The No. 6 Oregon Ducks and No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers will do battle on the field on Monday in the 98th Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena. But before they face off on the field, the two teams will battle in the annual Lawry's Beef Bowl, a carnivorous tradition that dates back to 1957.
Over Wednesday and Thursday, players and coaches for both Oregon and Wisconsin will meet at the famous Lawry's Restaurant in Beverly Hills to see which school can eat the most prime rib. This is the 56th Lawry's Beef Bowl, making the tradition older than 30 of the 35 bowl games being played this season.
In the history of the event, more than 76,000 pounds of prime rib have been consumed by Rose Bowl-bound teams, with just under 20,000 players and coaches served. In the 55 years of the event, the Beef Bowl winner has won the Rose Bowl Game 39 times, a .709 winning percentage.
The USC Trojans have participated in the most Lawry's Beef Bowls with 21, and the Michigan Wolverines are second with 17. Michigan has the most Beef Bowl wins with 13. The Purdue Boilermakers hold the record for most prime rib eaten in one Beef Bowl with 734 pounds consumed prior to the 2001 game.
The 2012 Rose Bowl Game will be played on Monday, January 2, 2012 in Pasadena. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. PST. The game will be televised by ESPN, with Brent Musberger, Kirk Herbstreit, and Erin Andrews on the call. Stay tuned for more updates as the game approaches.