Buckeyes and Huskies each making their 15th bowl trip to Pasadena

The Ohio State Buckeyes have won the Big Ten in three of the past five seasons, but this is their first Rose Bowl in nine years. The Buckeyes face the Washington Huskies in a classic Big Ten-Pac 12 matchup in the Granddaddy of Them All in Pasadena, Calif. on New Year’s Day.

Ohio State won their conference in 2014 but didn’t play in the Rose Bowl because they were in the first College Football Playoff on their way to a national championship. In 2017 the Buckeyes were Big Ten champs again, but the Rose Bowl was used as one of the Playoff semifinals. Ohio State just missed out on the four-team Playoff this season, finishing the regular season ranked fifth.

Washington, Pac-12 champs for the first time in 18 years, is ranked ninth.

It sets up a classic Rose Bowl matchup, with both Ohio State and Washington making their 15th appearance in Pasadena, tied for third-most in bowl history. But despite the relatively frequent trips by both schools, this marks the first time Washington and Ohio State will have faced one another in the Rose Bowl.

This is the 12th meeting all-time between Ohio State and Washington, and the first at a neutral site. The Buckeyes led the series, 8-3, with their last meeting a 33-14 win at Ohio State in 2007.

Ohio State vs. Washington prediction

The Buckeyes are projected to win by three points by S&P+, with Bill Connelly noting, “Washington is good at turning any game into a defensive slog, and Ohio State’s good at giving anyone enough big plays to make things exciting. Something’s! Got! To give!”

Time, TV channel, and streaming info

• Time: 5 p.m. ET
• Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
• TV: ESPN
• Streaming: WatchESPN
• Odds: Ohio State is favored by 6½ points.

Rose Bowl news

With Ryan Day set to take over head coaching duties from Urban Meyer in 2019, defensive coordinator Greg Schiano’s future with Ohio State is up in the air. “I’m excited about the future of Ohio State. But we’re going to see where that all goes,” Schiano told reporters on Dec. 27. “After the game is when we will deal with all that stuff. I’m not overly concerned with any of it.”