Rose Bowl 2012: Wisconsin's High-Powered Offense Will Dominate Oregon's Defense

The 2012 Rose Bowl matchup between the Wisconsin Badgers and Oregon Ducks is going to be the best BCS game of the year. These two teams can put up a lot of points in a hurry, but when all is said and done, the Big Ten champions will prevail. 

There seems to be a prevailing theory that this game is going to come down to Oregon's speed and Wisconsin's power. But I think that is doing a disservice to the style of football that the Badgers play. 

Ted Miller of ESPN.com even used the power vs. speed argument in his preview for this game, though he did acknowledge that Wisconsin's offense is one of the most efficient in the country with only one weakness. 

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Wisconsin's offense does everything well. For real. They are balanced and efficient and almost never turn the ball over. Their one issue: pass blocking. The Badgers have given up 1.77 sacks per game this season, which ranks 73rd in the nation. Oregon ranks third in the nation with 3.3 sacks per game. The Badgers' passing game is based on effective play-action. 

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While the pressure that Oregon's defense can create could be a problem, Wisconsin can make up for that with a heavy dose of Montee Ball early to make them stop sending pressure. 

And when the Ducks are prepared to stop the run, Russell Wilson is there for play-action passes that will catch everyone off guard. 

LaMichael James is great, and he will get his yardage. But overall, the Ducks are not as strong as the Badgers. Darron Thomas is an efficient quarterback, but he can't win a game on his own. He needs to have everyone around him play well in order to look good. 

This game is going to be a shootout; there is no doubt about that. But when all is said and done, the Badgers will prove to be too much for the Ducks to handle. 

Wisconsin finished the season ranked No. 5 in the country in points per game (44.6), while Oregon ranked 45th in points allowed. Wilson and Ball are a better quarterback-running back duo than Thomas and James. 

The Badgers offense has been dynamite all season long, and they are stronger defensively than the Ducks. Neither team will be able to stop the other, but Wisconsin will make one or two more plays to walk away with its first BCS victory since 2000, and the Big Ten will get a much-needed confidence boost. 

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