The final week of Ohio State’s 2021 football season is underway.
Ohio State’s final game of the season will kick off at 5:10 p.m. Saturday, when the Buckeyes will play Utah in the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes’ week in Pasadena has already started, as the team arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday evening and will begin their week of practices and other Rose Bowl festivities on Monday.
While some bowl games have eschewed traditional bowl weeks and in-person media interviews due to the nationwide spike in COVID-19 cases, the Rose Bowl is still planning on a full week of bowl activities and media access – with the exception of the Thursday media day, which has been canceled due to space limitations and social distancing protocols – and Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope, Griffin Strom and Garrick Hodge will be in Southern California to cover all of it.
The schedule remains subject to change, as is the reality of the world we currently live in, but the current schedule of events (all times ET) for the week ahead is below:
| MONDAY |
|
Official Disneyland Welcome Event – 4:30 p.m. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham and four players from each school will participate in a cavalcade through Disneyland and meet with the media. |
| TUESDAY |
|
Ohio State Defensive Interviews – 11 a.m. A defensive coach and five defensive players from Ohio State will meet with the media. |
|
Utah Offensive Interviews – Noon An offensive coach and five offensive players from Utah will meet with the media. |
|
Ohio State Practice – 3 p.m. The first 15 minutes of practice will be open to the media. |
| WEDNESDAY |
|
Ohio State Offensive Interviews – 11 a.m. An offensive coach and five offensive players from Ohio State will meet with the media. |
|
Utah Defensive Interviews – Noon A defensive coach and five defensive players from Utah will meet with the media. |
|
Ohio State Practice – 3 p.m. The first 15 minutes of practice will be open to the media. |
| THURSDAY |
|
Team Photos – TBD Each team will gather at Rose Bowl Stadium to take an official team photo outside the stadium. |
|
Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony – 2:30 p.m. Former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, Wisconsin running back Anthony Davis and Michigan linebacker Ron Simpkins will be inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. |
| FRIDAY |
|
Head Coach Press Conference – 11:30 a.m. Ryan Day and Kyle Whittingham will participate in their final press conference before the game. |
| SATURDAY |
|
Rose Bowl – 5:10 p.m. Ohio State and Utah will play in the 108th edition of the Rose Bowl, which will be televised on ESPN. Coaches and players from both teams will meet with the media after the game. |
(Update: Ohio State was previously scheduled to attend the Lawry’s Beef Bowl on Tuesday, but that event has now been canceled due to COVID-19.)
Going to the Game?
It sounds like Ohio State fans could be outnumbered in Pasadena – while Utah has sold 33,000 tickets for the game, Ohio State has reportedly sold only 13,000 – but if you are one of the Buckeye fans who are going to the game, you can visit the Rose Bowl’s official website for full information on parking, public transportation to the stadium, health and safety protocols, stadium rules and prohibited items.
Of note: Everyone attending the Rose Bowl who is at least 12 years of age will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken no earlier than 8 a.m. Wednesday. All fans who are at least 18 years old will need to show photo ID, and masks will be required at all times for fans of all ages. PCR tests, at the expense of the test recipient, will be available on-site.
The Tournament of Roses Parade will also be held after a one-year hiatus. The parade, which will led by grand marshal LeVar Burton, will begin at 8 a.m. local time (11 a.m. ET). More information about the parade can be found on the Tournament of Roses’ website.
If you’re still thinking about going to the Rose Bowl, tickets are now available for less than $100 on the secondary market.
#RoseBowl tickets down 61% this week and now sit at $78 for cheapest. Several factors at play here. Tickets still available though to see #OhioState & #Utah square off. #CFB #BowlSeason #tickets
— TicketIQ (@Ticket_IQ) December 22, 2021
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NO FEE BOWL TICKETS https://t.co/aZcauSGoU5 pic.twitter.com/Frx9cvo7IL
Read All About It
We’ll have daily coverage on Eleven Warriors throughout the week of interviews, practice sessions and more in Southern California, so stay tuned for stories, photos, videos and more.
Of course, we’ll also have all of the typical game week coverage you’re accustomed to throughout the season, including Kyle Jones’ Film Study on Monday, Walt Keys’ game poster on Wednesday, a Q&A with a Utah beat writer on Thursday, a full game preview and roundtable on Friday and game predictions on Saturday.
If you don’t want to wait, we already have plenty of content previewing the game on our 2022 Rose Bowl Game page, which will be your one-stop shop for Rose Bowl coverage all week long.
Some of the stories you might have missed over the past three weeks that you might want to read now that Rose Bowl week has arrived:
- Ohio State Motivated to Prove It Can Play Physical, Tough Football in Rose Bowl Against Utah
- Despite Distractions, Staying Focused on Utah Remains Point of Emphasis For Ohio State Amid Rose Bowl Preparations: “We Have to Win That Game”
- Film Study: Utah Brings Just the Kind of Offense Ohio State Was Hoping to Avoid in the Rose Bowl
- Five Things to Know About Utah Before It Takes On Ohio State in the 2022 Rose Bowl
