PASADENA, Calif. – The Oregon Ducks had waited 95 years to win another Rose Bowl, and the last few seconds stretched for an eternity. The players in mirrored helmets held each other back on the sideline, waiting on tiptoes for video review to confirm Wisconsin was out of time.

The call went Oregon’s way. The Ducks stormed the hallowed field.

The most futuristic team in college football had buried another bit of history, and that revolutionary offense finally has a shiny trophy that will look right at home among those eye-catching uniforms.

Darron Thomas passed for three touchdowns, De’Anthony Thomas scored on runs of 91 and 64 yards, and the No. 6 Ducks earned their first bowl victory under coach Chip Kelly, holding off the Badgers 45-38 Monday night in the highest-scoring Rose Bowl ever played.

“We had no doubt this year that we were going to come out and do big things,” said Darron Thomas, who passed for 268 yards. “It’s a big statement for the Oregon program.”

Indeed: The last time Oregon won the Rose Bowl, beating Penn 14-0 in 1917, the players wore leather helmets, not those shiny numbers that exemplify every innovation the Ducks have created during Kelly’s three-year tenure.

Oregon (12-2) showed off that creativity with 621 total yards — second-most in Rose Bowl history — against the tough Badgers, playing at its usual frantic pace until the final whistle. Lavasier Tuinei caught eight passes for 158 yards and two TDs for the Ducks, who had no postseason success to show for Kelly’s otherwise wildly successful three-year tenure until this landmark offensive performance.

“None of us were around 95 years ago, and we never talked about it,” Kelly said. “We’re a forward-thinking operation, and we’re always looking ahead.”

Maybe so, but it’s unlikely anybody from Oregon will forget how this one ended.

With two long passes, Russell Wilson moved the Badgers to the Oregon 25, but with 2 seconds left and no timeouts. After waiting for the ball to be set, he spiked it to set up a last-ditch heave to the end zone, but the clock hit zeros while he did it.

The Ducks were winners after video review, holding Wisconsin scoreless in the fourth quarter.

“It would have been nice to have a chance there,” said Wilson, who passed for 296 yards and two scores. “With 1 second left, I think we could have capitalized.”

The Ducks don’t doubt it: The 98th Rose Bowl was that kind of game. The Granddaddy of Them All had never seen this many points, beating the record 80 scored by Washington and Iowa in 1991.

“We knew we had to score almost every time we touched the ball,” Wisconsin tailback James White said.

Montee Ball rushed for 122 of his 164 yards in the first half for the Badgers (11-3), who lost the Rose Bowl for the second straight year despite managing 508 yards of their own. Ball tied Barry Sanders’ FBS record with his 39th touchdown of the season, but the Heisman Trophy finalist was held to three carries for no yards in the fourth quarter.

Wisconsin had two drives to tie it after Oregon kicked a field goal with 6:50 to play, but Jared Abbrederis fumbled near the Oregon sideline after making a long catch. The ball plopped onto the turf without even bouncing, and Oregon’s Michael Clay jumped on it with 4:06 left.

That video review went the Ducks’ way, too.

“I have to be more careful with the ball,” said Abbrederis, who made a TD catch on the opening drive. “They made a big play. I can’t dwell on this. I have to move forward and look towards next year. We’re all human. This will make me better.”

The Ducks and Badgers produced the highest-scoring first quarter (14-14) and first half (28-28) in Rose Bowl history, eventually surpassing the 80 scored in Washington’s 46-34 win over Iowa in 1991. Oregon’s yardage fell just short of USC’s 633 yards against Illinois in 2008.

Sure, Baylor’s 67-56 win over Washington in the Alamo Bowl last Thursday might have packed bigger sheer numbers. But Wisconsin and Oregon commanded a much bigger stage — and the Ducks unleashed every bit of their formidable offensive power.

Tuinei was named the Ducks’ offensive player of the game, but their flashiest star in those futuristic helmets was De’Anthony Thomas, the freshman from Los Angeles who showed off his electrifying athleticism on the longest scoring run in Rose Bowl history in the second quarter, going 91 yards up the middle. He added a 64-yard scoring run in the opening minute of the second half as Oregon won the matchup of the last two losers of the Rose Bowl.

Wisconsin lost 21-19 to TCU last season, and the Ducks lost to Ohio State two years ago before losing the BCS title game last year.

“It almost felt like there was some sort of magical force keeping us from getting it done in bowl games,” Oregon guard Carson York said. “Glad we did it today.”

LaMichael James rushed for 159 yards and an early TD in his likely college finale for the Ducks, and Kenjon Barner caught a TD pass from Darron Thomas.

According to The Post and Courier, with ticket sales where they are currently, Clemson is going to lose about $180,000 thanks to their trip to the Orange Bowl.

