Report: Ohio State Could Play In Orange Bowl, Not Rose Bowl If It Misses Playoff

The Buckeyes have traveled to Pasadena twice in the last four seasons and bowl officials would like to avoid a repeat matchup.

While Ohio State will watch conference championship weekend from home following its 45-23 loss to Michigan, the Buckeyes could still sneak into the College Football Playoff if No. 3 TCU and/or No. 4 USC fall in the Big XII or Pac-12 title games.

If both teams win, though, Ohio State will head to a non-playoff New Year’s Six bowl for the fifth time in eight seasons. And while Pasadena would be the most likely destination in the past, The Athletic reported this week the Rose Bowl would “strongly consider” taking Penn State instead.

If Ohio State finishes No. 5, the Rose Bowl strongly considering taking No. 8 Penn State instead due to Buckeyes' recent appearances, sources tell @TheAthletic. https://t.co/Sh7mRIKIWs

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) November 30, 2022

The Buckeyes have played in “The Granddaddy of Them All” twice in the last four seasons, and a third appearance would likely pair them with either Washington or Utah, who they beat in 2019 and 2022, respectively. Choosing the Nittany Lions would avoid a repeat matchup, meanwhile.

The Rose Bowl historically takes the highest-ranked Big Ten team when the conference champion makes the playoff. However, with Ohio State at No. 5 and Penn State at No. 8, officials can “select a team from that cluster that will result in the best possible matchup for the Rose Bowl.”

The Nittany Lions have not been to Pasadena since 2017 and their fans would welcome the opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, sold just 13,000 of their 20,000 allotted tickets for last season’s game, and a similar situation would likely unfold this year.

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Of course, if Purdue beats Michigan in the Big Ten title game on Saturday, the Boilermakers would go to the Rose Bowl as the conference champion. But with either result, Ohio State would likely play in the Orange Bowl for the first time since 2014 against the ACC champion.

The Buckeyes would face Clemson or North Carolina in that scenario, possibly creating a rematch of the Tigers’ 40-35 win in the 2014 Orange Bowl. It would also their fourth meeting in the last 10 seasons, including the 2016 and 2019 Fiesta bowls and 2021 Sugar Bowl, which were all playoff semifinals.

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