Written by Garin Turner
Two teams familiar with the “Granddaddy of Them All” will go head-to-head in the Rose Bowl Game as the #6 Ohio State Buckeyes face the #9 Washington Huskies on January 1, in Pasadena, California at 5 PM EST on ESPN. For the Buckeyes, it’s their 15th Rose Bowl appearance but head coach Urban Meyers first. The Buckeyes hold a 7-7 record all-time in the Rose Bowl but has won its last two appearances. This marks the 11th time these two teams have faced each other with Ohio State holding an 8-3 record. It’s also the Huskies 15th Rose Bowl appearance. They have a 7-6-1 Rose Bowl Record.
Ohio State won its second straight Big Ten title when they defeated the Northwestern Wildcats. The Buckeyes boast the nations second best total offense at 548.8 yards a game and also second in passing offense at 373 yards a game and eighth in scoring offense with 43.5 points a game. Ohio State enters the game with a 12-1 record. They started the season off with seven straight wins before losing to Purdue which probably cost them a spot in the CFP. Heisman Finalist hopeful Dwayne Haskins has put up stellar numbers this year. He has 4,580 yards passing with 47 touchdowns.
For the Huskies, they won the Pac 12 championship game by defeating Utah to finish the regular season at 10-3. After losing to Auburn (9th at the time) in the opener, the Huskies went on a five-game winning streak before dropping a game in overtime to the then 17th ranked Oregon Ducks. After its third loss of the season, they are now on a four-game winning streak including back to back wins over ranked teams. All-Pac 12 quarterback Jake Browning has 2,879 passing yards on the season with 16 touchdowns. This will be their 16th overall appearance in the Rose Bowl game, however, it’s their first since 2001, when they defeated Drew Brees and the Purdue Boilermakers.
