January 2004. It was a drizzly weekday afternoon in the canyonlands of Los Angeles, California. The nation had been stricken with a fever, a fever for once and future man-child quarterback Matt Leinart. The USC Bookstore was flooded with Rose Bowl merchandise and customers, despite classes being suspended for winter break. Half-heartedly browsing for a keepsake for some reason, nothing struck my fancy. I eventually settled on a gigantic plastic tumbler for its practical use. Thankfully the date of the Rose Bowl was etched on the side, letting my future self know the exact date (or at least the exact year) when this escapade known as the College Cup Project came to be.
