After another Pac-12 championship, Utah is back in the Rose Bowl for a second straight year and looking to avenge last year’s Rose Bowl loss to claim its first ever Rose Bowl title. To do so, it will have to beat a 10-win Penn State team which only lost to Michigan and Ohio State. Utah is favored by less than a field goal.
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There are a handful of opt-outs for Monday’s game, including running back Tavion Thomas, a two-year starter for Utah. He has not played since the Utes’ loss to Oregon on Nov. 19 and has declared for the NFL Draft. Thomas was Utah’s leading rusher for the second year in a row. All-Pac 12 TE Dalton Kincaid, the team’s leading receiver, and All-American CB Clark Phillips III have also opted out.
On the Penn State side, leading wide receiver Parker Washington and top cornerback Joey Porter Jr. have also declared for the draft and will not play in Monday’s game. Washington had previously been injured and had already missed two regular season games before declaring for the draft.
Without those two it will be a significant test for a Penn State team that has dominated lesser competition this season, but struggled with the two top-10 teams it played. Michigan blew Penn State away 41-17, but the Nittany Lions had a fourth-quarter lead against Ohio State before faltering late.
Utah has two very impressive wins over USC this season, including a dominant win in the Pac-12 Championship Game that not only clinched its Rose Bowl spot, but also knocked USC out of playoff contention.
Quarterback Cameron Rising leads a Utah offense that has been one of the nation’s best this year, averaging more than 40 points per game. Penn State is led by Sean Clifford who will be making his 47th career start.
What is the spread for Utah vs. Penn State?
Odds update live and are from BetMGM. Click here for more odds.
How to watch and stream Penn State vs. Utah
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET Monday, Jan. 2, from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. You can also stream the game on the ESPN app with authentication.
Storylines for Penn State vs. USC
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Expert picks
Picks are made straight up and not against the spread.
(Photo of Cameron Rising: Rob Gray / USA Today)
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