subject: Rose Bowl Tickets - Teams Likely To Make The Game [print this page] The BCS National Title Game will be played at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 7 this season, but the Game, which sometimes provides more excitement, will take place in Pasadena the week earlier, on New Year's Day. Already fans are starting to speculate about which teams have the best shot of not only getting to the Bowl but also which teams have the best shot of winning it. Here are a few of the main contenders as the stretch run of the season gets underway. Make sure you follow your team to the end, and when they make the Granddaddy of them All, get Rose Bowl tickets, where you can find tickets even if the game sells out.
USC - The Rose Bowl usually picks up the winner of the Pac-10 title and the winner of the Big Ten title, unless either of these two teams gets into the National Title Game or some other bowl with a higher priority. However, USC has a real history with playing in the Bowl, as they've been there the past five out of six years and won it the past three years in a row. So, history is on this side of the Trojans getting to Pasadena again. Currently USC is in a battle with Oregon and a couple other Pac-10 teams to win the conference title. They're 7-2, but the conference record is important here, and as of Nov.13, 2009, USC has two in-conference losses.
Oregon - Oregon has perhaps the best shot of getting in if the current trends continue. The Ducks are in the top spot in the Pac-10 standings with a 5-1 conference record and a 7-2 overall record. Winning out the remainder of the season means taking a tough game against Arizona on the road on Nov. 21.
Ohio State - Looking at the Big Ten, we can see that Ohio State has both history on their side and a nice record heading into the stretch run of the regular season. The Buckeyes have made 13 appearances at the Bowl, the fourth most of any NCAA football team. OSU has won the game six times. As of Nov. 13, 2009 the Buckeyes are in second place in the Big Ten standings with an 8-2 overall record. If they can beat Iowa on Nov. 14, they'll be even more likely to reach the Rose Bowl.
Iowa - Speaking of Iowa, the Hawkeyes are currently listed as No. 1 in the Big Ten standings with a record of 9-1. Ranked 10th in the latest BCS standings, one spot ahead of Ohio State, the Hawkeyes can nail down a trip to the prestigious Rose Bowl with a win over OSU this upcoming weekend. Of course, that's assuming that Iowa doesn't get invited to some other Bowl game, perhaps even including the BCS Title Game.
Other possibilities include Boise State, Pittsburgh, Miami, Arizona, Penn State and Arizona, which all have outside shots of getting a Rose Bowl bid. Needless to say, a trip to the Rose Bowl would be a fantastic finish to the season for any college football team, and a vacation to Los Angeles for New Year's would be an incredible experience for any college football fan.
