The Rose Bowl Game began in 1916 and, for much of its history, has matched the winner of the Pac-12 conference against the Big Ten champion, but that changed somewhat with the introduction of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and then the College Football Playoff (CFP).
This year provides a traditional matchup of the two conferences with 11th ranked and Pac-12 champion Utah taking on sixth-ranked Ohio State, the runner-up in the Big Ten East.
Utah vs Ohio State Stats
Looking at the Utah stats
Utah got off to a rough start to the season but comes into the Rose Bowl on a six-game roll, including two wins over Oregon in their last three games, during which they outscored opponents by an average of 39.7 to 15.
It was quite a turnaround for a team that had fallen to a record of 4-3 following a 42-34 defeat by Oregon State, where the 10-3 Utes surrendered 260 rushing yards to the Beavers and squandered a 24-14 halftime lead.
The Utes run a balanced offense, running for 216 yards and passing for 212 per game while giving up just 317 yards per contest for a defensive ranking of 13th in the FBS.
Quarterback Cameron Rising threw 18 touchdown passes with only five interceptions while running for over 400 yards and five more scores, with a trio of running backs combining for 2200 yards and 28 touchdowns on the ground.
Looking at the Ohio State stats
The 10-2 Buckeyes, led by quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist CJ Stroud, had the top offense in the FBS both in average yards per game (515) and points scored (45.5).
Stroud threw for 322 yards a game with 38 touchdowns and just five interceptions, while Ohio State also averaged 186 yards a game on the ground.
Defensively, Ohio State had respectable statistics, but in their two losses to Oregon and Michigan, the Buckeyes allowed an average of 283 yards and 4.5 touchdowns on the ground, showing a vulnerability against strong running offenses.
Even with the periodic weaknesses against the run, the Buckeyes still managed to hold opposing offenses to an average of 21 points a game, which was 25th in the nation against the sixth toughest schedule in the FBS.
Betting Trends for Utah vs Ohio State
- Ohio State was the favorite in every game this season
- Utah was the underdog in just one of their contests in 2021
- The Utes were 6-7 against the spread
- Ohio State was 6-5-1 against the spread
- Utah was 8-5, and Ohio State was 7-5 against the over/under
Who to Bet Utes vs Buckeyes
Spread: Utah +4 (-110) vs. Ohio State -4 (-110)
Moneyline: Utah +160 vs. Ohio State -190
Total: 64 (-110 o/u)
Utah is exactly the kind of team that can potentially give Ohio State problems, looking statistically a lot like Michigan, who defeated the Buckeyes 42-27 while running the ball effectively and slowing down the offense enough to keep CJ Stroud in check.
In their ten wins, Ohio State won by an average of 32 points, but they were outscored by an average of 11 points in their two losses.
This is a tough matchup for Ohio State, so take Utah at +6.5 to keep it close.