Where has time time gone?

It only feels like yesterday that Urban Meyer was named the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes over at the Fawcett Center. An exciting and emotional moment, as one cameraperson actually feinted (then again, the room was pretty warm and that could have had something to do with that).

There will be plenty of time to look back at Meyer's career after the Rose Bowl. At this time however, there is one game left in his coaching career as the Buckeyes are looking to finish off the season with a resounding win over the Washington Huskies.

Washington comes in as the Pac-12 champion and will be no pushover and would love nothing more than to ruin the final chapter in Meyer's coaching book.

How do we see this game shaping up and breaking down? We make our final picks of the season.

Even before Urban Meyer announced his impending retirement, I like Ohio State in this game. That does not mean that Washington does not pose a lot of problems for the Buckeyes. A talented running game with a high-power running back in Myles Gaskin that can run inside and outside as well as a veteran quarterback that has had some brilliant moments in his career along with a defense that is more than capable.

Ohio State has faced a team like that before though, and put 62 points up on them (and gave up 39 points at that matter). Michigan had an even more powerful defense (No. 1 rated) a good, sometimes really good, quarterback in Shea Patterson and a solid runner in Karan Higdon. Ohio State fans liked how that one went.

Back to this game however, still keeping the Meyer news out of the equation. Washington may have faced a powerful passing offense with Washington State in the Apple Cup, but that was in a substantial snowstorm and that just is not in the forecast for the Rose Bowl. Ohio State's running game may not be up to its yearly standards, but Washington State is second to last in the nation and is the poster child for an unbalanced offense.

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Ohio State's defense is likely going to give up a chunk play or three in this one. Washington is Pac-12 champs for a reason and while they are likely not truly a top-10 team when you break down everything, they still deserve to be in this game and will give the Buckeyes some fits.

With all of that being said, Ohio State's offense is going to blitz this defense rather than the other way around. Dwayne Haskins will have a big game in his final game as a Buckeye while the swan song tour will see Terry McLaurin, Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon and Mike Weber all have big games in their final games as Buckeyes on offense while Dre'mont Jones will have something special in order too on the defensive side of the ball against a quarterback that has a certain knack for getting sacked.

Finally putting the whole Urban Meyer story in this, the Buckeyes are not going to come into this game unmotivated. It will be quite the opposite. This team loves Urban Meyer. This team feels that Urban Meyer was wronged with his early season suspension. This team is going to go all out to win this 'meaningless exhibition', because you know what? It is not meaningless to them. They will give their all and while they may not execute at 100-percent, we are going to see a team that closely resembles the Buckeyes' team that came out against Michigan and there won't be much that will slow down the Buckeyes before Meyer signals for victory formation. Ohio State 48 Washington 20

Although Ohio State is not playing on December 29 like it would have liked to, the Buckeyes have a fairly nice consolation prize in facing the Washington Huskies in the Rose Bowl for Urban Meyer's final game. Washington is led by its defense (3rd in S&P+ defense; 34th in offense). The Huskies play an unorthodox 2-4-5, Rip/Liz pattern matching cover 3. Washington's basic concept is to funnel the football to the back seven. They feature two space eaters as defensive tackles, whose job is to eat up blocks and let the Mike linebacker and hybrid field side nickel make tackles.

Ohio State's advantage remains the same one it has had much of the season -- getting its slot receivers Parris Campbell and K.J. Hill singled up on Washington's nickel defenders. The Huskies have struggled to create pressure this season. So if Ohio State can provide Dwayne Haskins (also likely playing his final game) adequate time they should have offensive success. Look for the Buckeyes to control the football with vertical stems on the outside and shallow crossing routes -- before taking shots downfield to its H wide receivers.

