following the second, a 26–0 win over Illinois. A November 4 game featured #7 USC defeating #11 Oregon State 19–7. At Notre Dame on November 25, #4 USC defeated the #7 Irish 20–12. A win over Washington by scoring in the last 1:15 set up the very first epic UCLA–USC rivalry matchup. Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Jackie Robinson, and Ray Bartlett starred on the Bruins, in which African Americans made up three of the four backfield players. This was a rarity to have so many African Americans when only a few dozen at all played on college football teams. The ninth-ranked Bruins also were also undefeated, with three ties. This was the first UCLA–USC rivalry football game with national implications, as it was the first with the Rose Bowl on the line for both. The attendance of 103,303 was the second largest college football crowd ever in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. UCLA attempted a pass on fourth down, instead of kicking a field goal.