Rose Bowl Betting – Buckeyes Aim to Give Meyer Proper Sendoff

  • In Charles Jay
  • Tue, Jan 1st, 2019 10:15:54 am
  • By Charles Jay - Exclusive to OSGA


Urban Meyer will coach his last game for the Ohio State Buckeyes as they take on the Washington Huskies in the Rose Bowl, the "granddaddy of them all," taking place in Pasadena.


There are a lot of things that are intriguing about the Rose Bowl game that will take place on Tuesday afternoon in Pasadena. For one thing, the Ohio State Buckeyes will bid farewell to the coach they've had for the last seven seasons, and speculation will surround their quarterback, and whether he will declare himself eligible for the NFL Draft. The game with the Pac-12 champion Washington Huskies takes place at 5 PM ET at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena. And if you are a BetAnySports customer, you can place wagers on this game while it is in progress, taking advantage of what is available through Live Betting Ultra.

Ohio State comes into this game with a record of 12-1 straight-up (6-7 ATS), losing only by a 49-20 score to Purdue as a 12.5-point road favorite. They did have close calls with the likes of Penn State, Nebraska and Maryland, but they came on strong at the end, winning the traditional battle with Michigan by a resounding 62-39 score, then being Northwestern 45-24 in the Big Ten championship game. And they have a chip on their shoulder as they were left out of the four-team college football playoff.

Urban Meyer has had great success as head coach, even as he has encountered some scandal along the way. He announced his retirement, so this will be his last game at the helm. And it remains to be seen whether quarterback Dwayne Haskins, a Heisman Trophy finalist, be playing his last game for the school. If that is indeed the case, he's had a hell of a single season as the starter, throwing for 4580 yards and 47 touchdowns.

Washington (10-3 SU, 4-9 ATS) got here by winning the Pac-12 championship with a 10-3 victory over Utah. They have suffered three losses by a total of 10 points - to Auburn, Oregon and California. And they also gained a measure of satisfaction in the Apple Cup, ruining Washington State's chances to get into the playoff with a 28-15 victory.

In the Rose Bowl betting odds posted on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, Ohio State is the favorite:

Ohio State Buckeyes -6.5 (-115)
Washington Huskies +6.5 (-105)

Over 56.5 points -110
Under 56.5 points -110

Only Oklahoma put together more yards per game than Ohio State did, and even though JK Dobbins and Mike Weber comprise a very formidable backfield, it was the adjustments Meyer made to the offense to accommodate Haskins, more of a dropback type, into what was a spread option attack. Ohio State had more first downs than anybody, converting 48.2% on third downs. They scored 75 touchdowns from scrimmage. Interestingly enough, they were just 61st in the "explosiveness" metric, and part of that is due to the fact that a lot of Haskins' passes don't go far down the field.

How much trouble will they have operating against Washington's defense? The Huskies were outstanding, allowing 15.5 points a game and ranking very highly in areas like passing marginal explosiveness (1st) and they were 8th best in points allowed per scoring opportunity. Yet here's the thing - they didn't seem to do a whole lot to disrupt opposing offenses with big plays. They were outside the top 100 in sacks, and were 118th in Tackles for Loss (just 4.5 per game). Maybe most of the offenses they have faced did not have enough to exploit this, but Haskins and the Buckeyes would seem to have enough capability - and versatility - to capitalize.

Of course, Ohio State's big weakness is in stopping people......or rather, NOT stopping them. They are dead last in the country against pass explosiveness when the opponent is on a passing down, and also 100th in "Big Play Rate" (frequency of plays going 20 yards or longer). And as you probably know, they are playing without Nick Bosa, who is preparing for the NFL Draft.

What has helped the Buckeyes is that they have the second best average field position in the country. Keep an eye on their special teams, which are ranked first in net punting, third in kick return defense, and ninth in punt return defense. Washington's special teams grade out rather poorly, so OSU may be able to continue enjoying this edge. Interestingly, Meyer's defense is 29th in Success Rate on a play-by-play basis, and the Huskies have not always been the most industrious when it comes to "cashing in," as they are 113th in points per scoring opportunity. It's nice that the great left tackle, Trey Adams, has come back to action, but also no secret that Jake Browning's production was down this year (16 TD passes), and the same can be said about Myles Gaskin (1147 yards rushing).

Sure, Ohio State has some defensive baggage, but if U-Dub, can't come down and score on almost every possession, they're going to have a hard time keeping pace. The Buckeyes will be emotionally-charged, and the Huskies may not help themselves enough with their perceived "advantages." We'll lay the points.

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(The preceding information has been furnished for news matter only)


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