Can we stop with this ridiculous take, please? That field was LOADED with NFL talent. We're somewhat salty because Leinart and VY didn't become HOF'ers, but those two teams were a recruiting and NFL-draft goldmine. It's not a fucking accident that the two teams full of draft picks across three years ended up playing the best college football game of all time.
" The BCS National Championship Game that capped the 2005 college football season had it all. Two undefeated teams daring each other to blink. Two blue-blood programs vying for supremacy in the world-famous Rose Bowl. The top three finishers in that year’s Heisman voting, each just months away from making the jump to the pros. As Texas and USC meet again for the first time 11 years later, Longhorns 41, Trojans 38 still holds a special place in the legend of the sport. Predictably, those two teams produced a ridiculous amount of NFL talent. In total, 62 players on those rosters—35 from USC, 27 from Texas—appeared in at least one NFL regular season game, while seven coaches went on to ply their craft in the professional ranks. Fourteen players went on to be selected in the first round, and 38 were picked in the third round or earlier. Here, in no particular order, are the 50 players and coaches who enjoyed the most notable NFL careers after that unforgettable game. " (source, and more good reading - https://www.si.com/college-football/photo/2017/09/15/usc-texas-rose-bowl-nfl-careers-reggie-bush-vince-young.