When, Where To Watch No. 8 Utah Vs. No. 11 Penn State In The Rose Bowl
Dec 5, 2022, 4:55 PM
Micah Bernard #2 of the Utah Utes catches a touchdown pass against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first quarter in the Rose Bowl Game at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 01, 2022 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY- The stage has been set. For the first time ever, No. 8 Utah and No. 11 Penn State will be clashing in the most storied bowl game in all of college football- the Rose Bowl.
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The excitement and respect from both teams heading into this matchup is palpable. In Sunday’s Rose Bowl Press Conference, Penn State head coach James Franklin talked about the uniqueness of facing a new opponent in this day, especially in a venue that holds as much prestige as the Rose Bowl does.
“This is going to be a great game,” Franklin said. “There are obviously some really cool facts. The fact that Penn State has played every Pac-12 school except for Utah. It’s not too often in 2022 that you are able to do things for the first time ever. That’s really cool, and then for Penn State, we played in this game 100 years ago. We’re really excited about this opportunity.”
When And Where To Watch The Rose Bowl
Much like last season, it is expected many Utah fans will make the trip to watch the Utes take on the Nittany Lions live in Pasadena. For those unable to make it for whatever reason, the good news is that the game will be well covered and readily available to watch.
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When: Monday, January 2, 2023
Time: 3 pm MT
Channel: ESPN
Unlike most years, the 109th edition of the Rose Bowl will be played on January 2 instead of the traditional January 1 date because of conflicts with NFL Sunday. It is also worth noting the 2023 Rose Bowl will be the last “traditional” Rose Bowl for a while.
Recently the Rose Bowl agreed to terms with the College Football Playoff to be part of their expanded 12-team bracket starting in 2024. This means while the Rose Bowl will still exist, it may not always be played on its traditional January 1 (or January 2 when it falls on Sunday) date that most are accustomed to in order to accommodate the new playoff schedule.
Roses X 2
The Utes will be playing in their second straight Rose Bowl after making their debut to the storied game last season.
Utah impressed against Ohio State jumping out to a fast start on the Buckeyes before trading blows in the second half. The Utes would ultimately come up a tad short in the game, losing 48-45, but left a positive impression on the college football world.
To say the Utes are excited to be back to the “Granddaddy of them All” a year later would be an understatement. Whittingham said the team was “elated” to be back and looking forward to taking another crack at bringing the Leishman Trophy back to Salt Lake City.
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“Second trip in as many years,” Whittingham said. “It was a great game last year versus Ohio State and it went right down to the wire. Came up on the short end obviously, but our guys had a great experience at the Rose Bowl. I’ve been to quite a few of the bowls and New Year’s Six Bowls- the Rose Bowl is special. We’re going to travel well. Our fans are going to be showing up and we should have great support there. The players are very excited to go back and have the experience again.”
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
