To help prime you for the first BCS bowl game of the college football postseason, we've compiled this handy list of fun factoids concerning the 2011 Rose Bowl.
Proper name: Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio, or "The Granddaddy of Them All." Sit on the Rose Bowl's lap and it will hand you a delicious Werther's hard candy and tell you about the war.
Setting: The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif., home of the UCLA Bruins and many species of stinging plants.
Traditional conference pairing: Big Ten versus Pac-10
2010 matchup: The No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs (12-0) again No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers (11-1)
Announcers: Top shelf all around: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Erin Andrews.
Neatest fact: Ohio State's not in it this year, which is nice for everybody.
Closest finish: That would be the 1922 Rose Bowl game between Washington & Jefferson and Cal, which ended in a 0-0 tie.
Most lopsided finish: There have been two 49-0 Rose Bowl finishes in game history: The very first contest, Michigan's 1902 win over Stanford, and the 1948 game, also featuring Michigan in a thumping of USC.
Tidbits of interest: The Rose Bowl is always played in the afternoon. The Rose Bowl is occasionally home to the national championship, which people seem to enjoy. Also, Paula Deen is the grand marshal of this year's Rose Parade, which is a spectacularly entertaining if nonsensical choice.
The 2010 Rose Bowl kicks off at 5 p.m. EST, Thursday, Dec. 30. The game will be televised on ESPN. For a complete list of bowls, browse SB Nation's 2010 college football postseason schedule.