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In a season that got off to a brisk start and saw big expectations slide away, the Utah football team will have another chance to finish the year with a win — as it has done in nine of its last 10 bowl games.

And it's headed to Northern California to do it.

The Utes (8-4) accepted a bowl bid Sunday afternoon to go to the Foster Farms Bowl. They'll play Big Ten program Indiana (6-6) at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Dec. 28 at 6:30 p.m. MDT. The game will be aired on FOX.

The trip sends Utah to its third bowl game in as many years with a chance to earn at least nine wins for the third straight year. It won't fully rinse away the hurt of losing the chance to win the program's first Pac-12 South title.

"In taking the casual pulse of the team," coach Kyle Whittingham said, "I think that was something they were hoping would be a strong possibility for us."

The stars were aligned for Utah to go back to the Bay Area after No. 4 Washington was selected to the College Football Playoff on Sunday morning. Aside from avoiding a three-peat in the Las Vegas Bowl, the Foster Farms Bowl comes with plenty of benefits.

Whittingham was quick to point out it's "in the heart of our recruiting footprint." Utah has 39 California natives on its roster, more than any other state including Utah itself. The Utes hope the trip will not only help increase the program's exposure in the area, but allow many players' families to drive or fly up to the game.

Utah's earlier games at San Jose State and Cal had large Utah representation in the stands. Even senior guard Isaac Asiata, a Utah native, said he heard from lots of Bay Area family members after the Utes found out where they were headed.

"After they announced, I was texting everybody trying to figure out who needs tickets," he said. "It's exciting."

The coaching staff is also looking forward to extra practices with younger players after playing before Christmas each of the past two seasons, and preparing for a Power 5 opponent.

Of course, Utah's excitement for its opponent on Sunday evening far outpaced its familiarity with Indiana, a program that finished fourth in the murderous Big Ten East division behind top-10 programs Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan. The Hoosiers' profile is also muddied by losing its head coach this week: Kevin Wilson resigned amid administrative reviews of how he dealt with injured players, and defensive coordinator Tom Allen — who oversaw an improvement by the defense this year — was promoted to the head job with a six-year contract.

Whittingham said he didn't know much about Indiana, but said of the 25th-ranked passing offense in the nation, "I know they can pass." Players had less to offer.

"Not a lot, other than I think they have a really good offensive guard there, Dan Feeney," Asiata said of Indiana's two-time All-Big Ten selection. "Other than that, I don't know much about Indiana. I watched a movie about the "Hoosiers" or something way back when."

Indiana had the eighth-ranked scoring offense (25.9 ppg) and the ninth-ranked scoring defense (27.3 ppg) in the Big Ten. The defense finished No. 39 nationally in sacks (2.33 per game) and No. 20 in tackles for a loss (7.4 per game).

Indiana is going to its second bowl game in as many years, but only its fifth since 1991 — the last time the program won a bowl. Indiana has lost three straight, including last year's Pinstripe Bowl against Duke.

Utah is 2-1 against Indiana all time, last beating the Hoosiers in 2002 in a 40-13 home win.

The Utes have had great bowl success under Kyle Whittingham, who is 9-1 in postseason games. The Utes have won three straight bowl games, including the last two in Las Vegas in 2014 and 2015.

"I guess I can't speak for other programs, but from what I've heard from our coaches, we train a lot harder than most," senior defensive end Hunter Dimick said. "We take it very seriously no matter what bowl game it is, and it's paid dividends.

Among other Pac-12 teams, USC was a big winner, notching a Rose Bowl invite after placing at No. 9 ahead of Colorado in the final committee rankings. The Buffaloes earned an Alamo Bowl invite, Washington State is headed to the Holiday Bowl, and Stanford will go to El Paso for the Sun Bowl.

Asiata admitted he was "a little salty" about USC — whom the Utes beat in September — going to the Rose Bowl, but that he was happy for Stevie Tu'ikolovatu.

There was a more unified front behind Washington's chase for a national championship. The Utes said they were behind the Pac-12 contender after the conference was left out of the playoff last year.

Utah has its own victory to chase.

"We just want to end the season the right way with a win," junior quarterback Troy Williams said. "It'll be real important. We're all glad for this opportunity."

Twitter: @kylegoon