Rose Bowl: #7 Ohio State vs. #11 Utah Preview, Prediction

Utah is appearing in its first Rose Bowl game in program history and take on Ohio State, one of the most seasoned Rose Bowl veterans. Who comes away victorious in the Granddaddy Of Them All?

© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

No bowl outside of the College Football Playoffs – or historically – holds the same weight and prestige of the Rose Bowl. It's importance in college football lore earned it the moniker, "The Granddaddy Of Them All" by legendary sportscaster Keith Jackson.

Pac-12 Champion Utah (10-3) takes on Ohio State (10-2), the highest-ranked Big Ten team outside of Michigan, who made the College Football Playoff. This game means a lot to the Utes, since it's their first Rose Bowl game in program history.

Heisman finalist CJ Stroud will be without at least both of his All American receivers; Garrett Wilson and counterpart Chris Olave opted out of the game in leu of the NFL. Joining them is another pair of All Americans: defensive tackle Haskell Garrett and offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere.

This isn't much more than an inconvenience for the Buckeyes, who roster the nation's deepest and most talented receiving rooms. The absence of Wilson is filled by Jaxon Smith-Njigba– a sophomore who earned All American honors, as well.

All American receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba runs after a reception against Michigan in late November / © Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Ohio State, while known for their explosive passing game, also fields one of the most explosive run games spearheaded by freshman Treyveon Henderson. Henderson led the nation in yards per carry and amassed over 1,000 yards himself.

Utah runs a scheme that's been proven to be an Achilles heel to Ohio State: ground and pound. The Utes ran a physical style of offense that beat down teams like Oregon over and over again. Tavion Thomas finished the regular season with over 1,000 rushing yards and a nation-leading 20 rushing touchdowns.

He wasn't the only one in Salt Lake City carrying the rock– TJ Pledger and Micah Bernard recorded over 80 carries each. Pledger rushed for 671 yards while Bernard came up just shy of 500 yards himself.

Second-leading tackler Nephi Sewell celebrates a tackle against BYU in September / © Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Defensively, Utah also hangs their hat on physicality. Linebacker Devin Lloyd was named First Team All American and is a projected first-round pick. However, he will play in this game first.

It's notable that Utah beat Oregon soundly twice this year and Oregon beat Ohio State soundly in Week 2. Therefore, it's easy to derive that Utah will beat Ohio State easily, right?

While they do run a brand of football that Ohio State's been susceptible to this year, the transitive property in college football is a dangerous line of thinking. With over a month to prepare for Utah under Ryan Day, the Buckeyes should be ready for this one.

Expect Ohio State to attack the air early like they did against Michigan State to scheme the run game away and knock Utah off their game. Should they find a couple of quick scores, this game could spiral away from Utah very quickly.

The pick: Ohio State

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