Rose Bowl do-overs for Oregon, Wisconsin

Been there, done that.

Oregon and Wisconsin were anything but awed as they prepared for the 98th Rose Bowl.

Oregon played in the game two years ago, Wisconsin last year.

So the events leading up to Monday’s game have been entirely familiar.

Players, coaches and the teams’ fans hope the outcome is not.

Oregon lost to Ohio State in 2010 and has yet to win a Bowl Championship Series game under Coach Chip Kelly.

Wisconsin lost to Texas Christian, so Coach Bret Bielema’s biggest postseason victory to date is a win over Miami in the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl.

Not that either coach particularly enjoys referencing the recent past.

Auburn defeated Oregon on a last-second field goal in last year’s BCS title game, but Kelly said that his program has “always been a forward-thinking operation” and that his staff has not used that experience as motivation for the Rose Bowl.

“I can’t get some of our kids to remember what happened yesterday in practice,” he said, “let alone what happened last January.”

So here they are, two offensive juggernauts that saw national championship dreams fade because each suffered two losses.

Oregon began the season by losing to Louisiana State. No shame there: The top-ranked Tigers finished undefeated and will play Alabama for the BCS title Jan. 9 in New Orleans.

The Ducks might have earned a rematch with LSU if not for a 38-35 November loss to bowl-ineligible USC, which is ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press poll.

Wisconsin suffered losses within a span of seven days in October.

First, Michigan State ended the Badgers’ hopes for an unbeaten season with a Hail Mary pass that ricocheted off the facemask of one receiver and into the hands of another for a touchdown on the final play at East Lansing, Mich.

Then Ohio State scored on a 40-yard pass in the final minute at Columbus, Ohio.

The Badgers, however, rebounded to win the Big Ten Conference title, setting up the Rose Bowl showdown against a Ducks team that won the inaugural Pac-12 Conference championship after winning the last two Pac-10 titles.

“It was very, very difficult for us to deal with,” Wisconsin safety Aaron Henry said of the Badgers’ defeats. “But we were able to bounce back from them and move on, and I think those two losses put us in the position that we are in today.”

Oregon is averaging 46 points and 515 yards a game. The Ducks’ spread offense features quarterback Darron Thomas, running back LaMichael James and freshman receiver-running back De’Anthony Thomas.

Wisconsin players spent the last week fielding questions about Oregon’s flashy uniforms and the Ducks’ team speed. Oregon is favored by six points.

“I think people overestimate the difference between us,” Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland said. “They are faster, but we’re not slow.”

Wisconsin’s pro-style offense is led by quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Montee Ball, who both finished among the top 10 in Heisman Trophy balloting. The Badgers average 44.6 points and 466.9 yards per game.

Wilson is the third consecutive dual-threat quarterback that Oregon will face in a bowl game. The 6-foot-1 Wilson, however, is not as big as Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor or Auburn’s Cam Newton.

“He does a great job when he’s under pressure, avoiding sacks and making great plays,” Oregon defensive back Eddie Pleasant said of Wilson. “For the most part we have to stay in coverage, make open-field tackles and go out and have fun and fly around and we should be all right.”

gary.klein@latimes.com

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