So far, the early momentum for the Rose Bowl seems to be trending towards Ohio State. After opening as 1.5 point favorites, the line is up to 2.5. No, this isn’t a betting article, but it does show the heat that’s on the Buckeyes after their dominant win over Tennessee.
It seems like a bit of recency bias, with Oregon waiting on the sidelines for New Year’s Day after going into the College Football Playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the country.
The last time these two teams met, it was an electric 32-31 victory for the Ducks. And while plenty of people seem to be treating Ohio State like they’re royalty, there’s one thing that the Ducks will have that they didn’t in the previous meeting – edge rusher Jordan Burch .
Burch missed time this season, but he’s an explosive and incredibly athletic edge rusher that commands immense respect from opposing offensive lines and offensive coordinators alike. His stats show it. He logged 8.5 sacks in 9 games played.
Ohio State is banged up on the offensive line, but are still a capable unit that Oregon will have to account for. Against Tennessee, the Buckeyes front allowed eight sacks but surrendered zero sacks.
Oregon will look to change that. Burch and Matayo Uiagalelei form a ferocious pass rush duo that will aim to make a major impact against Ohio State’s high octane offense that just put 42 points on a Tennessee defense that hadn’t allowed more than 18 points to any opponent since the first week of the season.