The Utes are 2021 Pac-12 champions for the first time in program history. Photo courtesy of Utah Athletics
SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah football team won their first Pac-12 Conference Championship. On Friday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the Utes earned a trip to the Rose Bowl.
The Utes earned the title after beating the Oregon Ducks in front of a crowd of 56,511 fans, 38-10. The Utes entered Friday night’s game 0-2 in their first two attempts at a conference title, but hit big in Las Vegas.
Utah takes home the Pac-12 title for the first time in school history. The team clinches its first berth in the Rose Bowl. Utes will play on January 1, 2022 in Pasadena, California. They will compete against a Big Ten team.
According to college football experts, the focus now shifts to the ‘Granddaddy of them all.’ Now that the Utes have won the Pac-12 championship, who the Utes might face in Pasadena on January 1, 2022 is still to be determined. Rose Bowl officials say the game features the Big 10 champion. However, if the conference champion is selected for a College Football Playoff Semifinal, the Tournament of Roses will pick another of the conference’s top teams instead. The announcement comes on Sunday, December 5 on ESPN. The Big Ten championship happens Saturday at 6 p.m. featuring Iowa and Michigan.
The Rose Bowl Stadium, which seats 92,542, is likely to see a lot of University of Utah red due to the closer proximity of Utah fans, as opposed to Big 10 fans who would travel a greater distance. Tickets to the Rose Bowl went on sale November 10 via Ticketmaster. The game kicks off from the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2022 at 2 p.m., Mountain Standard Time.
Another Utah team hopes to bring home a championship – the Utah State Aggies. The Aggies (9-3) are underdogs in Saturday’s Mountain West championship, and KSL 5 Sports anchor Jeremiah Jensen says they’ll struggle if they can’t stop the run.
“The losses that Utah State has had, against BYU, Wyoming and Boise St., those teams were able to run the football against them so they’re gonna have to figure that out,” Jensen tells Amanda Dickson on Utah’s Morning News on Friday.
Kick-off versus San Diego St. from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA is set for 1:00 p.m. Saturday.