Consistent with conference tie-ins, the game was played between
Big Ten Conference representative Ohio State and
Pac-12 Conference champion Utah. The teams were officially welcomed to
Southern California at
Disneyland on December 27. This marked the second meeting between the teams; they first met on September 27, 1986, at
Ohio Stadium where Ohio State defeated Utah, 64–6.
Ohio State Buckeyes The Buckeyes, the co-champions of the Big Ten Conference East Division, made their 16th trip to Pasadena to compete in a Rose Bowl Game. Ohio State finished their regular season with an overall 10–2 record, 8–1 in Big Ten games. Their losses came to
Oregon in the second week of the season, and to
Michigan at the end of the season. The loss to Michigan dropped the Buckeyes out of a spot in the
College Football Playoff. Ohio State defeated three ranked teams during the regular season:
Penn State,
Purdue, and
Michigan State. Quarterback C.J. Stroud placed fourth in the annual
Heisman Trophy race.
Utah Utes Winners of the Pac-12 championship, this was the first Rose Bowl Game for the Utes. Utah finished their regular season with a 9–3 overall record, 8–1 in Pac-12 play. Their losses came to
BYU,
San Diego State, and
Oregon State. The Utes then faced Oregon in the
Pac-12 Championship Game, a rematch between the teams. Utah had defeated Oregon on November 20 by a 38–7 score, and defeated them again for the Pac-12 title, 38–10. The Utes entered the Rose Bowl with an overall 10–3 record. ==Game summary==