As of last week, Clemson had only been able to sell about half of the 17,500 tickets it had to buy from the Orange Bowl for the low, low price of around half a million dollars. Clemson will get a $1.75 million bowl allowance from the ACC, but all in all the trip is going to cost the school $1.91 million. This includes the price of the unsold tickets along with meals, lodging and travel costs for the football team, band, cheerleaders and support staff.

Though there are other benefits according to Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips.

“There is a perception problem; it’s not a windfall,” said Phillips. “You just want to be able to break even. Sometimes you don’t even break even. But there are significant benefits. You get some extra practice time. And anytime you can get on national television, it continues exposure for your program, which is very significant value.”

Yes, and that exposure for the program helps in things like recruiting, which helps bring even better players to Clemson. Players that will help Clemson consistently win and get to bowl games and lose more money.

Posted by Tom Fornelli

Virginia and Auburn met previously in 1998 and 1997 and the series is tied at 1-1.

Virginia most recently was in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in 1998, when they dropped a 35-33 decision to Georgia. Virginia notched wins in 1995 (34-27 over Georgia) and 1984 (27-24 over Purdue).

Auburn holds a 3-1 record in four previous Chick-fil-A Bowl appearances (2007, 2001, 1996, 1990), most recently, an overtime win against Clemson in 2007.

“Virginia and Auburn represent two of the most exciting young teams in the country,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. “With these two teams, we have two top-tier coaching staffs, incredible fan bases and great history and tradition. We’re expecting an unmatched atmosphere and a real battle in Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Bowl.”

The Chick-fil-A Bowl will be televised nationally by ESPN

To order tickets for the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl please call 866-222-8492 or visit http://www.aaatix.com/College-Football/Chick-fil-A-Bowl-Information. Stay up to date on the Chick-fil-A Bowl news by “liking” facebook.com/AAATIX.

“Once again, the BCS has delivered a regular season that was exciting from opening kickoff to final whistle, while providing a great championship matchup,” said Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the BCS.

“The top-ranked teams in all the polls — LSU and Alabama — will meet in the national championship game, and there are four other outstanding BCS bowl pairings. No. 3 Oklahoma State made a real run at the top this weekend; this year the difference between number two and number three was the closest ever under our existing rankings formula. Congratulations to the student-athletes and their coaches. An exciting and memorable bowl experience awaits all of them, and I can’t wait to watch.”

The pairings are as follows (all times Eastern and all games will be televised on ESPN):

• Rose Bowl presented by VIZIO, Jan. 2, Pasadena, Calif., 5 p.m.: Oregon vs. Wisconsin
• Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 2, Glendale, Ariz., 8:30 p.m.: Oklahoma State vs. Stanford
• Allstate Sugar Bowl, Jan. 3, New Orleans, La., 8:30 p.m.: Michigan vs. Virginia Tech
• Discover Orange Bowl, Jan. 4, Miami, Fla., 8:30 p.m.: Clemson vs. West Virginia
• Allstate BCS National Championship Game, Jan. 9, New Orleans, La., 8:30 p.m.: Alabama vs. LSU

As stated by The State newspaper out of Coumbia, S.C.

The greatest playoff system in all of sports is working again. Week to week, the drama continues to build until the two best surviving teams meet in New Orleans for the national championship.

Welcome to BCS football.

No other sport offers the kind of meaningful regular season with weekly national championship ramifications. With five weeks remaining, plus a weekend of conference championship games, the title game picture is starting to become clearer.

The sole purpose of the BCS is to match the two best teams in the national championship game. After that, the BCS is charged with attempting to get the most interesting matchups in four other bowl games, but that is a secondary responsibility.

Of course, the thousands of fans and TV talking heads who so dislike the BCS already are crying about how the system has failed again. They, of course, want a postseason playoff that will never happen.

These folks fail to realize they are watching the playoffs unfold during the regular season. With the field for the national title game having been whittled to eight unbeaten teams, they should be handicapping the field.

OK, we will do it for them.

Let’s start with the top two contenders, who will play what amounts to a semifinal playoff game in two weeks. The winner of LSU’s game at Alabama, a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup of undefeated teams, will run the table and play for the national title. That part is easy to figure.

Now we have six contenders for the other championship game spot. One by one, five of those six will fall out of the race.

That is the way it has worked beautifully in 11 of the 13 seasons since the BCS championship game was adopted for the 1998 season.

This is how it will work this season:

• Clemson (8-0) is a trendy pick to win its remaining games. It will not happen.

The Tigers simply are not strong enough defensively to survive regular-season games against Georgia Tech and South Carolina as well as a likely rematch with Virginia Tech for the ACC championship.

