Utah State celebrates after defeating the San Diego State during an NCAA college football game for the Mountain West Conference Championship, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Carson, Calif. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
UTAH STATE VS OREGON STATE – JIMMY KIMMEL LA BOWL
Utah State (10-3, Mountain West) vs Oregon State (7-5, Pac-12) in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, Dec. 18, 5:30 p.m. MT on ABC
LOCATION: Inglewood, California
TOP PLAYERS
Utah State: QB Logan Bonner, 3,560 yards passing, 36 touchdowns.
Oregon State: RB B.J. Baylor, conference-high 1,259 yards rushing, 13 touchdowns.
NOTABLE
Utah State: Won a surprise Mountain West title with a 46-13 victory against West Division champion San Diego State for just the fourth 10-win season in school history.
Oregon State: Finished third in the Pac-12 North at 5-4 and is 3-3 in its last six games.
LAST TIME
Oregon State 20, Utah State 16. (Oct. 3, 1998)
BOWL HISTORY
Utah State: First appearance in LA Bowl; ninth bowl game in the last 11 seasons after playing in six bowl games in its first 119 years.
Oregon State: First appearance in LA Bowl; 18th bowl game appearance overall and first since 2013.
#12 BYU VS UAB – RADIANCE TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENCE BOWL
No. 12 BYU (10-2, Independent) vs. UAB (8-4, Conference USA) in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, Dec. 18. 1:30 p.m. MT on ABC.
LOCATION: Shreveport, Louisiana
TOP PLAYERS
BYU: RB Tyler Allgeier, 1,409 yards rushing, 20 touchdowns.
UAB: RB DeWayne McBride, 1,188 yards rushing, 12 touchdowns.
NOTABLE
BYU: The Cougars, who have been competing as an independent since 2011, will join the Big 12 Conference for the 2023-24 season.
UAB: The Blazers program was eliminated for financial reasons in 2014, but an outcry from alumni brought it back quickly. The program was reinstated in 2017 and UAB went to three consecutive bowl games from 2017-19.
LAST TIME
The teams have never met in football.
BOWL HISTORY
BYU: This is the Cougars’ 39th bowl appearance since 1974 and 16th in the last 17 seasons.
UAB: The Blazers have a 1-3 record in four prior bowl appearances.
#10 UTAH VS #7 OHIO STATE – ROSE BOWL
Ohio State (10-2, Big Ten) vs. Utah (10-3, Pac-12) in the Rose Bowl, Jan. 1, 3 p.m. MT on ESPN.
LOCATION: Pasadena, California
TOP PLAYERS
Ohio State: QB C.J. Stroud (3,862 yards passing, 38 touchdowns) is the first player in Big Ten history to be named the conference’s offensive player of the year, freshman of the year and quarterback of the year in the same season.
Utah: RB Tavion Thomas (1,041 yards rushing) is tied for the Football Bowl Subdivision lead with 20 touchdowns on the ground.
NOTABLE
Ohio State: The Buckeyes lead the nation in total offense (551.4 yards per game) and scoring offense (45.5 ppg), and are fifth in passing offense (364.9 ypg).
Utah: The Utes began the season 1-2 but have won nine of their last 10, including the Pac-12 championship for the first time. LB Devin Lloyd is the only Power Five player with at least 14.5 tackles for loss (22) and multiple interceptions (four).
LAST TIME
Ohio State 64, Utah 6 (Sept. 27, 1986)
BOWL HISTORY
Ohio State: 16th appearance in Rose Bowl, 6-3 record in College Football Playoff era.
Utah: First appearance in Rose Bowl, first trip to a New Year’s Six game since 2009 Sugar Bowl.