Utah To Face Penn State In Second Rose Bowl Appearance
Dec 4, 2022, 12:43 PM | Updated: Dec 5, 2022, 10:52 am
SALT LAKE CITY- No. 8 Utah football is heading to the Rose Bowl once more, this time to take on No. 11 Penn State per the official announcement Sunday afternoon. The Utes made their first Rose Bowl appearance in program history just a short year ago against Ohio State just a short year ago to rave reviews.
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Utah currently sits at 10-3 after making a statement against USC in the Pac-12 Championship game, winning their second title in convincing fashion. The Utes will face a 10-2 Nittany Lion team on January 2, 2023 in what many are dubbing the last traditional Rose Bowl Game as the bowl agreed to be part of the new 12-team playoff starting in 2024 giving up its New Year’s Day spot.
Both Brett McMurphy of Action and Bryan Fischer of FOX reported the matchup first.
The New Year’s Six is set:
Fiesta (semi): TCU vs. Michigan
Peach (semi): Ohio State vs. Georgia
Rose: Utah vs. Penn State
Cotton Bowl: Tulane vs. USC
Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. Tennessee
Sugar Bowl: Kansas State vs. Alabama— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) December 4, 2022
Utah and Penn State In The Rose Bowl
Utah and Penn State have never met on the field for football making this a new matchup for all to experience in one of the most magical venues in all of college football.
One thing that has excited fans about the impending matchup is the uniform combination- Penn State’s clean blue and white combo along with Utah’s bold red and white.
It also helps that both teams are close in records indicating what will probably be another entertaining matchup.
Utah’s Path To The Rose Bowl
Utah’s path to their second straight Rose Bowl was a little unconventional, but that’s also what makes their story so compelling.
Things looked bleak for the Utes after a close loss in Eugene to Oregon almost a month ago. A win against the Ducks would have pretty much ensured Utah would be heading to the Pac-12 Conference Championship.
🌹𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐰𝐥 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝!🌹
We will square off against @PennStateFball on a Monday 1/2!@Utah_Football | @rosebowlgame pic.twitter.com/8mbBR3DA4Y
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) December 4, 2022
Instead, Utah took a crazier path that had four-steps that had to fall their way in order to reach the championship and eventually the Rose Bowl.
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
