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Ohio State opens as 1.5-point favorites over Oregon; Buckeyes have second-best title odds
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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The Buckeyes are favored over the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State came out and played its best game of the season in the first round of the College Football Playoff, silencing the Tennessee fans in attendance with a 42-17 beatdown of the Volunteers. The Buckeyes’ reward is a rematch against Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day, where they open up as slight betting favorites over the No. 1-seeded Ducks.
It’s crazy how much one football game can change the perception of an entire season for Ohio State, but that is where the Buckeyes currently stand after a blowout win over Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Having defeated the Volunteers 42-17 in Columbus on Saturday, Ohio State now finds itself favored over No. 1 seed Oregon in the Rose Bowl, whom they lost to in a close battle at Autzen Stadium earlier this year, 32-31. The Buckeyes opened as a 1.5-point favorite against the Ducks, and as of Sunday morning that line has moved to 2.5 points. It will be interesting to see the crowd split in Pasadena, as Oregon fans have had a long head start on ticket sales and are obviously much closer in proximity to California.
When Ohio State’s offense plays like it did against Tennessee, the are one of the most dangerous teams in college football. The Buckeyes came out with an aggressive game plan that centered around getting the ball in the hands of their best players, including Jeremiah Smith. The five-star freshman was unstoppable against the Volunteers, catching all six of his targets for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Will Howard was in complete control of the offense, completing 24-of-29 pass attempts for 311 yards and two scores.
Defensively, the Silver Bullets kept Nico Iamaleava uncomfortable and off-schedule throughout the game. The young Tennessee quarterback threw for just over 100 yards on 14-of-31 passing, and was forced to run the ball 20 times as a result of consistent pressure, netting only 47 yards. Ohio State’s defense recorded four sacks and six tackles for loss, and should have also gotten an interception if not for an incredibly questionable roughing the passer call. Overall, the Buckeyes held the Vols to 256 yards and 17 points, with 73 of those yards and seven of those points coming on their final drive against backup defenders.
Oregon, meanwhile, spent this weekend idle after defeating Penn State 45-37 in the Big Ten title game and earning a first round bye. The Ducks finished the regular season a perfect 12-0 and remain unbeaten on the year heading into the Rose Bowl, where they will face an Ohio State team that they beat at home by one point in early October.
The last time these two programs met, Dillion Gabriel had a huge game. The Heisman finalist threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 32 yards and a score. The Buckeyes’ defense had no answers for Evan Stewart, who had a season-high 149 yards on seven catches with a touchdown. Oregon basically got whatever it wanted through the air and on the ground, where Jordan James rushed for 115 yards and a TD on 23 carries. The dominant showing by the Ducks led to a complete restructuring of Ohio State’s defense, so we will see if those changes are effective this time around.
Oregon’s defense did enough to get the win in Eugene, but Ohio State still managed to put up 467 yards of offense in the loss. The death knell for the Buckeyes was turnovers, with a pair of fumbles ultimately proving to be the difference in the game. That being said, Ohio State’s beat up offensive line will now have to contend with an elite defensive front, which ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten with 40 sacks. That includes Jordan Burch, who missed the previous matchup with the Buckeyes but is second on the team with 8.5 sacks, on top of guys like Derrick Harmon and Matayo Uiagalelei, who gave OSU fits last time.
They say it’s tough to beat a team twice in the same season, but Oregon is the undefeated No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff for a reason. It feels very much like the winner of this game will ultimately go on to win the national title, regardless of whether that is the Bucks or the Ducks. These are two of the best teams in the country when they are playing up to their potential, and it should be a stellar environment as well as a super aesthetically pleasing game in one of the sport’s best venues.
As an added note, Ohio State now has the second-best odds to win the national title after its eye-opening win over Tennessee. Texas currently has the best odds at +310, largely a result of having the perceived easiest matchup in the second round against Arizona State, but the Buckeyes are right behind them at +360, followed by Oregon at +430.
I’d expect the winner of the Rose Bowl will see their odds bumped to the top.
