If the college football playoff quarterfinal contest between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks is anything like the regular season meeting, fans are in for a treat. The Ducks have won all 13 games by an average of 18.1 points but played their closest contest of the season when they beat OSU, 32-31, in Week 7. This neutral site contest takes place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and kicks off at 5 p.m. ET with Oregon a slight 2.5-point favorite at the Bitcoin Sportsbook. Ryan Day and the Buckeyes silenced critics temporarily with a 42-17 thrashing of Tennessee in the first round. There were some in Columbus calling for Day to be fired after OSU lost a fourth straight game to Michigan in the final regular season game. And still some are saying OSU needs to win a national championship for the coach to keep his job.
College Football Betting Lines
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State Betting Lines
Ohio State Buckeyes -2.5 / ML -141
Oregon Ducks +2.5 / ML +124
Over / Under 56
When the teams met in Eugene in Week 7 it was a matchup of top 5 teams who both had aspirations of qualifying for the expanded CFP. Well, they accomplished that and face off in what could be the game of the playoffs. Oregon emerged victorious in the regular season game getting a field goal from Atticus Sappington with 1:47 remaining in the fourth quarter. OSU was hurt by an offensive pass interference call on the final drive and instead of trying a long field goal time expired when Will Howard scrambled and was tackled with no time left. The lead changed hands seven times and Oregon outgained OSU 496-467 in a tight contest.
It was wild to see both teams score more than 30 points since they’ve been strong defensively all season. OSU has the top scoring defense in the country allowing just 11.4 points per game. They haven’t allowed any other opponent to score more than 17 points in a game. Oregon is 12th in scoring defense surrendering an average of 17.8 points. They’ve allowed more than 30 points three times, including in the Big Ten Championship game win, 45-37, over Penn State. That game is also deeply concerning since the Nittany Lions rushed for 292 yards and compiled 518 total yards.
The difference likely happens on the offensive side where the Ducks have been stronger. Led by Dillon Gabriel, Oregon boasts the 14th best total offense in the FBS averaging nearly 450 yards. Gabriel was 23 of 34 for 341 yards and two touchdowns in the Week 7 meeting, gouging OSU’s top ranked pass defense. The Buckeyes are allowing just 141.2 yards per game through the air. Gabriel uses his cadre of playmakers making it tough on opposing defenses. Six different players have more than 20 receptions with five of them hauling at least three TD passes.
The leader of the group is Tez Johnson with 78 catches for 866 yards and 10 TDs. Traeshon Holden averages almost 16 yards per catch and would like to finish this game after he was ejected from the earlier meeting after spitting on an OSU player. Speedster Jordan James helps balance the attack rushing for 1,253 yards and 15 touchdowns. He ran for 115 yards and a score making OSU’s defense look nothing like the best group in the country.
OSU has been inconsistent on offense this season adding to their concerns. They average 36 points and had big games against teams like Iowa and Oregon, who have strong defenses. The number was skewed by early season romps over Arkon, Western Michigan and Marshall where OSU averaged more than 50 points. There are still folks talking about the Michigan disaster. Weather was a factor, but the Buckeyes managed just 252 yards in the 13-10 setback. There were no issues against Tennessee, though. Howard was 24 of 29 for 311 yards and three scores and TreVeyon Henderson had 80 yards and two TDs on 10 rush attempts in the romp.
Both clubs will be much sharper on defense than they were in the first meeting, but as far as the game being close goes there are similarities. Oregon’s speed and abundance of playmakers is a challenge for OSU’s stop group and one I don’t believe they are up to the task of stopping.
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State Same Game Parlay Picks
Oregon +2.5
Ohio State / Oregon UNDER 56
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