On Monday, Utah returns to the Rose Bowl.

The Pac-12 champions take on Penn State in ‘The Granddaddy of Them All,’ hoping for redemption. This time last year, the Utes were left heartbroken after one of the most entertaining games we’ve seen in the storied history of the bowl. Ohio State emerged with a 48-45 win that featured a combined 42 points scored in the second quarter and an injury to Cameron Rising that forced Bryson Barnes into action.

Rising and the Utes certainly could be disappointed by the lack of a CFP appearance this season but with back-to-back Pac-12 titles and a chance to win the Rose Bowl, the opportunity is there for Utah to end with a bang.

Bill Connelly’s SP+ sees a close game. The predictive model gives a slight one-point edge to Penn State, picking the Nittany Lions to win 27-26.

Call it a toss-up, as the likelihood of a Penn State win is set at just 53%.

Penn State went 10-2 this season, with its only losses coming to Michigan on the road and Ohio State at home. Both the Wolverines and the Buckeyes made it into the College Football Playoff.

“Last year was such a close game,” said safety Cole Bishop this week. “Everyone is always saying like, ‘Oh, that was such a good game.’ But on the defensive side, we played terrible. We gave up all those points, yards. And it’s just, that’s all I’ve been thinking about is we can’t do that again.”

Kickoff on Jan. 2 in Pasadena is set for 2 p.m. PT on ESPN.