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Tom VanHaaren
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Kyle Bonagura
Near the
ESPN staff writer- Includes Pac-12.
- Joined ESPN in 2014.
- Attended Washington State University.
Ohio and Utah will reach Pasadena, California, coming from opposite directions. The Buckeyes appeared destined for the College Soccer League for most of the season until losing to Michigan, while the Utes started year 1-2 before a quarterback changed the trajectory of the season.
Utah’s Kyle Whittingham is one of the leading contenders for national coach of the year after guiding the Utes through tragic deaths of teammates – and close friends – Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe about 10 months apart. It’s an almost unimaginable set to deal with, and doing so while equaling the best conference record (8-1) of any team since the Pac-12 Open, is a remarkable achievement. If the crowds at Friday’s Pac-12 title game in Las Vegas are an indication of what to expect, then Utah fans will have a large turnout for the first Rose Bowl appearance of the year. their program.
It will be Ohio State’s first Rose Bowl appearance since the 2018 season – having qualified for the CFP in Ryan Day’s first two seasons as head coach – and the 16th all-time . Coincidentally, Day and Whittingham succeeded Urban Meyer in their current roles.
No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes compared to the number 11 Utah Utes
Rose Bowl game presented by Capital One Venture X
When: Saturday, January 1, 2022, 5 p.m. ET
Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN Apps
Opening line from Caesars Sportsbook: Ohio State -6.5
Key players for Ohio State: QB CJ Stroud. In the last four games of the regular season, the Ohio State defenders made five hasty touchdowns. Stroud threw 15 in those four games. He committed the offence, and the Buckeyes needed him to come up with the numbers against Utah. Stroud threw 394 yards and two touchdowns into the Michigan net in the final game of the regular season, but his team didn’t win, so he vowed to correct the mistake himself. The team didn’t have hasty touches against the Wolverines, so the offense needed Stroud to distribute the ball to his three ball players at the receiver and get them into the final zone.
Key Player for Utah: LB Devin Lloyd. A year ago, Lloyd had the chance to leave Utah with the chance to be picked in the first or second round of the NFL draft, but he passed that up after the Utes played just five games. He wants to leave more of a legacy in Utah. Looks like it’s completed. Lloyd is now a solid first-round pick and will feature on several All-American teams after leading the Utes to their first ever Pac-12 championship and making their Rose Bowl debut. Lloyd is the 25th ranked player on ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Todd McShay’s Rankings among qualified draft leads and number 2 among inner sponsors.
Matches to watch: Utah’s defensive pass against Ohio State’s offense will be key to this game. Utah is 75th in interceptions this season with nine, but fourth in saves with 58. Utah also has the fifth most intercepts of any team this season with 41. , so Ohio State will be empty-handed. Buckeyes has a lot of big players in the early fall, however, with Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Ohio State ranked fifth in passes per game, fourth in touchdowns (40) and had just seven interceptions all season.
The X Factor: Ohio State doesn’t want to go off the field with a loss after losing to Michigan in its final game of the season. That loss caused the Buckeyes to be knocked out of the Big Ten championship game and knocked out of the playoffs, so there will be an incentive for this team to show their ability. Even though Ohio State isn’t used to the situation, there’s no doubt the game makes sense.
