The Oregon Ducks seized control of the Pac-12 North Division with an impressive road win in Palo Alto, a 53-30 triumph over the previously unbeaten Stanford Cardinal on Saturday night. Not only are the Ducks in line for a possible jump to No. 4 in the BCS standings, they are also on track for a projected Rose Bowl showdown with the Wisconsin Badgers on January 2 in Pasadena, according to the latest 2011-2012 bowl projections at SB Nation.
Oregon still has two games remaining, home contest against the USC Trojans and Oregon St. Beavers, but only needs to win one of the two to secure a spot in the inaugural Pac-12 Football Championship Game on Friday, December 2. The Pac-12 North winner will host the title game by virtue of having a better record than their south component, either the UCLA Bruins, Arizona St. Sun Devils, or Utah Utes. Oregon will be heavy favorites over any of those teams.
In the Big Ten, the Michigan St. Spartans have a one-game lead in the Legends Division with two to play. In the Leaders Division, the Penn St. Nittany Lions have a one-game lead but it is looking like the winner of the November 26 game in Madison between Penn St. and Wisconsin will decide the division. The first-ever Big Ten Football Championship Game will be played on Saturday, December 3 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The 2012 Rose Bowl Game will be played on Monday, January 2, 2012 in Pasadena. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. PDT. The game will be televised by ESPN, with Brent Musberger, Kirk Hirbstreit, and Lisa Salters on the call. Stay tuned for more updates as the game approaches.