Ohio State vs Oregon Odds & Picks CFP: Buckeyes Seek Revenge In Rose Bowl

In a College Football Playoff opening round that saw one favorite after another flex its muscle, no beatdown was more emphatic than Ohio State’s demolition of Tennessee. And now those loaded Buckeyes move into a Jan. 1 quarterfinal against unbeaten, top-seeded and well-rested Oregon, which is a 2.5-point underdog at FanDuel in the Rose Bowl.

The game is a rematch of the Ducks’ 32-31 victory over 3.5-point favorite Ohio State on Oct. 12—which was played in Autzen Stadium, and not on a neutral field. Oregon has covered six of eight since that game, and as Big 10 champion had the first round off while Ohio State easily covered as a 7.5-point home favorite in its 42-17 blowout of Tennessee.

Ohio State vs Oregon Odds

Ohio State vs Oregon, Jan. 1, 5:00 pm ET

Odds as of Dec. 24 at FanDuel

Ohio State vs Oregon Picks—College Football Playoff

Ohio State (-130) & OVER 54.5 (-108) at FanDuel

All the hand-wringing over Ohio State’s loss to Michigan, all the speculation over coach Ryan Day’s future in Columbus, all the questions about whether the Buckeyes’ multimillion-dollar roster could live up to potential—it all disappeared in an instant once the rout of the Volunteers commenced. It was the fourth cover in the last six outings for the Buckeyes, and completely changed the narrative around a program that had been riddled with anxiety since the Michigan loss.

Clearly, oddsmakers believe so—Ohio State entered this week with +360 odds of winning the playoff, second only to the +330 of Texas, which has a more favorable draw in the bracket. Ohio State led for most of that first game with the Ducks in Eugene, which Oregon won on a field goal with 1:47 left. And due to the way the playoff is structured, higher-seeded Oregon won’t have the luxury of home field like the Buckeyes did against the Volunteers.

In the NFL, teams that receive playoff byes typically have a huge advantage—will that prove to be the same in the CFP? Given that this is the first edition of the 12-team playoff, we don’t yet know. But Ohio State built such a huge lead on Tennessee in the first round, it was able to play backups for most of the fourth quarter. And unfortunately for the Ducks, this rematch is at a neutral site.  

The first game between the Ducks and Buckeyes easily went OVER the total, which closed a half-point higher that the initial number for the Jan. 1 rematch. In addition, Ohio State went OVER the total against Tennessee nearly by itself, and high-powered Oregon has gone OVER in three of its last five. Sense a trend there?

Ohio State vs Oregon News

Ohio State played in the first round with a reconfigured offensive line due to season-ending injuries suffered by a pair of starters. Replacements Luke Montgomery and Austin Siereveld were far more effective against Tennessee than they had been in the previous game against Michigan.

Oregon, meanwhile, had three key starters return from injury in the Big 10 title game—right guard Marcus Harper, defensive end Jordan Burch and receiver Tez Johnson—and all are expected to be available for the Rose Bowl. 

Ohio State vs Oregon Prop Bet

Jordan James Anytime TD (-180) at FanDuel

Uber-efficient quarterback Dillon Gabriel may get most of the attention at Oregon, but it’s running back Jordan James who truly makes the Ducks’ attack go. The junior owns 15 rushing touchdowns on the season, including two each in his last two games, and he’s also a receiving threat out of the backfield. James has scored in 11 of Oregon’s 13 games thus far, including against the Buckeyes on Oct. 13

Ohio State vs Oregon Betting Trends