Michigan State vs. Stanford, 2014 Rose Bowl: Spartans are the ones

Wisconsin’s final four drives: 21 plays, 88 yards (4.2 per play), three turnovers, and a turnover on downs. Phillips, who did captain the Badgers to the Big Ten title in 2012 after another Stave injury, completed just seven of 12 passes for 37 yards and was picked off twice. A kick return touchdown kept the Badgers in the game, but South Carolina scored with six minutes left to make the score 34-24, and the Badgers had no answer.

There’s nothing saying Wisconsin would have won with Stave -- South Carolina was a much better team in close-and-late situations than Wisconsin in 2013 -- but without him, there was evidently no chance.

After winning Michigan State’s first Rose Bowl since 1988, Mark Dantonio had the best victory celebration of any coach of all time. First, he became one of the first coaches to successfully dodge a Gatorade dump:

Then, he hung out with rapper Rich Homie Quan, the team’s unofficial celebrity mascot:

Michigan State defeated Stanford 24-20 in a grueling, grinding, defense-heavy Rose Bowl Wednesday night in Pasadena. The Spartans (13-1) take home their first Rose Bowl victory since 1988 and the Big Ten’s first win in the league’s top game since 2010. Stanford (11-3) suffers its first bowl loss since the 2011 Fiesta Bowl.

The Michigan State defense responded after a rough first quarter in which it gave up 146 yards, surrendering only 23 yards and one first down in the second quarter. That didn’t stop Stanford from scoring, though, as Kevin Anderson returned this truly wretched Connor Cook interception for a touchdown with just over two minutes remaining to give them a 17-7 lead.

In the second quarter of the Rose Bowl, Michigan State QB Connor Cook threw a two-yard touchdown pass to wide open fullback Trevon Pendleton. It was Pendleton’s seventh catch of the year, his second touchdown, and his first since playing Youngstown State.

It was not a spectacular play. What was spectacular, however, is the fact that Pendleton -- who was completely uncovered -- leaped and did a completely unnecessary karate kick while making the catch. He could have very easily made the catch standing still. Instead, karate kick.

Following a Spartans touchdown to take a 24-17 lead, Montgomery ran a kick back up the middle of the field and went down awkwardly, apparently suffering a leg injury. He was slow to get up and did not play on the Cardinal’s next offensive possession. Whether or not he will be able to get back in the game is not yet official, but he was last seen on the training table without his helmet.

• Bowl season TV schedule, with scores and recaps along the way

Some marching bands have reputations. Stanford’s, as you might have known is general weirdness. (Well, general weirdness and running onto the field that one time during a live play, but, mainly general weirdness.)

Last year, they ruined the 2013 Rose Bowl (for boring people) with an “ode to cheese.” (Update: And they did it again in 2016.) This year, they didn’t disappoint:

Lee, what are you ... ?

What in the hell is happening?

You’re dead now, BCS, so this entire conversation is a little strange and one-sided. You can’t answer for a lot of things you could be accused of creating.

But that’s how eulogies work. As you were in your brief existence, they are unfair by design.

While a lot of the attention on the Rose Bowl focuses on the game itself, the 125th Rose Bowl Parade will be the main attraction prior to the matchup between Stanford and Michigan State.

The parade will begin at 11 a.m. ET and continue for roughly two hours. The 125th edition will follow the same 5 1/2-mile route as many before it. The parade will start at the corner of Green Street and Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena. The floats, marching bands and “high-stepping equestrian units” will then make their way down Colorado Boulevard. The parade will end at Sierra Madre and Villa Street. Here’s a look at the parade route, via tournamentofroses.com:

California will live up to the nickname, “Sunny California” for today’s 2014 Rose Bowl game between Stanford and Michigan State. An area of high pressure will dominate the weather today. This will equal sunny blue skies and nice mild temperatures. Winds won’t be a problem either, as most of the day they will either be light or variable between calm and 5 mph.

Sunset this evening is at just before 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET) Most of the game should take place in the daylight but could see a nice sunset during the 3rd and 4th quarters.

There’s no better setting for a college football game than the Rose Bowl. With beautiful weather, a beautiful field and a packed stadium, The Granddaddy of Them All is seldom topped each January.

We should be in for a terrific game between Michigan State and Stanford. As teams around the country shift to the spread attack, the Spartans and Cardinal still prioritize pounding the ball on the ground and playing good, sound defense. That’s not to say there aren’t some real playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, but this doesn’t appear to be one of those shootout-type matchups where the first team to 50 wins.

The Rose Bowl festivities will once again begin with the Parade. The 2014 Rose Parade begins at 11 a.m. ET and will be broadcast by multiple channels with online streaming options also available.

