Penn State vs Utah Rose Bowl Prediction Game Preview
Penn State vs Utah prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Rose Bowl, Monday, January 2, 2023
Penn State vs Utah Rose Bowl Prediction Game Preview
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Penn State vs Utah How To Watch
Date: Monday, January 2, 2023
Game Time: 5:00 ET
Venue: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Penn State (10-2), Utah (10-3)
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Penn State vs Utah Rose Bowl 5 Things To Know
Rose Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History
– Utah keeps on rolling. This might not be quite the team the 2021 version was, but it matched last year’s ten-win campaign, it won another Pac-12 Championship, and it’s going to another Rose Bowl.
It’s Utah. You know what you’re getting.
Great lines, great coaching, a smart style with a great combination of toughness and confidence – that’s Utah, and now it all has to come together to make this the program’s best season in the 12 years as a member of the Pac-12.
– Penn State is more about what’s coning than what this is. Sure, we’ve heard it all before about how Penn State has the talent, the upside, and the excitement to be on the verge of national championship-level status, but yeah, James Franklin might have that in place for 2023.
It’s a young team with a whole lot of superstar power about to make this one of Franklin’s best teams yet … potentially. Next year.
As is, the Nittany Lions are fantastic. They went 10-2 with the only blips coming against Ohio State and Michigan, but no one would buy into the idea that they might have one of the four best teams in college football.
They’re missing a few parts – not having star CB Joey Porter around hurts – but for the most part they should be fine.
– Utah has done a whole lot of big things over the years to prove it’s a big-time program. Utah – not USC, not Oregon, not UCLA – has become the power program in the Pac-12 over the last few years, but it doesn’t have one of these – at least it doesn’t have one as a Power Five program.
The Sugar Bowl win over Alabama came at the end of the 2008 season when Utah was still a Mountain West program.
In the Pac-12 it has a few Las Vegas Bowls, and a Foster Farms, and a Heart of Dallas, but the program that was 14-1 in bowl games from 1999 to 2017 is 0-for-its-last-3 in three big bowls including last year’s Rose Bowl.
Like Penn State, there are a few players missing, but not enough to be catastrophic. Tight end Dalton Kincaid is the one who matters.
– Penn State clunked in last year’s Outback Bowl loss to Arkansas, but it’s been okay under Franklin going 3-3 so far with wins in the Cotton and Fiesta, and a Rose Bowl loss to USC in an epic battle to end the 2016 season.
– GOOD LUCK hoping for this year’s Rose Bowl to be anywhere near as good as last year’s Ohio State 48-45 win over Utah. We won’t count the 2020 playoff game – that wasn’t played in Pasadena – so really, the last five true Rose Bowls have been amazing.
Last year’s was great, the Oregon 28-27 win over Wisconsin to kick off the 202 year was outstanding, the Ohio State 28-23 win over Washington was fun, and the 2018 54-48 Georgia double overtime win over Oklahoma ranks among the best bowl games ever – and certainly deserves to be in the team photo of best College Football Playoff games. Before that was the Penn State-USC thriller.
And we all deserved those games after what Christian McCaffrey and Stanford did to Iowa in the 2016 Rose.
CFN Experts Picks: Jan 2 Bowls
Why Penn State Will Win The Rose Bowl
The run defense should hold up.
This isn’t the USC defensive front the Utes are going against.
There was the outlier against Michigan, but that was it for bad moments for the Penn State defensive front. It allowed over 400 rushing yards to the Wolverines, held Minnesota to 165 in a blowout win, and stuffed Auburn allowing 119 rushing yards in a 41-12 road blasting.
No one else ran for more than 100 on this D, and now it’s rested. More than that, Michigan is the only team to average more than four yards per carry against the Nittany Lion defensive front.
Utah’s offensive line is phenomenal, and it’s great at keeping defenses out of the backfield, but now it’s dealing with the Big Ten’s best pass rush and the best D at generating tackles for loss.
On the flip side, Penn State got out of its running game in the two losses. It’s 9-0 when running for more than 111 yards, but …
Top 100 Bowl Players | Ranking Bowl Games So Far
Why Utah Will Win The Rose Bowl
The Utah defensive front is rested, too.
