I am looking for the easiest possible route to Pasadena. Beating a fringe top 25 and a top 15-20-ish team in our house sounds like a more feasible and easier route than upsetting a top 5 national title contender on a neutral field.
We're either on a 2001 run or we're not. If we are, I don't worry about the opponent. If we're not, this is all moot.