One of the biggest and best games of the year is no question the Rose Bowl. While these teams would have much rather been in the College Football Playoff, there’s nothing quite like playing over in Pasadena. In this piece, we have Rose Bowl 2021 picks for Utah vs. Ohio State, and there’s plenty on the line here. Will Ryan Day and OSU rise to the occasion?
To no one’s surprise, Ohio State is a big favorite to take down Utah in this one, as the Big Ten powerhouse will enter things with plenty of confidence. Meanwhile for Utah, they’re also riding high following their outstanding performance in the Pac-12 Championship Game. With these two teams ready to put on a show, who will be the one to come out on top in this one?
For Ohio State, they were bummed to not make it into the College Football Playoff, but the writing was on the wall for them after they suffered the disappointing loss to Michigan in the rivalry game to close out the season, which destroyed their College Football Playoff odds. Now, Michigan is in the CFP ready to try and compete in the National Championship odds, while Ohio State will have to settle for a win in the Rose Bowl.
| Rose Bowl odds |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah to win | +200 | +200 | +200 | +200 |
| OSU to cover | -250 | -250 | -250 | -250 |
| Utah to cover | -106 | -106 | -106 | -106 |
| OSU to cover | -114 | -114 | -114 | -114 |
On the other side of the field, Kyle Wittingham’s Utah team was downright electric in the Pac-12 Championship Game going up against the Oregon Ducks. The Utes dominated play on both sides of the ball, which really was surprising to see. Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown had a nightmare day trying to move the Ducks offense. Now, Utah will look to keep things rocking vs. Ohio State.
According to the top-rated online sportsbooks, Ohio State is a big favorite for this one, as they’ve been given -250 NCAAF Vegas odds. For Utah, they were underdogs in the Pac-12 title game, but they’ll now be ready to try and pull off another stunning win. They hold +200 Rose Bowl odds for this one. While Utah’s defense is stout, we think Ohio State will win.
While there’s plenty of offensive talent for the two teams, this should be a defensive battle between the Utes and Buckeyes when they meet in Pasadena. Utah’s defense really stands out here, but so does Ohio State’s. Both defensive coordinators will be ready to present a fantastic game plan to try and contain the opposition. For Utah, the focus will be on stopping CJ Stroud.
The star quarterback has been nothing short of fantastic this year, as he’s put up video-game type numbers throughout the campaign. Thus far this season, Stroud has thrown for 3,862 yards, 38 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Stroud is known for taking good care of the football, which means it could be tough for Utah to force him into mistakes when they meet.
With that said, Brown really looked poor against Utah, as they bated him into some silly mistakes. Could the same end up happening with Stroud? For Ohio State’s defense, they’ll of course want to try and limit Utah’s success running the football. They’ve got a tremendous ground attack, so it will be on the Ohio State front-seven to really step their game up in this one.
Per the oddsmakers, the over/under for the Rose Bowl has been set at 67 points. This really does seem pretty darn high, especially with these two teams known for really bringing defensive energy as well. While we do expect there to be plenty of points scored, we don’t think this one will come close to 70. In this case, we’re picking the under for the 2021 Rose Bowl.
Last but not least, look for Utah to cover the spread in the Rose Bowl going up against Ohio State. We really think this has what it takes to be a back-and-forth showdown. Heading into the action, Ohio State is a 6.5-point favorite against Utah. Seriously? People try and knock on the Pac-12 consistently, but Utah has been one of the better teams in the conference this year.
People are of course always going to be on Ohio State because of their strength of schedule. The Big Ten is one of the best conferences in the country, which is why you always see some of the top recruits out there commit to Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and others. This on paper certainly gives Ohio State the advantage over Utah. However, Utah will be ready to battle too.
It’s all going to come down to how they’ll be able to stop Stroud. If Stroud gets into a rhythm early and ends up throwing the ball all over the field, then it really could prove to be a long day for the Utes. However, we have a feeling that Utah will be able to get the job done up front and win the battle in the trenches. We’re going with Utah to cover the 6.5-point spread.