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Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
The Buckeyes are favored over the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State came out and played its best game of the season in the first round of the College Football Playoff, silencing the Tennessee fans in attendance with a 42-17 beatdown of the Volunteers. The Buckeyes’ reward is a rematch against Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day, where they open up as slight betting favorites over the No. 1-seeded Ducks.
Opening Odds: Ohio State -1.5 | O/U 54.5 (per FanDuel Sportsbook)
It’s crazy how much one football game can change the perception of an entire season for Ohio State, but that is where the Buckeyes currently stand after a blowout win over Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Having defeated the Volunteers 42-17 in Columbus on Saturday, Ohio State now finds itself favored over No. 1 seed Oregon in the Rose Bowl, whom they lost to in a close battle at Autzen Stadium earlier this year, 32-31. The Buckeyes opened as a 1.5-point favorite against the Ducks, and as of Sunday morning that line has moved to 2.5 points. It will be interesting to see the crowd split in Pasadena, as Oregon fans have had a long head start on ticket sales and are obviously much closer in proximity to California.
When Ohio State’s offense plays like it did against Tennessee, the are one of the most dangerous teams in college football. The Buckeyes came out with an aggressive game plan that centered around getting the ball in the hands of their best players, including Jeremiah Smith. The five-star freshman was unstoppable against the Volunteers, catching all six of his targets for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Will Howard was in complete control of the offense, completing 24-of-29 pass attempts for 311 yards and two scores.
Defensively, the Silver Bullets kept Nico Iamaleava uncomfortable and off-schedule throughout the game. The young Tennessee quarterback threw for just over 100 yards on 14-of-31 passing, and was forced to run the ball 20 times as a result of consistent pressure, netting only 47 yards. Ohio State’s defense recorded four sacks and six tackles for loss, and should have also gotten an interception if not for an incredibly questionable roughing the passer call. Overall, the Buckeyes held the Vols to 256 yards and 17 points, with 73 of those yards and seven of those points coming on their final drive against backup defenders.
Oregon, meanwhile, spent this weekend idle after defeating Penn State 45-37 in the Big Ten title game and earning a first round bye. The Ducks finished the regular season a perfect 12-0 and remain unbeaten on the year heading into the Rose Bowl, where they will face an Ohio State team that they beat at home by one point in early October.
The last time these two programs met, Dillion Gabriel had a huge game. The Heisman finalist threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 32 yards and a score. The Buckeyes’ defense had no answers for Evan Stewart, who had a season-high 149 yards on seven catches with a touchdown. Oregon basically got whatever it wanted through the air and on the ground, where Jordan James rushed for 115 yards and a TD on 23 carries. The dominant showing by the Ducks led to a complete restructuring of Ohio State’s defense, so we will see if those changes are effective this time around.
Oregon’s defense did enough to get the win in Eugene, but Ohio State still managed to put up 467 yards of offense in the loss. The death knell for the Buckeyes was turnovers, with a pair of fumbles ultimately proving to be the difference in the game. That being said, Ohio State’s beat up offensive line will now have to contend with an elite defensive front, which ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten with 40 sacks. That includes Jordan Burch, who missed the previous matchup with the Buckeyes but is second on the team with 8.5 sacks, on top of guys like Derrick Harmon and Matayo Uiagalelei, who gave OSU fits last time.
They say it’s tough to beat a team twice in the same season, but Oregon is the undefeated No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff for a reason. It feels very much like the winner of this game will ultimately go on to win the national title, regardless of whether that is the Bucks or the Ducks. These are two of the best teams in the country when they are playing up to their potential, and it should be a stellar environment as well as a super aesthetically pleasing game in one of the sport’s best venues.
As an added note, Ohio State now has the second-best odds to win the national title after its eye-opening win over Tennessee. Texas currently has the best odds at +310, largely a result of having the perceived easiest matchup in the second round against Arizona State, but the Buckeyes are right behind them at +360, followed by Oregon at +430.
I’d expect the winner of the Rose Bowl will see their odds bumped to the top.
Continue reading...