Pac-12 champion Utah faces Penn State in 109th Rose Bowl

By The Associated Press

No. 7 Utah (10-3, Pac-12) vs No. 9 Penn State (10-2, Big Ten), Jan. 2, 5 p.m. ET

LOCATION: Pasadena, California

TOP PLAYERS

Utah: QB Cam Rising, 2,939 yards passing, 409 yards rushing, 31 touchdowns (25 passing, 6 rushing), 7 interceptions.

Penn State: QB Sean Clifford, 2,543 yards passing, 22 touchdowns, 7 interceptions.

NOTABLE

Utah: The Utes became the third team in Pac-12 history to win back-to-back conference championship games with a 47-24 victory over Southern California. They are the first Pac-12 school to be headed to Pasadena two straight years since Stanford, which appeared in the 2013 and ’14 games.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions are headed back to the Granddaddy of Them All for the first time since the 2016 season. They have won four straight games by an average of 31.3 points after a 44-31 loss to Ohio State on Oct. 29.

LAST TIME

First meeting. Utah is the only Pac-12 school that Penn State has not faced.

BOWL HISTORY

Utah: Second appearance in the Rose Bowl, 25th bowl game in school history (17-7).

Penn State: Fifth appearance in the Rose Bowl (fourth since joining the Big Ten), 52nd bowl game in school history (30-19-2).

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