The Buckeyes head to the Rose Bowl as a consolation for missing out on the College Football Playoff.<\/b>
\nPASADENA, Calif. (AP) \u2014 Ohio State\u2019s consolation prize for missing out on the College Football Playoff is a classic matchup in the Granddaddy of Them All.
The Big Ten champion Buckeyes (12-1) will face Pac-12 champ Washington (10-3) in the 105th edition of the Rose Bowl game.
For the first time in college football\u2019s playoff era, the champion of the Pac-12 will meet the champion of the Big Ten on New Year\u2019s Day in Pasadena. That\u2019s a welcome return to the traditional matchup for this tradition-soaked bowl game \u2014 and both schools have been away from the Rose Bowl long enough to make the trip likely irresistible for fans.
\u201cWe ended up right where we hoped to be, facing an awesome team in a big-time game that has so much history with this school and this program,\u201d Washington coach Chris Petersen said. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t be more excited about going down there. It couldn\u2019t be more awesome for our fans and where we recruit and those types of things.\u201d
Ohio State finished sixth in the race for four playoff spots despite winning the Big Ten title for the third time in five years. The Buckeyes trounced Northwestern 45-24 on Saturday night, one week after routing archrival Michigan in their annual showdown.
A blowout loss to Purdue in October doomed the Buckeyes, but their second trip to Pasadena in 22 years is a pretty decent finish to an eventful season under coach Urban Meyer.
\u201cI know they\u2019re always good,\u201d said Petersen, who spent time in Columbus with Meyer shortly after getting the job at Washington. \u201cI know the job Urban does and how he coaches. They\u2019re always going to be a team that is very elite whether they\u2019re in the four-team playoff or right there. That\u2019s kind of how he does it.\u201d
The Huskies (10-3) are in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 18 years after overcoming a disappointing start to the season with four straight wins in November, including a snowy Apple Cup win over Washington State and a defense-dominated victory over Utah in the Pac-12 title game last Friday.
Washington still won the Pac-12 for the second time in three years.
Things to know about this matchup:
Ohio State will be led into Pasadena by Heisman Trophy hopeful Dwayne Haskins, who led the nation with 47 touchdown passes and finished with 4,580 yards passing in a spectacular season. The sophomore\u2019s emergence has been a remarkable development for the Buckeyes, who rode his steady playmaking to another conference crown.
Washington has its own headlining offensive stars in quarterback Jake Browning and running back Myles Gaskin, the school\u2019s career rushing leader. But Petersen\u2019s team wasn\u2019t fully satisfied with its season, which included an opening loss to Auburn and two defeats in three games during October.
The matchup contrasts the Buckeyes\u2019 powerful offense with the Huskies\u2019 imposing defense. Ohio State finished in the national top 10 with 43.5 points per game, while Washington had a top-10 defense, allowing just 15.5 points per game.
The schools will be meeting for the 12th time, but the first since 2007. Jim Tressel\u2019s Buckeyes beat Tyrone Willingham\u2019s Huskies 33-14.
Petersen said he has a \u201creally good\u201d relationship with Meyer: \u201cKnown him for a while. Lot of respect for him. When I first came here, I went back (to Columbus) and spent a few days with him, and he was awesome to me. I really appreciate him and the job that he has done and all the hard things coaches go through and all that. Have a lot of respect for him.\u201d<\/p>\n