Rose Bowl Prediction: #8 Utah Utes vs #11 Penn State Nittany Lions

The Rose Bowl pits the Pac 12 champs against the third best team from the Big Ten, but it should still be a good game

Location: Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
When: January 2nd - 5:00 PM ET
Network: ESPN
Spread: Utah -1.5

IB has broken down the game and now it's time for us to make our predictions.

BRYAN DRISKELL, PUBLISHER

Prediction: Utah 27, Penn State 20

I'll be honest, this is one of the toughest games to predict, partly because I haven't been enamored with either team this year. Utah did finish the season off in very impressive fashion by blasting USC in the Pac 12 title game. Penn State, to me, was one of the most overrated teams in the country. They beat up on a soft schedule and lost to the only two good teams they played all season (Michigan, Ohio State).

Having said that, Penn State did in the final month what a good team is supposed to do, and that is they blasted the opponents they faced. The Nittany Lions won each of their final four games by at least 19 points, and all but the 35-16 win over Michigan State was by at least 30 points.

Utah scuffled down the stretch but finished things off with a huge win over USC. Not having Clark Phillips could be a problem, but Penn State will also be without its best wideout and its best cornerback in Joey Porter Jr. I've been back and forth on this game all week, but at the end of the day I'm going with Utah for two reasons. One is I have a bit more faith in Cam Rising than I do Sean Clifford, and Utah's run defense was outstanding in the final second half of the season.

VINCE DEDARIO, FOOTBALL ANALYST

Prediction: Utah 47, Penn State 24

It is still crazy to me that the third best team in the Big Ten is their representative in the Rose Bowl. I do not think I will ever be ok with the fact that this is the case. At least the Pac12 got to send their champ to the game. Oh how I long for the old days when it comes to the bowl games but that is a different argument. In this particular game based on what I saw in the PAC12 Championship and really from the Utes all season. Penn State has been just average for me and has racked up wins against sub par Big 10 competition. The to biggest games they had this year they lost by double digits. This is another big game and frankly I trust Utah more on the big stage.

RYAN ROBERTS, DIRECTOR OF RECRUITING

Prediction: Utah 27, Penn State 24

Penn State has been a peculiar team this season. They are talented, as they always are but they have had an easy schedule that hasn’t challenged much. They head into this game against Utah with one of their most daunting tasks this season.

Utah has been a bit up and down at times but they have made their living off of limited mistakes in the passing game, a downhill running attack and advantageous defensive effort. They are able to squeak out a couple of big plays in this one.

SHAUN DAVIS, RECRUITING ANALYST

Prediction: Utah 27, Penn State 21

This heavyweight fight is going to be a physical one and it might take a while for one side to flinch. The Nittany Lions will be used to the way Utah plays, because of their Big Ten pedigree, so the counter punch for both teams will be key, and that’s the performances of both quarterbacks. Quarterbacks Cam Rising and Sean Clifford will determine who wins this one in the fourth quarter.

SEAN STIRES, STAFF WRITER

Prediction: Utah 36, Penn State 31

Penn State’s losses are to CFP teams Michigan and Penn State by a combined 85 points, but the Nittany Lions allowed just 131 total points in their other 10 games. Utah lost a classic to Ohio State in last year’s Rose Bowl, while Penn State has dropped seven straight games to ranked teams.

ANDREW MCDONOUGH, IB CONTRIBUTOR

Prediction: Utah 38, Penn State 20

Utah is missing TE Dalton Kincaid and RB Tavion Thomas but Kyle Whittingham's program has been the model of consistency and the "next man up" mentality over the past decade. On the other sideline, Penn State is dealing with its own opt outs (notably WR Parker Washington and CB Joey Porter Jr.), evening things out from a roster perspective. The battle-tested Utes behind QB Cam Rising will control this one from start to finish and capture the Rose Bowl against a Penn State team that won 10 games without defeating a single ranked opponent. Utah lost a heartbreaker in the Rose Bowl to Ohio State last season, but win the "Granddaddy of them all" this time.

Irish Breakdown Fans be sure to get your Notre Dame tickets from SI Tickets HERE

Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge

Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Follow me on Gettr: @IrishBreakdown
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter

Add us as a preferred source on Google