College football's oldest bowl game offers a classic matchup, as the Wisconsin Badgers take on the Stanford Cardinal in Pasadena in the 99th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All.
Stanford enters the game after winning two straight games against UCLA, including in the Pac-12 championship game, while Wisconsin easily won the Big Ten championship game against Nebraska after going just 7-5 during the regular season.
The only reason the Badgers even made it to the Rose Bowl was because the two teams ahead of them in the Big Ten Leaders division, Ohio State and Penn State, were both on postseason probation. The Badgers received another surprise following the victory, as head coach Bret Bielema left the school to take the same job at Arkansas.
Instead, athletic director and former head coach Barry Alvarez will step in and work the sidelines for a game that he is familiar with. Alvarez won the game three times during his 16 seasons, while the Badgers are looking for their first win in three straight Rose Bowl appearances after losing to TCU and Oregon.
"It's the best thing that could happen," linebacker Mike Taylor said to the Associated Press. "He's familiar with what we do and he built this program. That's why kids like me come here."
Both teams are evenly matched statistically on defense, allowing less than 20 points per game to opponents. The Badgers are ranked 12th in the nation in rushing and are scoring over 30 points per game. Wisconsin rolled over Nebraska in the Big Ten championship game, gaining over 500 yards rushing while winning 70-31.
Senior running back Montee Ball had 202 yards and three touchdowns in the title game, while junior James White added 109 yards and four scores. Ball has been exceptional in his final season with the school, rushing for 1,730 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has rushed for at least 111 yards in each of the past four games and has scored eight times in the same span.
The Badgers will rely on the running game after ranking 115th in the nation in passing with 162 yards per game. The team has dealt with injuries at quarterback after freshman Joel Stave broke a collarbone in October, leaving Curt Phillips to take over. The senior has been solid down the stretch, passing for 457 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.
Wisconsin started the season 1-1 after losing to Oregon State 10-7 on Sept. 8, but won five of the next six games, losing only to Nebraska 30-27 on Sept. 29. The team was 6-2 but stumbled down the stretch, losing three of its last four regular-season games, all in overtime, including back-to-back-losses to Ohio State and Penn State before going to the Big Ten title game.
The Badgers are now the first five-loss team to ever play in the Rose Bowl will have their hands full against a Stanford team that has won four straight games against ranked opponents, including a 17-14 overtime win against then-No. 2 Oregon on the road on Nov. 17.
Stanford enters the game on a seven game winning streak and has now made three consecutive BCS appearances after defeating Virginia Tech in the 2011 Orange Bowl and losing in overtime last season in the Fiesta Bowl.
"Are we becoming a football powerhouse? They still don't want to call us a football powerhouse," said head coach David Shaw. "But how many teams have gone to three BCS bowls, how many teams have lost five games in three years?"
Stanford has played in a number of tight games this season, including in the 27-24 victory over UCLA in the Pac-12 championship game to clinch a spot in the Rose Bowl. The team is ranked 13th in nation in scoring defense, but like Wisconsin, has struggled through the air since losing Andrew Luck to the NFL.
The Cardinal are ranked 94th in the nation in passing and turned to freshman Kevin Hogan during the season after Josh Nunes was ineffective. Hogan has been solid, throwing eight touchdowns with three interceptions, but Stanford will focus heavily on trying to get the ball to running back Stepfan Taylor.
The senior has rushed for 1,442 yards and 12 touchdowns and will go toe-to-toe with Ball and a solid Badgers defense that is rated 22nd against the run in the nation. Taylor has scored three times in the past two games and rushed for 142 yards and two scores in the regular-season finale against UCLA.
"This is probably going to be the first team for the both of us that's almost like a mirror image," Shaw said. "I think our guys are going to see things they go against in training camp. There's going to be a little bit of a chess match as we go into this thing, but it's going to be exciting to see something familiar on film."
Stanford hasn't won the Rose Bowl since 1972 and has the chance to reach 12 wins after finishing with 11 in the last two seasons. The Cardinal opened the season with a 20-17 win at home over San Jose State and improved to 3-0 after defeating then-No. 2 USC 21-14, but stumbled the next week against Washington on the road.
The team out maneuvered the Arizona Wildcats 54-48 in overtime on Oct. 6, but lost the next weekend 20-13 in overtime to Notre Dame in a controversial game that kept the undefeated season alive for the Irish. The Cardinal rebounded the next week against California and hasn't lost since.
PREDICTION: Stanford 38, Wisconsin 24. The Cardinal defense will be able to gang up against Wisconsin's running game since the passing attack has been mostly non-existent. If Stanford can limit any big plays, Stapfan Taylor and tight end Zach Ertz should have put up enough offense to stay ahead of the Badgers. Stanford has won seven games in a row and is simply better than this Wisconsin team that went 7-5 during the regular season. The Badgers will be motivated after losing Bielema to Arkansas, but it won't be enough to overtake the Cardinal. Stanford was one stretch by Stepfan Taylor away from possibly beating Notre Dame earlier in the season and this will be their way of making up for it. Don't underestimate the power of the Alvarez though, that could be the game changer.
