COLUMBUS, Ohio — Will you accept this rose?
No. 6 Ohio State is back in the Rose Bowl for the 16th time in school history to face No. 11 Utah Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. ET.
The Buckeyes have won eight of its 15 previous matchups in Pasadena, Calif., last playing for a Rose Bowl in 2019 against Washington in head coach Urban Meyer's final game with Ohio State.
Ohio State has faced Utah once in school history, beating the Utes, 64-6, with head coach Earle Bruce Sept. 27, 1986.
Heading into the program's first Rose Bowl game in its history, Utah comes in as the Pac-12 champion, beating Oregon, 38-10, Friday.
Utah comes in with the top defense in the Pac-12, allowing an average of 317.4 yards per game and 20.6 points per game. The Utes, led by head coach Kyle Whittingham, also have the No. 2 running game in the conference, averaging 216 yards per game and 5.6 yards per rush with 35 rushing touchdowns.
Ohio State finished at No. 6 in the final College Football Playoff rankings behind Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, Cincinnati and Notre Dame.
Ohio State missed out on a spot in the College Football Playoff after losses to Michigan and Oregon in the 2021 regular season. The Buckeyes were the top-ranked Big Ten team behind No. 2 Michigan.
Final College Football Playoff rankings
1. Alabama
2. Michigan
3. Alabama
4. Cincinnati
5. Notre Dame
6. Ohio State
7. Baylor
8. Ole Miss
9. Oklahoma State
10. Michigan State
11. Utah
12. Pittsburgh
13. BYU
14. Oregon
15. Iowa
16. Oklahoma
17. Wake Forest
18. NC State
19. Clemson
20. Houston
21. Arkansas
22. Kentucky
23. Louisiana
24. San Diego State
25. Texas A&M
