The 2012 Rose Bowl gives a rare matchup in the Granddaddy of them all, with the No. 6 Oregon Ducks facing the No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers. The folks in Pasadena on Monday afternoon will be treated to a game between two schools seeking redemption, as they lost the Rose Bowl in each of the past two seasons.
The 2011 game was an exciting contest that came down to the wire, as the No. 4 Badgers fell to non-BCS power and No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs. Wisconsin was down eight points, but tailback Montee Ball scored a touchdown with two minutes remaining to pull the Badgers to within 21-19. Unfortunately for Wisconsin, the two-point conversion failed and the Badgers fell. This is Wisconsin's eighth trip to the Rose Bowl and the second time they have played in back-to-back contests, as they won the 1998 and 1999 games behind new Rose Bowl Hall of Fame inductee Ron Dayne.
This is the third consecutive BCS bowl game for Oregon, who lost the BCS Championship Game to Auburn last year. They also lost the 2010 Rose Bowl to the Ohio St. Buckeyes, 26-17. The No. 7 Ducks fell behind early and were held to just 260 yards of total offense in the loss. Oregon was able to take a 17-16 lead early in the third quarter, but Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes were able to pull away. This is Oregon's sixth trip to Pasadena, and they are looking for their first Rose Bowl win since 1917, when the Ducks beat Pennsylvania 14-0.
This is just the third time in Rose Bowl history that the matchup features schools that have lost the previous two Rose Bowl games:
2007: USC (2006 Rose Bowl loser) 32, Michigan (2005 loser) 18
Both teams were smarting after losses to Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns in consecutive years in two of the most thrilling Rose Bowls in history.
1975: USC (1974) 18, Ohio State (1973) 17
This was the third consecutive season the Trojans and Buckeyes met in Pasadena on January 1, and USC was able to pull out a one-point win in head coach John McKay's final game at USC to secure a national championship.
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.