The parade will feature 45 floats, marching bands and high-stepping equestrian units. It all starts at the corner of Green Street and Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena. From there, the parade will begin the 5-1/2-mile route, most of which is on Colorado Boulevard. The route will turn north and finish at Sierra Madre and Villa Street. Here’s a look at the official parade map, via tournamentofroses.com.

The Michigan State Spartans are 9-1-1 against the spread in their last 11 games as underdogs. When they meet Stanford in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday, the Cardinal will be favored by a touchdown.

Stanford is favored by 6.5 points at most sportsbooks, according to OddsShark.com. Given the way Michigan State finished the season as Big Ten champions, that line is somewhat surprising. The Spartans stunned Ohio State, 34-24, in the Big Ten title game on Dec. 7 as 5.5-point underdogs to pick up their biggest victory of the year.

The last time Michigan State and Stanford played was in the 1996 Sun Bowl. The Cardinal won 38-0. The winning and losing coaches? Tyrone Willingham and Nick Saban, respectively, who went on to accomplish a few other things in the college football world.

Rule of Tree took an in-depth look back on the 1996 Sun Bowl.

“It is extremely disappointing for all parties involved,” head coach Mark Dantonio said in a statement, per Dillon Davis of the Chicago Tribune. “Max will forever remain a Spartan and valued member in this team’s achievements.”

Bullough was a third-team Associated Press All-American in 2013 and was an All-Big Ten First Team selection in each of the past two seasons. The linebacker was a big part of a Michigan State defense that led all FBS schools allowing just 248.2 yards per game and was fourth in the country with 12.7 points allowed per game.

Former Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain has taken Colorado State bowling for the first time since 2008, going 7-6 and finishing third in the Mountain division of the Mountain West. Out of those seven wins, none came against teams that finished with a winning record, but the Rams have a legitimate star in running back Kapri Bibbs. The sophomore led the nation with 28 touchdown runs this season on fewer than 20 carries per game, and has set school records in rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns and points scored.

Carr is one of the very best quarterbacks in the country, passing for 48 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards on the season. The Bulldogs started the year 10-0, with notable wins over Rutgers, Boise State and San Diego State before a dramatic Friday night loss to San Jose State. Fresno State still won the conference, defeating Utah State in the conference title game.

Also, our Syracuse site is trying to raise money to send 1,000 kids to the game. Pitch in!

Michigan started the season 4-0, with tight wins over suspect opponents like Akron and Connecticut balancing out a win over a ranked Notre Dame. A four-overtime loss to Penn State ruined the team’s perfect record, and Michigan would end up losing to Michigan State, Nebraska, Iowa and Ohio State. The Wolverines will hope to get more consistent play on both sides of the ball against Kansas State.

Stanford fans are still relatively new to this “high level of sustained football success” thing, so you’ll excuse them if they may have been gamed by Michigan State fans leading up to the Rose Bowl.

The Cardinal quickly sold out their ticket allotment for the big game in Pasadena -- that’s good news, right? Well, there’s one problem. It may have sold out a little too quickly, and Michigan State fans may have taken advantage of a loophole to get their hands on some of their opponent’s tickets:

The important thing to do when confronted by a set of 35 things is to rank them. Whether those 35 things are rankable things or events that have not happened yet, they must be ranked.

So we’ve polled 11 football fans on this year’s college football bowl schedule, with each giving a 1-to-10 rating on all 35 games. The full results are below, but first, some recognition for some of this year’s noteworthy matchups.

Traditionally pitting the Pac-12 and Big Ten champions, this year will mark the 100th edition of the Rose Bowl; a big milestone for The Granddaddy of Them All. Some fun facts about the oldest bowl game in college football:

Alabama has made six trips to Pasadena, the most of any non Big Ten or Pac-12 school.

After a winning their second straight Pac-12 title -- this one over Arizona State -- Stanford is starting to become mighty familiar with the Rose Bowl.

Unfortunately, Foster suffered a knee injury on the first play of the third quarter, and though he came back in for one play on the next drive, it would eventually result in an early end to his night.

After their Pac-12 Championship win over Arizona State on Saturday, 11-2 Stanford has won the conference for the second year in a row and will play in the Rose Bowl. The Cardinal will likely draw No. 10 Michigan State, but the official pairing will be announced Sunday.

The game will be held in Pasadena on New Year’s Day, and the Cardinal will face an opponent from the Big Ten. Michigan State is playing Ohio State in the Big Ten title game at the moment, but no matter the result, it appears the Spartans will end up in the Rose Bowl.