The first of two New Year's Six bowl games on Saturday takes place in Glendale, Arizona, as No. 11 Washington will square off against No. 9 Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl. The Huskies (10-2, 7-2 Pac-12) fell short of repeating as Pac-12 North champions in 2017 but were in the mix through the end of the regular season and have been a part of the College Football Playoff discussion for two years -- including last season when they lost to Alabama in the Peach Bowl semifinal. The Nittany Lions (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) hung around the playoff mix all year as well, but consecutive losses at Ohio State and Michigan State in the middle of the season kept them from repeating as Big Ten East champs.
Viewing information
Date: Saturday, Dec. 30 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium -- Glendale, Arizona
TV: ESPN | Live stream: Watch ESPN, Watch ESPN apps
Storylines
Washington: Quarterback Jake Browning and the Huskies' offense dominates the headlines, but the real reason for their success this year has been a stellar defense. Led by Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Vita Vea up front, they've given up just 277.4 yards per game (No. 5 in the nation) and 14.5 points per game (No. 6). But take nothing away from the offense. Browning has been a marvel of efficiency, tossing 18 touchdowns and only five picks, for a passer rating of 154.25. Running back Myles Gaskin has been a scoring machine with 19 touchdowns on the ground, and Dante Pettis has been awesome as a receiver (721 yards, seven touchdowns) and punt returner (428 yards, four touchdowns).
Penn State: The Nittany Lions are led by electric running back Saquon Barkley and his 1,134 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, along with dual-threat quarterback Trace McSorely's 37 total touchdowns (26 passing, 11 rushing). Downfield, there's plenty of balance in Happy Valley with DaeSean Hamilton and Juwan Johnson each notching 48 catches and Barkley hauling in 47. The Nittany Lions defense has been solid this year as well, giving up just 329.3 yards per game, 4.69 yards per play and 15.5 points per game. Don't think that this isn't a big game for coach James Franklin. The Nittany Lions won the Big Ten title last year but were left out in favor of No. 4 seed Washington, not Ohio State. Franklin will remember that.
Prediction
I'll take the Nittany Lions to win a wild, fun and entertaining affair in suburban Phoenix. Franklin will use last season's snub as motivation, the defense will get to Browning and force a couple of mistakes and Barkley and Co. will pull away in the fourth quarter for a win and cover in a fun game involving two very good teams. Pick: Nittany Lions (-2.5)
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