BCS Bowl Predictions: Rose Bowl Will Feature Conference Champs Oregon, Wisconsin

After blowing a shot at the BCS National Championship Game with a home loss to USC Saturday night, the No. 4 Oregon Ducks are headed south for a matchup with No. 17 Wisconsin in the 2012 Rose Bowl Game.

The game is reserved for the Pac-12 and Big Ten champions, that is unless one or both are playing for the title somewhere else.

Don't worry, that's not the case this season.

The Ducks are a lock for the bowl after coughing up a golden opportunity just one week after stunning Stanford on the road, talk about karma.

The sneaky Badgers will host Penn State next weekend in an epic winner-take-all matchup in the Big Ten Leaders division.

Both Oregon and Wisconsin currently sport two losses on their resume, all but killing their National Championship dreams for this season.

Still, that's why the Rose Bowl game exists, for this very reason.

The Ducks were legitimate NC contenders this season, but two untimely losses now have them on the outside looking in. The same can be said of Wisconsin, at one point this year they were favorites to play for it all.

How It Happens

The Badgers will take down Penn State at home and then dominate a rematch with Michigan State in Indianapolis to claim the Big Ten crown.

Sadly, Penn State's attempt at a feel-good story falls short in a fitting end to a very difficult season.

Oregon will outlast the lowly Beavers in the Civil War next Saturday afternoon and host a very weak Pac-12 South opponent in the conference championship game, likely UCLA.

USC's postseason bans will save the Ducks from a rematch all but booking their trip to Pasadena on New Year's Day.

Rose Bowl Game

Two contrasting styles will make for an epic bowl game between Oregon and Wisconsin. Oregon's spread will have the Badgers on their heels while Wisconsin's ground-and-pound attack will wear down the Ducks' skinny defense.

Prediction: Wisconsin 24, Oregon 16