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Penn State Football: Predicting the outcome of the Rose Bowl

By Alec Whitaker

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 01: The Penn State Nittany Lion mascot stands with players on the field after the game at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 01: The Penn State Nittany Lion mascot stands with players on the field after the game at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

Andy Adair (Football)

The Rose Bowl. Who would’ve thought that heading into the season, Penn State would be playing in Pasadena this year? Not me.

The Rose Bowl matchup with Utah is about as even as they come. Sean Clifford and Cameron Rising are essentially the same Quarterback. Both teams love to run the ball and control the line of scrimmage. If you put these teams side-to-side in a blind comparison, there is no way to differentiate between the two.

So, how do you predict a game that is a neutral site game between very evenly matched teams?

This game feels like Penn State needs the win more. James Franklin is continuing his struggles against top-10 opponents and is recovering from two very disappointing seasons.

Utah was at the Rose Bowl last season and was beaten by an Ohio State team that didn’t really want to be there. Utah has lost to a really bad Florida team and UCLA and Oregon teams that fell off toward the end of the season.

Prediction Time

It really comes down to the fact that I believe Penn State wants to win this game more than Utah. Penn State has a mix of veterans and young contributors that have created a different culture than the last couple of seasons. I think this group wants to send Ji’Ayir Brown, Sean Clifford, Juice Scruggs, and P.J. Mustipher out with one last victory.

Penn State 29 Utah 27

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