The marquee college football bowl game on New Year’s Day is the “Granddaddy of Them All,” otherwise known as the Rose Bowl. This year it features No. 11 Utah of the Pac-12, its first time ever in the game, facing No. 6 Ohio State of the Big Ten with the Buckeyes favored on the NCAAF odds.
How to Bet Utah vs. Ohio State NCAA Football Odds & TV Info
- When: Saturday, 5 PM ET
- Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
- TV: ESPN
- Stream: ESPN app
- Radio: Tunein.com
- Opening NCAAF Lines: Ohio State -4.5 (total 64)
Series History
These schools have met just once, a 64-6 Buckeyes home victory in September 1986. Utah represents Ohio State’s eighth different Rose Bowl opponent: OSU is 1-1 vs. Cal; 3-4 vs. USC; 2-0 vs. Oregon; 0-1 vs. Stanford; 0-1 vs. UCLA; 1-0 vs. Arizona State; 1-0 vs. Washington.
Why Bet on Utah?
The Utes won the Pac-12 title game over Oregon. Utah is 3-0 against AP-ranked opponents in 2021 (No. 18 Arizona State, No. 3 Oregon, No. 10 Oregon). The last season that the Utes beat three AP-ranked opponents in one season was Utah’s Sugar Bowl run where they defeated No. 11 TCU, No. 16 BYU and No. 4 Alabama.
Utah has led at halftime in seven straight games, and 10 times this season. The Utes are 9-1 when leading at the half this season. Utah has scored over 30 points in 10 of its 13 games this season, including 35+ points in eight of its last nine games.
In Pac-12 games only, Utah led the league in scoring offense (37.2), total defense (332.0), touchdowns scored (45), total offense (454.89), rushing offense (240.78), rushing defense (111.3) and passing efficiency (145.7).
Sophomore QB Cameron Rising started the final 10 games and Rising is 187-of-298 (62.8%) for 2,279 yards and 18 touchdowns, adding 63 carries for 407 yards (6.5 ypc) and five rushing scores to earn All-Pac-12 first-team. Utah’s 2,809 total rushing yards this season ranks fifth all-time in program history.
Utah has held seven of its opponents to under 100 yards rushing this season, including in four of the last five games. The Utes rank 11th in the FBS in team sacks (3.23) and 12th in team tackles for loss (7.4) per game. Utah ranks eighth in the FBS in third down conversion percentage (.487), and is 14th in the FBS in first downs offense.
Defensive end Mika Tafua has declared for the NFL Draft, but will still play in the Rose Bowl. He had a great season with 13 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks for the Utes. Junior linebacker Devin Lloyd possesses the highest Pro Football Focus grade over the past two seasons. This season, Lloyd logged 107 tackles, seven sacks, six passes defended, four interceptions, two touchdowns, and one forced fumble.
Utah is 17-6 all-time in bowl games. This will be Utah’s third appearance in a New Year’s Six Bowl, beating Pittsburgh (35-7) in the Fiesta Bowl in 2005 and Alabama (31-17) in the Sugar Bowl in 2009. The Utes are also 5-2 in bowl games since joining the Pac-12 Conference. Utah is 11-3 in bowl games under the direction of head coach Kyle Whittingham.
Why Bet on Ohio State?
Ohio State hasn’t played since being upset at Michigan in late November in the regular-season finale. OSU has won 11 consecutive games after a loss. The last two-game losing streak for Ohio State came at the end of the 2013 season with losses to Michigan State in the Big Ten title game and Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
Coach Ryan Day’s Buckeye teams are 33-4 overall, including a 15-3 record in games on the road or neutral fields. Day’s teams are also 12-4 vs. Top 25 ranked teams.
The Buckeyes have been hit hard by opt-outs as receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, as well as left tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere and defensive tackle Haskell Garrett all decided to prepare for the NFL Draft.
Wilson recorded 2,213 yards receiving and 23 touchdowns in three seasons with the Buckeyes. He had 1,058 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns as a junior in 2021 and was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team. Olave, a senior, went for 65 catches for 936 yards and 13 TDs this season. Over his four years in Columbus, Olave combined for 176 receptions for 2,711 yards and 35 touchdowns. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has caught a team-high 80 passes for 1,259 yards and six touchdowns, is likely to be relied on even more in the passing game with those two out.
The Buckeyes are powered by one of the nation’s best offenses. Ohio State leads the nation in total offense (551.4 yards/game) and scoring offense (45.5 points/game) while possessing a Heisman Trophy finalist at quarterback (C.J. Stroud), a 1,000-yard true freshman running back (TreVeyon Henderson), and a pair of 1,000-yard wide receivers (Smith-Njigba and Wilson). Ohio State was 8-0 this season when out-rushing its opponent; 2-2 when its opponent led.
The 2022 Rose Bowl marks Ohio State’s 53rd bowl game all-time, the most among Big Ten teams. The Buckeyes’ 25 bowl victories rank third in the Big Ten and are T12th nationally. Ohio State is tied with Michigan, Stanford and Washington with eight Rose Bowl wins.
Game Trends
- Utes are 5-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
- Utes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 bowl games as an underdog.
- Utes are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 vs. Big Ten.
- Buckeyes are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games in January.
- Buckeyes are 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 vs. Pac-12.
Expert Prediction
- Ohio State 33, Utah 30
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