Since the Packers are literally playing for nothing Sunday, by far the most pressing football game over the New Year's holiday takes place in Pasadena, Calif. at the venerable Rose Bowl Stadium, a place the Wisconsin football team has visited six times before. One year ago, the Badgers lost a heartbreaking 21-19 decision to TCU. Many Wisconsin players used the sting of that bitter defeat to help motivate them to avenge a loss to what they clearly felt was an inferior team.

This year, those that were on the Badgers last season say that while they will enjoy the spoils of being the Big Ten champions and the trip to California that goes along with it, this is a business trip. Standing in their way, however, is an Oregon team that is one of the most athletic, fast, deep, and experienced teams in the country. And while the Badgers were licking their wounds from a two-point Rose Bowl defeat from one year ago, the Ducks are coming off a three-point loss to Auburn in last season's BCS Championship Game.

This season, both the Badgers and the Ducks have identical 11-2 records. Wisconsin's losses were both last-minute road losses that featured blocked punts leading to their opponents touchdowns and "Hail Mary" passes that were badly misplayed by the defense. Meanwhile, Oregon's losses came to LSU and USC. The Tigers went undefeated and will play in the National Championship Game Jan. 9; the Trojans finished the regular season ranked No. 5, but were bowl-ineligible because of NCAA sanctions.

While many Wisconsin fans feel that TCU was an inferior team before and even after last year's Rose Bowl, few hold that same opinion of Oregon. The Ducks have earned the respect of every football fan in the country for their style of play and success. While Wisconsin lost last year's Rose Bowl, Oregon fell to Ohio State the year prior to that.

Three key matchups:

Oregon RB LaMichael James vs. Wisconsin LB's Kevin Claxton, Chris Borland, and Mike Taylor: Simply put, James is one of the best (and fastest) running backs in college football. This season, James missed a pair of games and still ran for 1,646 yards and 17 touchdowns. James' backup, Kenjon Barner is no slouch, either. Barner has rushed for 11 touchdowns this season and is often used as a receiver out of the backfield. Claxton, meanwhile, was held out of practice because of a leg injury this week. If he cannot play, backup Conor O'Neill will get the start. With James averaging 7.4 yards per carry, the Badgers linebackers figure to see a lot of the Ducks all-time leading rusher.

Wisconsin OL Ricky Wagner, Ryan Groy, Peter Konz, Kevin Zeitler, and Josh Ogelsby vs. Oregon DL Dion Jordan, Josh Kaddu, and Terrell Turner: The Oregon trio has been terrorizing quarterbacks all season long. Jordan leads the sack parade with 7 ½, Kaddu is right behind with 6 ½, and Turner boasts 5 ½ sacks this year. In addition, the Ducks have six other players with multiple sacks this year as well for a grand total of 43 on the season, which ranks third nationally. Konz returns to the Badgers lineup after missing the season's last three games with a dislocated ankle suffered Nov. 12 at Minnesota. In order to keep Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson off of his game; expect Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti to bring the heat early and often. Wisconsin has one of the best fullbacks in the nation in Bradie Ewing. He'll be expected to be the last line of defense at times. It also goes without saying that the Wisconsin line will be expected to open up holes for Heisman Trophy finalist RB Montee Ball as well.

Oregon CB's Troy Hill and Terrence Mitchell vs. Wisconsin WR's Nick Toon and Jared Abbrederis: If Wilson gets time to throw, this is where the Badgers can make some real noise. Oregon's secondary has not been the same since Anthony Gildon went out with a shoulder injury Oct. 22. Gildon said this week that he hopes to play, especially since this will be his final game as a Duck and he hails from nearby Simi Valley, Calif. While Oregon is known for their defensive front and their speedy and talented offense, the one Achilles heel may be in their secondary. This season, while Oregon has put up staggering numbers on offense, they have surrendered 30 or more points five times, including against mediocre offenses Arizona and UCLA; both of whom fired their coaches this season. USC's Matt Barkley exploited the Oregon defense in the Ducks last loss back on Nov. 19, throwing for 323 yards and four touchdowns.

Other games of note:

BCS Championship Game: LSU vs. Alabama: LSU should win this in a hard-fought but at times sloppy in-the-trenches slugfest. Alabama will have their chances but will shoot themselves in the foot at every turn. Expect Crimson Tide kicker Jeremy Shelley to miss four field goals. Sound familiar? That's because in the infinite idiocy of the BCS, they are foisting upon us a game we already saw back on Nov. 5. Alabama may or may not be the second best team in college football, but they were not even the best team in their own division, much less conference. A very compelling case for No. 2 can be made for Oklahoma State, who lost once, on the road, in double overtime, the day after a major tragedy within their athletic department. A compelling, albeit less compelling, case can be made for 11-1 Stanford as well; the Cardinal's national title hopes were dashed by a Nov. 12 loss at home to Oregon. Meanwhile, the "Game of the Century" that the SEC slappy's tried to bill the first matchup between the Tigers and the Crimson Tide was laughable in its hyperbole alone. Leave it to the BCS to make a mockery out of their own title game. Prediction: LSU 9, Alabama 6

