Ohio State vs Oregon CFP Rose Bowl | New Year’s Day Picks, Best Bets

New Year’s Day is glorious for college football fans, and the first day of 2025 adds more juice with three College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchups. The middle game of the three has the potential to be one of the best of the season as the Ohio State Buckeyes battle the Oregon Ducks in a tantalizing Rose Bowl contest. Of course, this is a rematch of a classic from earlier this season as Oregon prevailed over the Buckeyes in Autzen Stadium. There is an expectation that this will be another terrific game. Ohio State advanced to the Rose Bowl after hammering Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Ohio State likely reached its peak performance in that game as Chip Kelly appeared to open the offense in a way that had not been seen in previous big games. Is that performance replicable? Oregon earned a bye as the No. 1 seed, but their draw did them no favors as they have to play Ohio State again. The winner of this game will likely face Texas in the semifinals.

There are so many fascinating matchups to watch: will either team be able to slow down the elite offense on the other side? Which quarterback can deliver? Did either team find any matchups to exploit after the first game between the two? 

We’ve covered you with our favorite plays from Wednesday evening’s College Football Playoff showdown.

Ohio State vs Oregon Preview

• Location: Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)
• Time: Wednesday, January 1, 5:00 pm | Where to Watch: ESPN
• Spread: Ohio State -2.5 | Moneyline: Ohio State -132/Oregon +110 | Total: 55.5

Ohio State vs Oregon Opt-Outs

Ohio State: None

Penn State: None

CFP Matchup Pages: Penn St. vs. Boise St. | Texas vs. Arizona St. | Ohio St. vs. Oregon | Notre Dame vs. Georgia

Ohio State vs Oregon Best Bets ATS: Oregon +2.5 and OVER 55.5

The SportsGrid model loves the Oregon Ducks in this game. The model has a five-star play on Ducks to cover the 2.5-point spread and likes Oregon to win this game outright by three points. Ohio State’s performance against Tennessee has added a point or two to the line, and the model does not think OSU can produce a game like that in back-to-back outings. In addition, the SportsGrid model has this game going a full four points over the posted total of 55.5 and has a five-star play on the over for this Rose Bowl showdown. 

Go Long with SportsGrid’s Free Weekly College Football Game Picks and College Football Player Prop Bets!

Ohio State vs Oregon Best Alt Lines/Prop Bets

Player props have been unavailable for most bowl games, but they’re live for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchups. We focus on a few exciting alternate lines and special prop bets for this quarterfinal clash. The model is all over the Oregon Ducks in this game, and if your thinking lines up, it makes sense to take an alternative spread of Oregon -2.5 with odds of +122. That would be a winning bet if Oregon won the contest by a field goal. Oregon and Ohio State’s offenses are loaded with weapons and explosive potential. This game is expected to be played quickly, giving both teams plenty of possessions. You can take advantage of that with a bet that both teams will score in every quarter. The score can be a field goal or a touchdown, with odds of +550. The final prop bet that I would consider would be grabbing the Ducks to go over their team total of 27.5 points, and it makes sense to bet the number up to 30.5 and take the over with odds of +132. 

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