Look for a big game from Jordan James against the Buckeyes.
For the second time this season, the No. 8 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2) will travel west to take on the No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks (13-0) on Wednesday. This time, however, these two Big Ten rivals will be facing off for the right to advance in the college football playoffs during this matchup for the Rose Bowl.
Ohio State nearly did not make the playoffs after falling 13-10 to Michigan in the season finale. Had the Buckeyes won that game, this rematch against Oregon would have occurred in the Big Ten Championship contest. The Ducks won that game 45-37 over Penn State, cementing their undefeated season.
Will Ohio State or Oregon prevail in this rematch? We’ll cover that and our three best player prop bets below.
When Will Howard transferred to Ohio State, the 6-foot-4 senior was looking for a chance to win a national championship during his collegiate career. The Buckeyes offered such an opportunity, and he’s rewarded the team by completing 73.2 percent of his passes for 3,171 yards and 29 touchdowns.
In his team’s previous matchup against Oregon, Howard had one of his best outings. The signal-caller completed 28 of his 35 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns, nearly upsetting the Ducks in Oregon. He’ll get his chance for revenge on Wednesday, and Howard will surpass this player prop bet during his team’s outing in the Rose Bowl.
Oregon’s offense is powered by Jordan James. The junior running back has rushed for 1,253 yards and 15 touchdowns on 226 carries. He’s also caught 24 passes for 202 yards for the Ducks this season.
Earlier against Ohio State, James recorded 115 rushing yards on 23 carries, scoring once against the Buckeyes. Outside of a blowout game against Maryland, James has recorded at least 87 yards in each of his past four outings. With a trip to the semifinals on the line, James will earn at least 90 rushing yards against Ohio State on Wednesday.
Howard’s go-to guy this season has been freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The 6-foot-3 pass-catcher has 63 receptions for 1,037 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Buckeyes, solid numbers with multiple future NFL players on this loaded Ohio State roster.
In the two teams’ previous matchup, Smith recorded 100 receiving yards on nine catches while notching one touchdown. He’s also coming off a game against Tennessee with a similar stat line, earning six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns. There’s little reason to believe that Smith won’t exceed his player prop bet for receiving yards against the Ducks.
The rule of thumb in most rematches is the two teams will often score less points than in their first contest together. Oregon won that contest 32-31, suggesting that the oddsmakers agree by placing the total points market at 55.5.
Here’s why I don’t think the general rule of thumb works on Wednesday: Ohio State and Oregon have two of the most high-powered offenses in the game today. Expect them to showcase everything they have for this game, taking the final score above 60 total points in this quarterfinal matchup.
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