It got hammered on by Florida to start the season, and it couldn’t deal with UCLA. Those were two of the two losses, and there was a problem in the first meeting with USC. The Gators, Bruins, and Trojans, though, had quarterbacks who could take off. That’s not really Sean Clifford – he can run a little bit, but not really.
Everyone else had major problems running on the Ute defensive front the tallied fewer than 100 rushing yards seven times.
However, the real problem for the Nittany Lions might be control. As good as the running game is, and as terrific as the offense has been, it’s miserable on third downs.
In general they’re good at controlling the ball and the clock, but that’s going to be impossible to do against a Utah team that’s equal parts deliberate and explosive.
Few teams are able to dominate the clock like Utah can, with third down conversions coming at a 50% clip, and with the defense the best in the Pac-12 at coming up with third down stops.
Rose Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History
NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, Penn State vs Utah Prediction, Rose Bowl History
Penn State vs Utah Rose Bowl, What’s Going To Happen
Both teams will get terrific offensive line play. Both teams will get great performances out of their respective veteran quarterbacks. Both teams will be tough on the defensive front and make the other side press a bit.
Both teams have pop in the backfield, both teams are great at not beating themselves with mistakes, and both teams will combine for a strong Rose Bowl that should be come down to the final drives.
Utah will be just a wee bit more effective when it has to be. This is where the advantage on third downs will matter.
This won’t be the offensive shootout of last year, but it’ll be an ultra-intense battle with a whole lot of momentum swings and a whole lot of big moments.
Utah will go on one long late scoring drive to pull this off.
Penn State vs Utah Rose Bowl, Prediction, Line
CFN Prediction: Utah 30, Penn State 27
Line: Utah -2.5, o/u: 52.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Rose Bowl Must See Rating (out of 5): 5
CFN Experts Picks: Jan 2 Bowls
Rose Bowl History
Jan. 1, 2022 Ohio State 48, Utah 45
Jan. 1, 2021 Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14
Jan. 1, 2020 Oregon 28, Wisconsin 27
Jan. 1, 2019 Ohio State 28, Washington 23
Jan. 1, 2018 Georgia 54, Oklahoma 48 OT
Jan. 2, 2017 USC 52, Penn State 49
Jan. 1, 2016 Stanford 45 Iowa 16
Jan. 1, 2015 Oregon 59 Florida State 20
Jan. 1, 2014 Michigan State 24 Stanford 20
Jan. 1, 2013 Stanford 20 Wisconsin 14
Jan. 2, 2012 Oregon 45 Wisconsin 38
Jan. 1, 2011 TCU 21 Wisconsin 19
Jan. 1, 2010 Ohio State 26 Oregon 17
Jan. 1, 2009 USC 38 Penn State 24
Jan. 1, 2008 USC 49 Illinois 17
Jan. 1, 2007 USC 32 Michigan 18
Jan. 4, 2006 Texas 41 USC 38
Jan. 1, 2005 Texas 38 Michigan 37
Jan. 1, 2004 USC 28 Michigan 14
Jan. 1, 2003 Oklahoma 34 Washington State 14
Jan. 3, 2002 Miami 37 Nebraska 14
Jan. 1, 2001 Washington 34 Purdue 24
Jan. 1, 2000 Wisconsin 17 Stanford 9
Jan. 1, 1999 Wisconsin 38 UCLA 31
Jan. 1, 1998 Michigan 21 Washington State 16
Jan. 1, 1997 Ohio State 20 Arizona State 17
Jan. 1, 1996 USC 41 Northwestern 32
Jan. 2, 1995 Penn State 38 Oregon 20
Jan. 1, 1994 Wisconsin 21 UCLA 16
Jan. 1, 1993 Michigan 38 Washington 31
Jan. 1, 1992 Washington 34 Michigan 14
Jan. 1, 1991 Washington 46 Iowa 34
Jan. 1, 1990 USC 17 Michigan 10
Jan. 2, 1989 Michigan 22 USC 14
Jan. 1, 1988 Michigan State 20 USC 17
Jan. 1, 1987 Arizona State 22 Michigan 15
Jan. 1, 1986 UCLA 45 Iowa 28
Jan. 1, 1985 USC 20 Ohio State 17
Jan. 2, 1984 UCLA 45 Illinois 9
Jan. 1, 1983 UCLA 24 Michigan 14
Jan. 1, 1982 Washington 28 Iowa 0
Jan. 1, 1981 Michigan 23 Washington 6
Jan. 1, 1980 USC 17 Ohio State 16
Jan. 1, 1979 USC 17 Michigan 10
Jan. 2, 1978 Washington 27 Michigan 20
Jan. 1, 1977 USC 14 Michigan 6
Jan. 1, 1976 UCLA 23 Ohio State 10
Jan. 1, 1975 USC 18 Ohio State 17
Jan. 1, 1974 Ohio State 42 USC 21
Jan. 1, 1973 USC 42 Ohio State 17
Jan. 1, 1972 Stanford 13 Michigan 12
Jan. 1, 1971 Stanford 27 Ohio State 17
Jan. 1, 1970 USC 10 Michigan 3
Jan. 1, 1969 Ohio State 27 USC 16
Jan. 1, 1968 USC 14 Indiana 3
Jan. 2, 1967 Purdue 14 USC 13
Jan. 1, 1966 UCLA 14 Michigan State 12
Jan. 1, 1965 Michigan 34 Oregon State 7
Jan. 1, 1964 Illinois 17 Washington 7
Jan. 1, 1963 USC 42 Wisconsin 37
Jan. 2, 1962 Minnesota 21 UCLA 3
Jan. 2, 1961 Washington 17 Minnesota 7
Jan. 1, 1960 Washington 44 Wisconsin 8
Jan. 1, 1959 Iowa 38 California 12
Jan. 1, 1958 Ohio State 10 Oregon 7
Jan. 1, 1957 Iowa 35 Oregon State 19
Jan. 2, 1956 Michigan State 17 UCLA 14
Jan. 1, 1955 Ohio State 20 USC 7
Jan. 1, 1954 Michigan State 28 UCLA 20
Jan. 1, 1953 USC 7 Wisconsin 0
Jan. 1, 1952 Illinois 40 Stanford 7
Jan. 1, 1951 Michigan 14 California 6
Jan. 2, 1950 Ohio State 17 California 14
Jan. 1, 1949 Northwestern 20 California 14
Jan. 1, 1948 Michigan 49 USC 0
Jan. 1, 1947 Illinois 45 UCLA 14
Jan. 1, 1946 Alabama 34 USC 14
Jan. 1, 1945 USC 25 Tennessee 0
Jan. 1, 1944 USC 29 Washington 0
Jan. 1, 1943 Georgia 9 UCLA 0
Jan. 1, 1942 Oregon State 20 Duke 16
Jan. 1, 1941 Stanford 21 Nebraska 13
Jan. 1, 1940 USC 14 Tennessee 0
Jan. 2, 1939 USC 7 Duke 3
Jan. 1, 1938 California 13 Alabama 0
Jan. 1, 1937 Pittsburgh 21 Washington 0
Jan. 1, 1936 Stanford 7 SMU 0
Jan. 1, 1935 Alabama 29 Stanford 13
Jan. 1, 1934 Columbia 7 Stanford 0
Jan. 2, 1933 USC 35 Pittsburgh 0
Jan. 1, 1932 USC 21 Tulane 12
Jan. 1, 1931 Alabama 24 Washington State 0
Jan. 1, 1930 USC 47 Pittsburgh 14
Jan. 1, 1929 Georgia Tech 8 California 7
Jan. 2, 1928 Stanford 7 Pittsburgh 6
Jan. 1, 1927 Stanford 7 Alabama 7
Jan. 1, 1926 Alabama 20 Washington 19
Jan. 1, 1925 Notre Dame 27 Stanford 10
Jan. 1, 1924 Washington 14 Navy 14
Jan. 1, 1923 USC 14 Penn State 3
Jan. 2, 1922 California 0 Wash. & Jeff. 0
Jan. 1, 1921 California 28 Ohio State 0
Jan. 1, 1920 Harvard 7 Oregon 6
Jan. 1, 1919 Great Lakes-US Navy 17 Mare Island 0
Jan. 1, 1918 Mare Island-USMC 19 Camp Lewis-US Army 7
Jan. 1, 1917 Oregon 14 Pennsylvania 0
Jan. 1, 1916 Washington State 14 Brown 0
Jan. 1, 1902 Michigan 49 Stanford 0
