Ohio State vs. Clemson Fiesta Bowl facts

This year, there was a bit of excitement with Washington and Penn State both battling for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

We will have more shortly.

Penn State: After finishing the season with a nine-game winning streak and a victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, the Nittany Lions are back in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 2009. It was the largest comeback in the six-year history of the game.

“We knew we’d come out in the second half and make some adjustment and make a lot of plays the way we did in the second half”, tight end Mike Gesicki said. They say you’re allowed to overcome early setbacks. “It’s on you now, committee”.

If nothing else, though, the Nittany Lions have made things interesting.

Since rebounding from a 39-point thumping against MI on September 24, Penn State (11-2, No. 7 CFP) has won every game, handed No. 2 Ohio State its only loss of the season and on Saturday rallied from a 21-point first-half deficit to end the Badgers’ six-game winning streak.

Coach Clay Helton’s Trojans have won eight games in a row, capped by back-to-back victories over top rivals UCLA and Notre Dame. Penn State sophomore Trace McSorley has been outstanding during the Nittany Lions’ unbeaten run, culminating against Wisconsin with a brilliant 384-yard, four-touchdown performance, his most prolific of the season. “I didn’t hold up that sign”. The Nittany Lions must wait to see if the selection committee rewards them with one of the four coveted playoff spots December 4. Some may say the coaching staff went insane early in the second quarter, but the offensive explosion was something the Badgers had not see all season long. It’s certainly worth tuning in as a fan to let all of it soak in. Their overall record in the Rose Bowl Game is 1-2, with their lone victory in the 1995 Rose Bowl Game against the University of Oregon. He finished the pre-bowl season with 1302 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns.

And McSorley wasn’t the only one putting on a show. With New Year’s Day falling on an NFL Sunday, it will be the only game in the late-afternoon window on January 2, falling between Wisconsin-Western Michigan (Cotton Bowl) and Auburn-Oklahoma (Sugar).

With 58 seconds left in the second quarter, McSorley threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Blacknall, capping an eight-play, 90-yard drive. Yet, when they needed it most, it wasn’t there.

The Badgers took at 31-28 lead very early in the 4th quarter, but could not keep up with the Nittany Lions for the rest of the game.

After Tyler Davis’ 24-yard field goal made it a seven-point game with 5 minutes, 14 seconds to play, the defense clinched it with a big stop on fourth and 1 from the Penn State 24 at the 1:01 mark. The Badgers faced fourth and one from the Penn State 24.

The Big Ten champ Nittany Lions finished just outside of the College Football Playoff, and as such are headed to Pasadena.

And while some assumed that the team, along with their head coach James Franklin, would be upset about missing the playoffs despite winning the Big Ten Championship and beating third-ranked Ohio State, Franklin gave a humbling speech regarding the snub to ESPN. Now, the lobbying can begin – if Franklin wants to.

Despite teams like MI and Ohio State playing in their division of the Big Ten, the future is as bright as ever for Penn State, and Franklin has brought the program back to the top of the college football world. Will it be enough? “I don’t know why, I don’t know what it is, but in the second half we’ve been able to come through and pull out wins”.