Clemson could lose two of those three, but definitely at least one.

• Houston (7-0) has quarterback Case Keenum and the nation’s top passing and scoring offense. But it will not matter because the Cougars will lose to either SMU or Tulsa to close the regular season, or to Southern Mississippi in the Conference USA championship game.
• Kansas State (7-0) faces the same prospect of losing as Oklahoma State with a remaining schedule that includes Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas.

The Wildcats are another national feel-good story, but not strong enough to survive that schedule. Scratch the Wildcats off the board.

• Oklahoma State (7-0) has no chance of surviving its remaining schedule unscathed. The Cowboys could go down a couple of times with games against Baylor, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
• Stanford (7-0) is a contender thanks to the sterling play of quarterback Andrew Luck. He likely will win the Heisman Trophy, but there is no way the Cardinal will avoid losing a game.

The Cardinal face a pair of once-beaten teams — Southern California on Saturday and Oregon on Nov. 12. Should Stanford survive those two — which it will not — it still must win the first Pac-12 Conference championship game.

Not going to happen.

• That brings us to Boise State (7-0). The Broncos have one stiff test remaining and that comes against TCU on Nov. 12. Fortunately for Boise State, this is not a strong TCU squad.

By virtue of going unbeaten — and having proved itself on the national stage time and again over the past few seasons — Boise State deserves a crack at the national championship.

So, there you have it. Alabama or LSU vs. Boise State for the national championship on Jan. 9 in New Orleans. Finally, a school from a non-BCS conference will get a crack at winning the national title.

I am OK with that.

By Chris Low

Should Georgia upset LSU and win the SEC championship game on Saturday, there will be some serious last-minute jockeying among the bowls.

That’s because the Bulldogs would go to the Allstate Sugar Bowl as the SEC champions, and Alabama and LSU would still likely be No. 1 and No. 2 in the final BCS standings and square off in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game.

That would also mean just about everybody else in the SEC eligible to go to a bowl would move up a spot.

If Georgia loses to LSU in the SEC championship game, the Capital One Bowl is going to have a decision to make among three 10-win teams — Arkansas, Georgia and South Carolina.

Historically, the Capital One Bowl has taken the highest-ranked available team, which would likely be Arkansas, but could opt to go with South Carolina this season, which would send Arkansas to the Cotton Bowl.

Here’s the way we see it all shaking out, although there are still a lot of different scenarios out there:

• Allstate BCS National Championship Game, Jan. 9: LSU vs. Alabama
• Capital One Bowl, Jan. 2: South Carolina
• Outback Bowl, Jan. 2: Georgia
• AT&T Cotton Bowl, Jan. 6: Arkansas
• Chick-fil-A Bowl, Dec. 31: Auburn
• Gator Bowl, Jan. 2: Florida
• Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, Dec. 30: Mississippi State
• AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Dec. 31: Vanderbilt

Bowl Championship Series — Nov. 22, 2011

The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) conferences and bowls today announced those teams which remain under consideration to participate in the five games that comprise the BCS.

The teams were identified during a teleconference among the 11 Football Bowl Subdivision conference commissioners, the Notre Dame athletics director, and representatives from the Discover Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl, Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and the Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO. The No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the final BCS standings will meet in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game January 9 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The champions of the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conferences automatically qualify for a BCS game. In addition, the highest-ranked conference champion from among Conference USA, the Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt and Western Athletic Conferences earns automatic qualification to one of the BCS games if that champion is ranked No. 16 or better in the final BCS standings.

Finally, given the seven automatic qualifiers described above, three at-large berths will be available. The bowls will fill those berths from teams ranked in the top 14 of the final BCS Standings. No conference may place more than two teams in the BCS games, unless the conference has two teams in the National Championship Game, and neither team is its champion.

The final BCS standings will be compiled Sunday, December 4. The BCS bowl pairings will be announced at 8:15 p.m. Eastern time that day, on ESPN television.

The champions from the six conferences which receive automatic spots in the BCS games have not been determined. The following is a list of teams still contending for their conferences’ championships:

ACC: Clemson, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Big East: Cincinnati, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, West Virginia
Big Ten: Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin
Big 12: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
Pac-12: Arizona State, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, Utah
SEC: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, LSU

In addition to those teams, the pool of teams remaining under consideration also includes (in alphabetical order): Baylor, Boise State, Houston, Kansas State, Michigan, Notre Dame, South Carolina and TCU.

Following is the schedule of the BCS games. All games will be televised on ESPN.

Jan. 2 — Rose Bowl Presented by VIZIO
Jan. 2 — Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 3 — Allstate Sugar Bowl
Jan. 4 — Discover Orange Bowl
Jan. 9 — Allstate BCS National Championship Game