The college football bowl selection show isn't until Sunday evening, but the one bowl matchup we already know is the Granddaddy of them all. The 2012 Rose Bowl will feature the Oregon Ducks, champions of the Pac-12 Conference, and the Wisconsin Badgers, champions of the Big Ten Conference. Here are the basic details of the January 2 matchup in Pasadena.
Date: Monday, January 2, 2002
Time: 2:10 p.m. PST kickoff
TV: ESPN (and ESPN3 online), with Brent Musberger, Kirk Hirbstreit, and Lisa Salters on the call
Records: Oregon (11-2), Wisconsin (11-2)
Rose Bowl History: This is the eighth Rose Bowl for Wisconsin, who is 3-4 all-time in Pasadena. The Badgers lost 21-19 to TCU in last year's game. This is the sixth Rose Bowl for Oregon, who lost the 2010 game 26-17 to Ohio State.
Series History: These two schools have meet four times, though the last time was in 2001. Wisconsin has won three of the four meetings against Oregon.
Key Players: Oregon's LaMichael James and Wisconsin's Montee Ball might be the two best running backs in all of college football, leading all of FBS in yards per game and total rushing yards, respectively. It might come down to a battle of the mobile quarterbacks. Russell Wilson threw 31 touchdowns and only three interceptions this season for Wisconsin, completing a whopping 72.5% of his passes. Oregon's Darron Thomas threw for 30 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
Bet The Over: Oregon is third in the nation averaging 46.2 points per game, while Wisconsin is fourth at 44.6 points per contest.
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.