Rose Bowl Reps All But Give Badgers Official Invite To Pasadena
By Adam Hoge -
MADISON, Wis. -- Technically nothing is official until the final BCS standings come out Dec. 5, but if it's up to the Rose Bowl representatives, the Wisconsin Badgers will be playing in Pasadena on New Year's Day.
That was the word coming from the Wisconsin players after they beat Northwestern 70-23 to clinch a share of their first Big Ten title since 1999.
Asked after the game if the Rose Bowl was a done deal, Wisconsin guard John Moffitt said with a smile: "Yeah, I think we got invited in the locker room ... I don't know if I'm spoiling the surprise or whatever, but you didn't hear it from me."
Moffitt was the only player to say an invitation was extended from the Rose Bowl representatives, but nearly every player had a rose either in his hand or in his mouth after the game and they were all saying they were headed to Pasadena.
While an official invite will have to wait a week, the point is, the Rose Bowl wants the Badgers and barring an unlikely scenario that would put Wisconsin in the BCS National Championship Game, the Badgers want the Rose Bowl.
"As a Wisconsin guy, getting to the top of the Big Ten and pretty much getting to the Rose Bowl, it compares equally (to the National Championship Game) in my mind," center Peter Konz said.
Konz said the Rose Bowl "sort of" invited the Badgers to Pasadena.
One thing is obvious: the Rose Bowl representatives said enough that the Badgers felt comfortable celebrating their first trip to Pasadena since 2000. And even though there are no guarantees in the BCS, if nothing else, the fact that Wisconsin scored at least 70 points for the third time this season should be enough to keep the Badgers ahead of Ohio State in the BCS standings.
In their minds, the players think they can play with anyone.
"Oh definitely," running back Montee Ball said when asked if they could play with Oregon and Auburn, currently No. 1 and No. 2 in the BCS, respectively. Ball scored four touchdowns in Saturday's win and only had a streak of 13 touchdowns in 13 quarters snapped because he didn't play in the fourth quarter.
Overall Ball had 178 yards on 20 carries and James White added another 134 on his own 20 carries.
Quarterback Scott Tolzien, meanwhile, had the fifth-most efficient game in Wisconsin history as he completed 15-of-19 passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns.