The oft-maligned Ohio State defense faces an oft-maligned Washington offense. While the Buckeyes' biggest problem has been allowing explosive plays, the Huskies are not a particularly explosive offense. As always, if Ohio State can keep the football in front of them, put Washington behind schedule, and rely upon its defensive line to create pressure, the Buckeye defense can get off the field. It is hard for me to imagine Meyer ending his career with a loss in this game. Ohio State 32 Washington 26

If there is one concern heading into this game for Ohio State it has to be the health of the offensive line. Wyatt Davis will get the start again for Demetrius Knox and both tackles, Thayer Munford and Isaiah Prince, have some issues they are dealing with, Munford's especially seems like it has a chance to keep him out of the game.

But for a team that hasn't made a lot of trips to Pasadena in recent history and a team that is looking to send Urban Meyer out the right way, I don't think you can find a more motivated group for a bowl game in the new playoff era.

Washington has had its ups and downs this season but is extremely well coached so I expect some interesting things early in this game be it personnel packages or trick plays that the Buckeyes probably haven't seen on tape during December film study.

Ultimately Ohio State has more talent and will be plenty motivated for this game. I think Ohio State plays loose and aggressive and sends Urban Meyer into retirement with a W. Ohio State 38 Washington 28

It's Urban Meyer's last game. That alone makes it difficult to envision anything but an Ohio State win in the Rose Bowl. But that is easier said than done. This Washington team, despite playing in a weak conference and having three losses is better than their record and their schedule. Their defeats were by a grand total of three points and they are a talented team capable of giving the Buckeyes everything they can handle.

For sure, Ohio State hasn't exactly struggled against quality defenses recently. A pair of top 25 defenses -- Michigan and Northwestern -- were carved up like Thanksgiving turkey by the Ohio State passing game. Nonetheless, that doesn't guarantee success against the Huskies. Offensively, this team has been a slight disappointment relative to expectations, but with an experienced QB (Jake Browning) and a solid run game, they're capable of scoring points against Ohio State.

I anticipate this will be a competitive game but in the end, I think the motivation to send Meyer off into the sunset will be enough. Ohio State 34 Washington 21

Ohio State wraps the season up in the Rose Bowl, a game that's lost some luster since the introduction of the College Football Playoff (when not one of the playoff games), but still a contest riddled with history. Especially at Ohio State, where classic showdowns against USC and other PAC-12 foes often carried national title implications in the 1950s, '60s and '70s.

No indication of players sitting this one out for NFL aspirations and plenty of quotes about what this season means point to a motivated mindset for the Buckeyes. Oh, and it's also coach Urban Meyer's last game.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins rides in with three straight games over 390 passing yards. Washington's pass defense ranks 19th in the country, thanks in part to sophomore defensive back Byron Murphy's four interceptions. Not too shabby, but Michigan's pass defense ranked 1st. Haskins slung five touchdowns in that game.

Washington's offense sounds better in theory than it looks on paper. Experienced quarterback Jake Browning is joined by star senior running back Myles Gaskin and up-and-coming sophomore ball carrier Salvon Ahmed in the backfield. That's a lot of talent back from a unit that ranked 17th in scoring last year. Why it's dropped all the way to 89th is a puzzle.

Ohio State comes out fired up for a long haul, and while Washington hits a big play early due to some over-pursuit, this isn't a game I see staying close long into the second half. There's talent disparity, boatloads of motivation, momentum, everything going for Ohio State ahead of this one. Ohio State 49 Washington 27

This will be one of the more interesting matchups in this year's slate of bowls this season and it will take place in one of the greatest venues in sport with "the grandaddy of them all," the Rose Bowl, pinning the Big Ten Champion against the Pac-12 Champion. Ohio State has the edge on a number of fronts and the issues with the Buckeyes are really the issues that have been around for the balance of the season.

The Buckeyes will be determined to send out Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer on a high note with a win in a bowl that he has always wanted to coach in, but has eluded him. The offensive firepower is apparent for the Buckeyes with Heisman finalist Dwayne Haskins, in possibly his last game in Scarlet & Gray, along with Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon, Terry McLaurin and Chris Olave on the outside with J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber controlling the ball on the ground. It will be an offense that a statistically good Washington defense has not seen thus far this season.

