An Ohio State vs. Oregon rematch in the Rose Bowl is off the table.
Oregon veered off the path to Pasadena on Friday night when it suffered its second blowout loss to Utah in a three-week span, as the Utes dominated the Ducks 38-10 to win their first-ever Pac-12 championship.
Much like in their 38-7 win over Oregon two weeks earlier, Utah dominated the Ducks from the beginning of the game, racing out to a 23-0 lead in the first half. The Utes ran for 191 yards and three touchdowns while they held the Ducks to just 74 rushing yards and 221 total yards of offense. Star Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd returned an interception for a 34-yard touchdown in the first quarter and Utah kicker Jadon Redding drilled a 50-yard field goal before halftime.
With the win, Utah secured a berth in the Rose Bowl for the first time in school history.
If Michigan wins Saturday night's Big Ten Championship Game, that will almost certainly mean a matchup with Ohio State in Pasadena, as the Buckeyes would be in line to go to the Rose Bowl as the Big Ten’s highest-ranked non-playoff team. If Iowa beats Michigan, the Hawkeyes would secure the berth in the Rose Bowl against the Utes, leaving Ohio State to likely play in either the Peach Bowl or Fiesta Bowl.
An Ohio State vs. Utah Rose Bowl would be just the second-ever meeting between the two schools on the football field. The Buckeyes defeated Utah 64-6 in the only previous meeting between the two schools in 1986, well before Urban Meyer brought the Utes to national prominence and paved the way for them to eventually join the Pac-12 in 2011.
