Utah Utes vs. Ohio State Buckeyes: Betting Guide

It is time for the Rose Bowl. Last season’s game was moved out of the state of California due to pandemic restrictions. It was the first time since 1942 that the Rose Bowl was played outside the state of California. Now the game is back in Pasadena. Utah makes its first-ever appearance, while Ohio State makes its 16^th appearance, third-most all time behind USC’s 34 and Michigan’s 20.

• Game: Utah (10-3) vs. Ohio State (10-2)
• Location: Rose Bowl (Pasadena)
• Day/Time: Saturday, January 1 – 5:10 p.m. ET
• Television: ESPN

The Utes crushed Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game to win their first Pac-12 title and make their first Rose Bowl appearance. Utah had dominated Oregon two weeks earlier in Salt Lake City to clinch a Pac-12 South Division championship. This rematch in Las Vegas on a neutral field played out exactly the same way. Utah took charge early and built a lead so that Oregon had to throw the ball. Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown was in no way prepared for that situation. Oregon tries to depend on its running game and its offensive line, but the Ducks are not an especially good passing team. Utah was able to send its pass rush after Brown and feast on the Ducks’ lack of balance and versatility on offense. It was a bloodbath. Utah coach Kyle Whittingham made the Pac-12 title game in 2018 and 2019, but he lost, falling one stop short of the Rose Bowl. This year, he finally broke through, registering one of the great achievements of his career and fulfilling all the work he has done in building up Utah football since he replaced Urban Meyer in the 2005 season.

Ohio State lost to archrival Michigan for the first time since 2011 and the second time since 2003. The 42-27 loss revealed what people had seen with the Buckeyes at earlier points in the season, especially the loss to Oregon in September: Ohio State is soft on defense and doesn’t tackle especially well. Michigan’s offensive line played a flawless game, firing off the ball and physically manhandling the Buckeyes. Ohio State needs a big upgrade at defensive coordinator, and the school found it in Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. However, Knowles won’t be coaching in this bowl game. He starts on the job after this game is done. The Buckeyes have been very strong on offense but have sometimes fallen off the map on defense. They got caught by Michigan and knew they had to make changes.

Injury Report

The Buckeyes are healthy, but they have had several players opt out of this game to prepare for the 2022 NFL draft, especially receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. Those are the team’s two best open-field playmakers.

Betting on the Game

With Ohio State not having either Olave or Wilson to catch passes, Utah against the spread looks like a good choice. Utah has momentum and will have a lot more fans in the Rose Bowl than Ohio State, given that it’s Utah’s first Rose Bowl appearance, all while Ohio State fans are disappointed the team didn’t qualify for the College Football Playoff.