The University of Wisconsin football team returns to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Wednesday evening. Vegas has them as three-point favorites but other bowl games suggest the advantage could be much greater. The Pac -12 and the ACC are widely regarded as the worst power 5 conferences in the country. It is showing so far this bowl season. Iowa played the University of Southern California in San Diego, essentially a home game for the Trojans, and doubled them up, 49-24. Iowa is the fifth, maybe sixth, best team in the Big Ten. USC is the third-best in the Pac-12 and it wasn’t close.
Tuesday night, Utah was clobbered by a 5-loss Texas team in the Alamo Bowl, 38-10. Utah was the Pac-12’s runner-up. The Utes lost to Oregon in the conference championship game. It is clear that Wisconsin’s schedule was significantly more difficult than the Ducks. That should reap benefits on the field at the Rose Bowl.
