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Penn State, Washington to meet in Fiesta Bowl

Penn State head coach James Franklin walks onto the field with his players before an NCAA college football game against Maryland in College Park, Md., Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

No. 9 Penn State will face No. 12 Washington in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Nittany Lions and Huskies both finished 10-2 and will meet at University of Phoenix Stadium on Dec. 30. Penn State was No. 9 in the final College Football Playoff rankings and Washington was No. 11.

Penn State and Washington were both playoff contenders before midseason losses knocked them out of the race.

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The Nittany Lions reached No. 2 in the AP Top 25, but lost to Ohio State 39-38 on Oct. 28 and to Michigan State the following week.

Washington was No. 5 in the AP poll when it surprisingly lost 13-7 to Arizona State on Oct. 14. The Huskies also lost to Stanford before closing out the season with two victories.

Penn State has never lost in six previous trips to the Fiesta Bowl, though its last appearance was in 1997. Washington is making its Fiesta Bowl debut.

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