BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) – As the season rolled on and Texas piled up one victory after another, coach Mack Brown really began to appreciate Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans.

Considering his own 19-game winning streak, Brown marvels at Southern California’s run of 34 in a row and counting. He even called Carroll after USC hung on to beat Fresno State 50-42 for the Trojans’ 33rd straight win.

The Trojans coach told him the first rule about managing a win streak: don’t talk about the win streak.

“Pete says if you’re talking about the streak and thinking about the streak, it’s going to come to an end,” Brown said.

Well, one of the streaks will end Wednesday night when top-ranked USC and No. 2 Texas meet in the Rose Bowl for the national championship.

Texas’ string is the second-longest in the country, behind USC, of course. It’s also the second-longest in school history, trailing a 30-game run from 1968-70 which included a national championship in 1969. The current span includes eight wins over ranked opponents.

And like all winning streaks, it had to start after a loss.

In Texas’ case, it began after a particularly bitter defeat midway through the 2004 season.

The 12-0 loss to Oklahoma in Dallas – the fifth in a row against the Sooners – was quarterback Vince Young’s worst game and the first time Texas had been shut out since 1980. And if not for that day, Texas might be on a run of 24 wins in a row and drawing comparisons to the great teams in college football history, as USC has this season.

“You can’t think about that,” junior offensive tackle Justin Blalock said. “It’s all about what’s happening now.”

The win streak started with a limp rather than a burst. After losing to Oklahoma, the Longhorns struggled to beat Missouri at home before finally tapping into the offense that carried them to an undefeated season in 2005.

Texas coaches put the game on Young’s legs and he ran Texas to victories over Texas Tech, Colorado, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Texas A&M. Three days before USC pounded Big 12 champion Oklahoma, 55-19 in last year’s Orange Bowl, Young’s jaw-dropping five touchdowns and 372 total yards rallied Texas past Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

Longhorns players say the Rose Bowl victory gave them the confidence they needed to make a run at perfection this season.

And it’s a major reason the Longhorns say they won’t be intimidated by the Trojans.

“Intimidated for what?” Young said. “We’ve got a 19-game streak going on. All that scaring stuff. We’re not going to be scared. We’re going to be pumped.”

For years, the knock on Texas was that the Longhorns would wilt under pressure. They’d beat the teams they were favored to, but couldn’t match the moxie of teams that brought the fight to them.

The winning streak changed that. Texas trailed in each of its final six games last season before rallying to win. Texas hung tough in tight games again this season, coming from behind in the second half of road wins at Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.

The other nine wins were simply put away early with an offense that averages 51 points and scored 60 or more four times. During many of those, Young was on the sideline by midway through the third quarter.

“This is arguably one of the best teams in school history,” Brown said. “It’s been a great run.”

Texas players say they appreciate the streak but don’t think much about it. As far as streaks go, winning 19 won’t mean much without No. 20 and a national title. USC’s run includes two national championships and will add a third if the Trojans can make it 35 in a row.

But despite Carroll’s advice a few weeks ago, Brown suggests the Longhorns paid closer attention to their streak than they let on.

“They know it. They can count,” Brown said. “These juniors and seniors have lost one game in two years. It’s something to be proud of.”

AP-ES-01-03-06 1548EST