The Ohio State Buckeyes already had a bad experience with a team from the Pac-12 losing to Oregon earlier this season. On Saturday OSU will tangle with the team that ripped the Ducks a new one in two games at the end of the season, including the Pac-12 championship. The Utah Utes ended the regular season winning five games in a row, including a bashing of Oregon in Week 12. A few weeks later the Utes claimed the conference title and a trip to Pasadena by once again stomping the Ducks outscoring them 76-17 in those two games. While the Utes played well down the stretch they are sitting as a 6.5-point underdog on the college football betting line.
The 2022 Rose Bowl is slated for Saturday, January 1, at 5 p.m. ET from Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, CA. The game will air on ESPN.
College Football Betting at BookMaker.eu
Utah Utes +6.5
Ohio State Buckeyes -6.5
Total 65.5
Odds Analysis
There has been some buyback on Utah pushing the line down several points. When odds surfaced a few weeks ago the Buckeyes were positioned as a 9.5-point favorite. That number has since been wagered down to OSU -6.5. The Utes had a strong close to the season going 6-0 SU and 4-2 ATS over their final six games with two of those victories over Oregon. You might recall the Ducks entered the playoff picture back in Week 2 beating OSU 35-28 at the horseshoe. The Buckeyes were a 15-point favorite in that contest. The season didn’t end the way they wanted it to, but the Buckeyes had another strong year. They rattled off nine straight victories after losing to Oregon and despite facing some massive lines they were 6-3 ATS. They were blasted by Michigan 42-27 as a 6.5-point favorite.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Even though they ended the regular season with 10 wins it has to feel like a disappointment since OSU didn’t win the Big Ten East and lost out on a chance for a CFP berth with a loss to rival Michigan in the finale. In between their losses the Buckeyes steamrolled opponents with an explosive offense that scored more than 40 points eight times. They led the nation averaging 45.5 points and 551.3 yards. C.J. Stroud was one of the best quarterbacks in the country throwing for 3,862 yards and 38 touchdowns with only five interceptions spearheading the fifth-ranked passing attack.
The many talented players on that side of the football helped mask a mediocre defense that was exposed by Oregon and decimated by Michigan. The Buckeyes lost the battle in the trenches allowing Hassan Haskins to run for 169 yards and five touchdowns while the Wolverines amassed nearly 300 yards on the ground. That could be a telling tale since Utah has plenty of beef up front. Stroud and TreVeyon Henderson, who rushed for over 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns, should do enough offensively, but can the defense win the battle up front and keep Utah off the board?
Utah Utes
This will be a game of strength vs. strength and whichever team prevails will have the upperhand. The Utes aren’t as explosive on offense and would rather rely on their stingy defense to win games. They allowed an average of just 15 points during their season-ending six-game winning streak holding four opponents to less than two converted touchdowns. Utah led the Pac-12 and ranked 24th nationally allowing 20.6 points per game. They will make Stroud work for everything through the air since the Utes surrender less than 200 passing yards a game. Devin Lloyd and Mika Tafua have combined for 17.5 sacks and need to apply pressure to disrupt OSU’s attack.
Offensively the Utes did enough to win 10 games. They average 35.5 points and nearly 430 yards of offense and were especially impressive during their season closing run. Over the final six games they averaged nearly 40 points and won those games by an average of 24.7 points. Tavion Thomas had 1,041 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground behind a mammoth line that allowed the Utes to average 216.2 rushing yards per game.
Ohio State vs. Utah Prediction
Utah went 8-5 against the over but only one of their games had a total above 60. I can see the Utes eating up enough clock with their run game and the defense slowing down Stroud enough to reach the UNDER. And I’m not sure how motivated OSU is going to be after missing out on its ultimate goal. Still, I like the Buckeyes to make enough plays with their skill guys to cover the spread.
BookMaker Pick: Ohio State Buckeyes -6.5 / UNDER 65.5
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