In a classic David vs. Goliath matchup, TCU travels to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 to battle Big Ten powerhouse Wisconsin. By virtue of Oregon's rise to the BCS National Championship, the TCU Horned Frogs, as the highest non-automatic qualifier, grabbed a BCS bowl berth and a trip to the Rose Bowl in 2010. Wisconsin ended up in the Rose Bowl by taking the traditional Big Ten BCS spot in the Grandaddy of Them All.
Rose Bowl, TCU Vs. Wisconsin: David Battles Goliath On A National Stage
TCU ran the table in 2010, cruising through the Mountain West Conference while nimbly avoiding any of the perilous traps many small-conference teams encounter (cough, Boise State). The Horned Frogs signature win came against Utah on Nov. 7 in a convincing 47-7 drubbing. Of course, Utah turned out to be a bit over-hyped, losing its next game at Notre Dame. Still, wins are wins and TCU piled up plenty of them, finished the year ranked No. 3 in the BCS, just outside of the title game.
Wisconsin went with the take no prisoners attitude in 2010. Head coach Brett Bielema didn’t just want to win games; he wanted to win convincingly for style points. Only a 34-24 loss to Michigan State in October blemished the Badgers record. Back-to-back wins over Ohio State, No. 1 at the time, and Iowa, No. 15 at the time, righted the ship and led to a dominating run to finish 2010. The Badgers dropped 83 on Indiana and finished the year putting-up 70 on Northwestern. Facing a tough TCU defense, it’ll be interesting to see if Bielema and the Badgers can blow it open in the Rose Bowl.
Wisconsin and TCU take the field in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 at 4:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.
Stay tuned to this StoryStream right up through game time, as we review key unit matchups, odds, bowl history and more, and connect with Wisconsin fans at SB Nation’s Bucky’s 5th Quarter and TCU fans at SB Nation’s Mountain West Connection. For a complete list of bowl games, browse our 2010 college football postseason schedule.
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