Ohio State’s long awaited and once delayed rematch with the Oregon Ducks happens today.
The No. 8 Buckeyes and the No. 1 Ducks will meet in the 111th Rose Bowl Game at 5 p.m. ET. The winner will advance to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. The loser will enter an offseason of second-guessing.
The Buckeyes’ first-round blowout of Tennessee was enough to move Ohio State to 2.5-point favorites over the tournament’s top seed, the undefeated Oregon Ducks. The projected over/under for the game is 55.5.
Eleven Warriors Staff Predictions
Dan Hope: Ohio State 31, Oregon 27. “In what I expect to be another very close game, I think the Buckeyes make the one extra play they couldn’t make in their regular-season meeting with Oregon to claw out a win. The explosiveness of both offenses and past College Football Playoff scores involving two teams of this caliber suggest this could be a higher-scoring game, but I’m picking a slightly lower score than the regular-season matchup based on how strong Ohio State’s defense has been and the Buckeyes’ offensive line losing two stars it had entering the first matchup.”
Garrick Hodge: Ohio State 35, Oregon 31. “These are the best two teams in the country, and the game will reflect that. In the end, the Buckeyes make more plays and avenge their early season loss.”
Jason Priestas: Ohio State 31, Oregon 22. “It’s championship season and Ohio State has an elite, championship-caliber defense, just different enough and better enough from the last time Oregon faced the Silver Bullets.”
Johnny Ginter: Oregon 24, Ohio State 21. “In another excruciatingly close game, the two most talented teams in the country will end the Rose Bowl with the Ducks getting just one more stop on defense than the Buckeyes.”
“Jim Knowles’ defense gets the stop it couldn’t find in Eugene.”
Andy Anders: Ohio State 31, Oregon 27. “I’m on record before the playoffs as saying Oregon would win this game, but Ohio State’s offense showed enough against Tennessee to give faith that the Buckeyes can score and move the ball enough to come out victorious. Despite the presence of Ducks defensive end Jordan Burch and a more patchwork offensive line, OSU posts similar numbers offensively to what it did against Oregon in October and the defense has a better outing to push the team to within one win of a national title game.”
Kyle Jones: Ohio State 31, Oregon 24. “Jim Knowles’ defense gets the stop it couldn’t find in Eugene as the two best teams in the nation battle in another back-and-forth classic.”
Chase Brown: Ohio State 28, Oregon 24. “Ohio State will find a way or make a way in the Rose Bowl, where the Buckeyes and Ducks will meet in The Rematch of the Century. I expect a much-improved performance on both sides of the ball for Ohio State, particularly on defense, which allowed Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon offense to run wild when the teams met at Autzen in October.”
Cali vibes pic.twitter.com/YyNt54aYg4
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 31, 2024
Will Ohio State Cover?
The line for this one opened at Ohio State -1 shortly after the Buckeyes had knocked the Volunteers out and quickly jumped to -2.5.
A whopping 71% of the Eleven Warriors staff has Ohio State covering the 2.5 points with Ramzy Nasrallah predicting a 42-24 Ohio State victory.
Johnny Ginter (Oregon, 24-21) and George Eisner (Oregon, 31-28) each have the Ducks coming out on top.
What About the Over?
The game total for this one is 55.5 points, 7.5 points under the 63 from the teams’ first meeting in October.
Nine of the 14 staffers surveyed for this game have the under with a low of 45 (Ginter), and a high of 66 (Nasrallah, Garrick Hodge).
Eleven Warriors House Prop Bets
Let’s make the game a little more interesting with a few prop lines set right here by Eleven Warriors. Make your predictions in the comments and compete for bragging rights.
- Jeremiah Smith Receiving TouchdownsOver 1.5 touchdowns (+400)
- Under 1.5 touchdowns (-300)
- TreVeyon Henderson Rushing YardsOver 58.5 yards (+200)
- Under 58.5 yards (-180)
- Oregon TurnoversOver .5 turnovers (-150)
- Under .5 turnovers (+160)
No. 8 Ohio State and No. 1 Oregon clash at 5 p.m. today in the 111th Rose Bowl Game.