The real challenge for Ohio State and has been for much of the year is to limit the big plays on defense. With Washington senior quarterback Jake Browning and senior running back Myles Gaskin, it will make for some unnerving moments for the Buckeye defense. Which Buckeye defense will show up to the Rose Bowl? The one that struggled for much of the season or the defense that throttled Michigan and handled Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship game?

While the Buckeyes will have moments where they let a big play or two and lose contain or miss a tackle, perhaps against Washington wide receivers Aaron Fuller and Andre Baccellia, I see a big effort from all units on defense as well as the offense continuing to hum along. Expect Haskins, Dre'Mont Jones and the seniors to have big games while the young players contribute and complement those efforts. Ohio State 45 Washington 14

The Granddaddy of them all will be the passing of the proverbial torch from Meyer to Day and the game will leave a good finishing note on Urban Meyer’s legacy this year. Getting into the Rose Bowl is never a bad deal, and getting to finish your legacy with a victory in it is about as good as it gets, sub winning the Natty. I look for JK Dobbins and Mike Weber to have success in this one, but Dwayne Haskins will make his case for being the #1 overall pick in his final showcase before he goes pro (I’m sure his Rose Bowl afterparty in LA will NOT suck as the owner of the venue has filled me in on the particulars). I look for 500 plus passing yards in this one, and Meyer will have his third #1 overall QB of his coaching career.

Defensively, I believe this could be the last ride for more than one of the defensive coaches. This is a Tuf Borland kind of game, as stopping Washington’s gap running schemes calls for a linebacker of his skill set. Our defense better stay gap sound in this one, as Washington destroyed Washington State due to their defense never being in the proper gaps. I also call for a Jordan Fuller INT and a huge game in his final time in an OSU uni as well. Ohio State 45 Washington 35

It is hard to believe that Urban Meyer’s final game as an OSU HC is here. His tenure has been the greatest run in school history and the fact that he is leaving on his own terms has bucked the trend of OSU coaches getting fired to end their illustrious tenures. While the Rose Bowl is nowhere near what it used to be in terms of prestige and stature, it is a decent retirement gift for Coach Meyer and family. The key to winning it will be to stop Washington’s rushing attack led by Myles Gaskin and a good offensive line. This line helped steamroll Washington State in the Apple Cup in a terrible snowstorm, and has been without their star left tackle Trey Adams, who will play in the Rose Bowl after making his season debut in the PAC 12 championship game (I wouldn’t be shocked if he went pro if he plays well in the Rose Bowl).

Defensively, a disappointing season has a chance to end on a high note versus the Washington running attack. Dre’Mont has a chance to really make his mark in his final game and I look forward to seeing our defense step up and stop the run. These guys can make a lot of the ugly from this year go away with a statement effort in this one, and I am very happy they ended up with Washington over a more explosive Washington State team. Ohio State 42 Washington 28

This is it. It’s my last prediction as your official fictional football coach at The Ohio State University. It’s been a lot of fun. Occasionally my scores have been dead on (see Oklahoma 2016 when we saddened him long before he saddened us) and other times I’ve truly screwed up some predictions (Iowa 2017/Purdue 2018). Now we’re off to Pasadena where my squad hopes to send me out in the Rose Bowl that’s presented by Northwestern Mutual.

Speaking of Northwestern, it’s crazy to think it’s been a month since we dispatched those crazy cats in Indianapolis. If you remember, our offense continued it’s dominant play. Our defense remains a concern. We gave up some stupid long runs once again. We spent the majority of December working about how to tackle. Let’s hope it carries over to January.

Now we face a Washington team that thinks it can beat us offensively by reverting to the trick play. Expect to see a lot of trickery from their coach who resembles a chipmunk. Hell, he tried and succeeded that Statue of Liberty play back when he coached stupid Boise State in a game a few years back. Expect Coach Chipmunk to try cute things to get his team to move the ball.

Sure the Huskies have a decent defense. Remember we struggle against really good defenses (62-39 🙂). We will move the ball at will and as long as we avoid turnovers, this game will be over by halftime, sending Coach Chipmunk and his Huskies back to Seattle with big frowns on their faces. Ohio State 38 Washington 21