Sugar Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Michigan State: The Spartans, the runners-up to Wisconsin in the Big Ten earned an at-large berth to the BCS for the first time in their history by....I'm sorry? What was that? Are you sure? But State beat Michigan head-to-head...really? Michigan? The Wolverines? But the Spartans won their division. State went to the conference championship game. So where did they...The Outback Bowl? Whaaaa? So let me get this straight: Michigan State, who beat Michigan head to head by two touchdowns and won the Legends Division outright, were shut out of the BCS only to get leapfrogged by the team that did not win their division? This, friends, is another perfect illustration of how idiotic the Bowl Championship Series is. Because Michigan State got to represent their division and lost while Michigan sat home and did nothing, the Spartans get punished and the Wolverines get rewarded. Yep. Sounds about right. Prediction: Michigan State 34, Virginia Tech 27 (in the game that should be)

Fiesta Bowl: Stanford vs. Oklahoma State: This should be a whale of a ballgame; possibly the best matchup of the bowl season. Both teams could have been in the national championship with just one loss. However, Stanford did not win their own division because of their loss to Pac-12 North Champion Oregon, thus significantly hurting their chances with the voters and the polls. Despite the hype around two-time Heisman runner-up Andrew Luck, it is Oklahoma State's 28-year old signal caller, Brandon Weeden, was actually more efficient; the Cowboys averaged 113 more passing yards this season than the Cardinal. The Cowboys are playing with a huge chip on their shoulder, having lost out on a chance to play LSU by just .0086 points when the final computer tally was counted. "Obviously it's a little bit disappointing, but we did everything in our power, with what happened at Iowa State, to give ourselves a chance," Weeden said. "To see how short we were, it's tough to swallow." Prediction: Oklahoma State 45, Stanford 41

Tips if you are traveling to Pasadena:

I have been fortunate enough to cover two Rose Bowl games (1999 and 2011) and consider it to be one of the premier annual sporting events on the calendar. If you have never been to Southern California, do not rely on public transportation to get you anywhere.

If you are going to be in the Los Angeles area on Saturday, do yourself a favor and head down to Santa Monica Pier for the Badgers pep rally. You will be engulfed in a sea of red. At the rally the players and coaches will make an appearance, as will the band and cheerleaders. It's a good time and well worth the drive to the ocean. Parking can be an issue there, however. There just isn't that much of it nearby.

If you are part of a group traveling to the stadium on game day by bus, that is by far the best way to get there. Pasadena is roughly 30 minutes north of downtown Los Angeles if there is no traffic. The day of the game, however, thousands of football and parade fans converge on the relatively sleepy community that Pasadena is the 364 other days of the year. The only road into the stadium itself crowds up early and waits of up to an hour in traffic are not uncommon.

Compounding the problem may be Los Angles traffic that this game normally does not have to deal with. Because the game is played on a weekday after a holiday, there may be more people trying to get to and from work. Los Angeles traffic during the week is everything it is cracked up to be, and not exaggerated by the rest of the country looking to take a shot at LA. It's really, really that bad. Normally, on a holiday you get at least a nice smooth ride from Los Angeles into Pasadena; this may not be the case on Monday.

If you are driving to the stadium, I cannot say it any more clearly than this: Leave early! Even several hours before kickoff there will be numerous tailgate parties and fans enjoying the (hopefully) good weather. The stadium itself is old and shows its age in the very long and narrow tunnels that lead into the bowl itself, but once you get to your seat you will be enveloped in a venue with no bad seats, spectacular mountain views, and some of the most history of any ballpark in the country. Also, no matter how warm it may be when you walk into the stadium, by the time the sun sets around halftime, it gets cold. Bring a sweatshirt or a light jacket. Trust me.

Broadcast information:

Kickoff: 4:10 P.M. (Central time)

Telecast: ESPN (Note: Cable-only. There will be no over-the-air television aired of the game) Brent Musberger (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Erin Andrews (sidelines)

Local Radio: WTMJ – AM 620 and on the Wisconsin Badgers Radio Network. Matt Lepay (play-by-play) and Mike Lucas (analyst)

National Radio: ESPN Radio: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Chris Spielman (analyst) and Tom Rinaldi (sidelines)

For what it's worth:

Oregon may be one of the elite teams in college football, but their record in Pasadena is less than stellar. In their previous four trips, the Ducks have only won once, and that was way back in 1917. Two years ago, Oregon was beaten by Ohio State 26-17. In fact, the only BCS game the Ducks have ever won was the 2002 Fiesta Bowl when they defeated Colorado 38-16.

Wisconsin is now the only Division I school that has both made a bowl game appearance and earned a berth in the NCAA (men's) Basketball Tournament in each of the last 10 years.

This is only the third time the Badgers will have ever played on Jan. 2. The others were both bowl game victories: vs. Duke in the 1995 Hall of Fame Bowl and vs. Auburn in the 2006 Capitol One Bowl.

Prediction:

Oregon 38, Wisconsin 34