Wisconsin is back in the "Granddaddy of Them All" for the 10th time with a showdown against Oregon on New Year's Day. This will be the second time the Badgers have met the Ducks in the Rose Bowl, the first coming in 2012, a game that ended in a 45-38 Oregon win.
Paul Chryst has led a redemption season for the Badgers, who have put together an impressive 10-3 campaign. In what will likely be his final game in a Wisconsin uniform, Jonathan Taylor will look to add to his FBS three-year record of 6,080 rushing yards.
The Ducks roll into Pasadena with an 11-2 following a decisive win over Utah in the Pac-12 Championship game. Oregon is led by Justin Herbert, a senior quarterback who has put together an impressive final campaign. The Eugene native has tossed 32 touchdowns to only five interceptions.
Along with our BadgerBlitz.com staff predictions for the game, here is what you need to know to watch, listen, or stream the game.
KICKOFF TIMES, TV, RADIO, STREAMING AVENUES
Kickoff: 4 p.m. CT (5 p.m. ET)
TV: ESPN will broadcast the 106th Rose Bowl Game. Chris Fowler will be on play-by-play with Kirk Herbstreit serving as the analyst. Tom Rinaldi and Maria Taylor will handle sideline reporting.
Live stream: WatchESPN.com
Radio: Fans can go to BadgerSportsNetwork.com. Longtime voice of Wisconsin athletics Matt Lepay (play-by-play) will call the action along with Mike Lucas serving as the analyst. Patrick Herb will handle the sideline reporting. The iHeartRadio app is also an available option.
Satellite radio users can listen on Sirius 84, XM 84.
WHAT TO READ ON BADGERBLITZ.COM THIS WEEK
Five keys to victory for the Wisconsin Badgers in the Rose Bowl
In photos: Wisconsin Badgers Rose Bowl Media Day
Bronx to Roses: Pinstripe Bowl set QB Jack Coan on the path towards success
Need to Know: Wisconsin vs. Oregon
Winning Rose Bowl would cement Wisconsin's legacy
Notebook: Baun up for the challenge; Taylor's time frame
Rose Bowl lore not lost on Wisconsin players
Keys to victory: Three Badgers on the defensive side of the ball
Keys to victory: Three Badgers on the offensive side of the ball
Looking back at a decade of Wisconsin football
STAFF PREDICTIONS:
Jon McNamara: Paul Chryst, who is 4-0 in bowl games as the head coach at Wisconsin, has proven to be very good with a few weeks to prepare for an opponent. I think that streak continues in the Rose Bowl, as the Badgers do enough to contain Justin Herbert and Oregon's offensive attack. Jack Coan will help UW play turnover-free football and Jonathan Taylor will prove to be too much for the Ducks in the second half.
Wisconsin 31, Oregon 24
Benjamin Worgull: If this were Chip Kelly’s Oregon Ducks that Wisconsin had to slow, I’d be worried. But while these Ducks have some speed, their physical, smash-mouth style is quite familiar to the University of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin enters this game mostly healthy on offense (David Moorman will start at left guard with Kayden Lyles out) and will need to deliver a two-pronged approach. Jonathan Taylor is tremendous but the other players around him need to chip in, too.
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert is likely the best pro prospect the Badgers have faced on offense all year, and he works behind one of the best-rated offensive lines in football. This will be an 11-man test for Jim Leonhard’s group, which needs to be stout up front and UW’s secondary can’t make the mistakes it made in the second half of the Big Ten championship game.
Both teams have terrific defenses, so a shootout appears unlikely. That seems to play in the favor of Wisconsin, which has a head coach in Paul Chryst who seemingly has perfected the routine to get his players ready to play in bowl games big and small. On the 20-year anniversary of Wisconsin’s last Rose Bowl triumph, the Badgers make just enough plays to get it done.
Wisconsin 30, Oregon 27
Asher Low: Wisconsin is facing an Oregon team that is not the Ducks of old. Mario Cristobal team is solid on both lines of scrimmage and they don't try to purely outscore the opponent. I do expect Jonathan Taylor to put the cherry on top of an incredible collegiate career with a solid Rose Bowl. If Wisconsin establishes the run early and can find a second guy in the passing game outside of Quintez Cephus to step up, the offense should be fine against a defense rooted in causing turnovers and confusion.
Defensively, the Badgers will have their hands full against a balanced Oregon attack. When Herbert is at his best, there is not much defenses can do. What the Badgers can do effectively is to take away the rushing attack the Ducks also use frequently.
Overall, I think Wisconsin does just enough in Pasadena.
Wisconsin 27 Oregon 24
