2023 Rose Bowl: Penn State (11) vs. Utah (8) Odds, Prediction

Payton Matthews | Updated Dec 28, 2022

Penn State will rep the Big Ten Conference while Utah is the Pac-12 participant in the oldest active bowl game, the annual Rose Bowl, on January 2.

Penn State
10-2
AT
January 02, 2023, 5:00 PM ET
Rose Bowl
Utah
10-3
Pointspread -1.5 -107
Moneyline -123
Over / Under o +55

62%

Betting Action

38%

Pointspread +1.5 -113
Moneyline +102
Over / Under u +55

62%

Betting Action

38%

The most storied college football bowl game is the Rose Bowl from Pasadena, Calif., and this season No. 11 Penn State faces No. 8 Utah on Monday, Jan. 2. The Utes are 2.5-point favourites with a total of 52.5 on the NCAAF odds.

Rose Bowl Betting Analysis

The Rose Bowl annually hosts a Pac-12 team vs. a Big Ten one unless it is part of the College Football Playoff. The CFP will expand to 12 schools starting in the 2024 season, but that only became finalized when the Rose Bowl signed off on some stipulations. It wanted assurances it could keep the Pac-12 vs. Big Ten matchup and the 5 p.m. ET timeslot on New Year’s Day – one of the most important time slots of the entire season – and the CFP said it would accommodate both whenever possible. New Year’s Day is on a Sunday this time around, so that’s why the Rose Bowl is being played on Jan. 2.

It’s the first-ever meeting between Penn State and Utah. The Nittany Lions are in the Rose Bowl for a fifth time and first since losing a 52-49 shootout to USC following the 2016 campaign to fall to 1-3 in this game. Utah made the Rose Bowl for the first time last season and lost a 48-45 thriller to Ohio State.

PSU didn’t play a Pac-12 opponent this season and Utah didn’t face a Big Ten foe.

Penn State Nittany Lions (11)

Penn State (10-2) beat the 10 unranked opponents it faced this season but lost by 24 at No. 5 Michigan and by 13 against No. 2 Ohio State. The Nittany Lions easily would have been the best team in the Big Ten West Division but are stuck in the same East with those two powerhouses. It will be the final NCAA game for quarterback Sean Clifford, who has been at Penn State since his 2017 true freshman redshirt season. He threw for 2,543 yards and 22 TDs this year and holds many career school passing records.

Former mega-recruit running back Nicholas Singleton was named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year. Singleton broke PSU’s freshman rushing TD record with 10, ranked fourth during the season among FBS freshmen with 941 rushing yards and led in averaging 6.32 yards per carry.

The Utes are Penn State’s 32nd different bowl opponent all-time. PSU hasn’t faced a Pac-12 team since the 2017 Fiesta Bowl vs. Washington, a 35-28 win. Coach James Franklin got mostly good news in terms of guys not playing in this game. The only two opt-outs are receiver Parker Washington and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. The Lions are 6-0 ATS in their past six games.

Utah Utes (8)

Utah (10-3) is always one of the nation’s most well-coached teams by Kyle Whittingham and this year was no different. All three of the Utes’ losses were on the road and two by just a field goal. They upset No. 4 Southern Cal 47-24 in the Pac-12 title game, beating the Trojans and Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams for the second time in 2022. That knocked USC out of the running for the College Football Playoff and allowed Ohio State to sneak in. Had Utah been able to win at No. 12 Oregon on Nov. 19 instead of losing 20-17, the Utes may have made the playoff.

Leading rusher Tavion Thomas (687 yards, seven TDs) was lost for the season in that Oregon game. Tight end Dalton Kincaid (70 catches, 890 yards, eight TDs) and star cornerback Clark Phillips III opted out of this one. The Utes are 4-1 ATS in their past five.

Rose Bowl Prediction: Who Will Win Penn State vs. Utah?

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