Utah, Northwestern To Play In Holiday Bowl

SAN DIEGO, CA – Utah will face Northwestern in the Holiday Bowl on New Year's Eve at San Diego County Credit Union Stadium in a matchup of teams that lost their conference championship games, organizers announced Sunday.

Utah (9-4) lost to Washington, 10-3, Friday in the Pac-12 Conference title game.

Northwestern (8-5) lost to Ohio State, 45-24, in the Big Ten Conference title game Saturday night in a game it trailed 31-24 early in the fourth quarter.

The Holiday Bowl gets the second selection from the Pac-12 after the participants in the New Year's Six bowls. The Alamo Bowl selected Washington State with the first choice.

Utah and Northwestern will both be making their debuts in the Holiday Bowl, which has been played annually since 1978.

The Holiday Bowl has matched teams from the Pac-12 and Big Ten Conference since 2014.

By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock