Rose Bowl 2012: Oregon Ducks Will Ruin the Badgers' Second Attempt at Glory

The Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers will be facing off at the Rose Bowl today, and when it is all said and done, the Badgers will once again find themselves as the losers for the second year in a row.

Last season, the Badgers were pitted against the TCU Horned Frogs, but they failed to capitalize on what many had considered an easy victory for the Badgers. They lost the game 21-19, and it has haunted the Badger faithful ever since.

They will be looking to redeem themselves in Pasadena, CA today, but they will have a hard time as they will have to defeat the Ducks, who are one one of the best in the Pac-12 and the entire country.

The Ducks are currently ranked No. 5 in the country, as they only lost two games all season. Their first loss came at the hands of the No. 1 ranked LSU Tigers in the first week of the season. Their second loss came from their Pac-12 foes the USC Trojans, who actually had a remarkable season going 10-2.

The Trojans were not bowl eligible due to sanctions that were a result of the Pete Carroll era.

Head coach Chip Kelly runs one of the most high-powered offenses in college football, as his Ducks were ranked fourth best in the country in terms of total offense, averaging 515.2 yards per game. The Badgers will find themselves in trouble trying to stop this-high powered offense, but they have been holding their opponents to only 292.8 yards of total offense.

Both teams run a high-powered offense, as both are among the top five in the country in points scored per game. The Ducks are averaging 46.2 PPG, while the Badgers are putting up an equally impressive 44.6 PPG.

There is no doubt that both of these offenses can go off today, but the Ducks will have a rested running back in LaMichael James as well as quarterback Darron Thomas. Both players have experience in big game situations, as they were in the BCS title game just last season. They lost to the Auburn Tigers, but Thomas was able to go off throwing for 363 yards with two touchdowns.

This season, Thomas has once again been impressive. He has thrown for 30 touchdowns while only turning the ball over six times. James went off against the UCLA Bruins in the Pac-12 title game, where he went off for 219 yards while punching in three touchdowns. He should once again be able to show why he is regarded as one of the best backs in the country.

The Badgers do have a strong defense, but they have yet to face an offense that is as highly paced as this Ducks team. The toughest competition the Badgers have faced all this season was the Michigan State Spartans, a team that they lost to during the regular season and eventually beat in the Big Ten championship.

Quarterback Russell Wilson has been great all season, so there is no reason that he won't be able to put up the points against the Ducks' defense. They haven't been great in stopping opposing offenses, as they have allowed 23.6 PPG.

They have had some tough competition though, as they have had to deal with the Tigers, Trojans, Stanford Cardinal and Arizona State Sun Devils.

The Badgers are familiar with the scene, but the Ducks are just too strong of a team. The Badgers were a strong team all season, but they have struggled with their toughest competition. They even had a hard time against the Ohio State Buckeyes back in October, a game that they lost by four points.

While it doesn't seem likely that the Ducks will run the Badgers out of the stadium, this game is more likely to be a shoot-out, at least for the first half. The Ducks will continue to move the ball at a fast pace, and in the end it may be too much for the Badgers.

According to Harold Andrews of Yahoo.com:

"

"Yes, tempo and speed are two different things with the Oregon Ducks. Tempo is the pace at which the Ducks call their plays, frequently snapping the football every 15 seconds or less. The Badger defense, especially in the second half, will have their hands on their hips, gasping for air, and will simply not be able to keep up."

"

The Badgers have a strong defense, as they have only allowed their opposition to score 17 points per game. Still, they allowed the Spartans and Buckeyes to eclipse 30 points in each of their games.

The Ducks' offense is completely different than those two, so they should be able to expose the Badgers' defense like those other strong offenses have done this season.

Running back Montee Ball has played huge for the Badgers all season long, as he has ran for 1,759 yards with 32 touchdowns on the year. He has been impressive, so the Ducks will have to focus on stopping both him and Wilson.

The Ducks will have their hands full, but so will the Badgers, who will have to deal with nothing they have dealt with this entire year.

In the end, though, high pace will be able to trump the power that the Badgers have.