No. 9 Wisconsin vs. No. 6 Oregon
Jan. 2, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN
At Pasadena, Calif.
The Ducks’ first and only Rose Bowl victory came on New Year’s Day 1917 in what was then known as the Tournament East-West Football Game. The Ducks defeated Penn, 14-0, at Caltech’s Tournament Park (the Rose Bowl opened six years later).
So much has changed since those days, but many things about the game of football remain as they once were. For example, we’re sure the Ducks ran the football more effectively than the Quakers and were able to stop them from doing so.
This 98th edition of the “Granddaddy of Them All,” a collision of its last two losers, features a fascinating contrast in styles, but running the rock will decide who wins ... as it usually does.
With that in mind, it’s interesting to point out that Wisconsin (11-2) allowed Michigan State to rush for 190 yards in the Big Ten championship game. That’s somewhat alarming since the Spartans arrived in Indianapolis with the conference’s worst rushing offense.
Duck running back LaMichael James won’t be able to treat the Badgers like he did UCLA in the Pac-12 championship game, rushing for 219 yards and three touchdowns, but he will find room to roam when quarterback Darron Thomas makes the correct read. Wisconsin’s secondary will have to be sure of its tackling when encountering James and the other speedy Ducks out in space.
The same goes for Duck defenders when they are confronted by Badger tailback Montee Ball, who is the nation’s No. 4 runner, averaging 135 yards per game (roughly 15 yards shy of James, who leads the nation).
In last year’s Rose Bowl, the Badgers came up two points shy of TCU, but were able to run the football against the nation’s top-ranked defense (46 carries for 226 yards). Oregon’s defense doesn’t compare to that of the 2010 Horned Frogs, who also didn’t have to contend with the passing and play-action threat of Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson.
The Ducks (11-2) simply have not fared well against heavyweight competition. The 2010 Rose Bowl against Ohio State, last season’s BCS title game versus Auburn, this year’s opener against LSU all ended in defeat. And more recently, the 38-35 loss to USC in Eugene provides the Badgers with a blueprint on how to deal with some of the challenges presented by the Ducks.
Opening point spread: Oregon by 4 1/2
The pick: Wisconsin 31-30
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