2019 Rose Bowl Picks – Washington vs. Ohio State
The Granddaddy of Them All is back to what it should be with the champions of the Pac-12 and Big Ten meeting for all the roses.
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With both conferences denied a berth in the College Football Playoff, the Washington Huskies and Ohio State Buckeyes will meet in the Rose Bowl presented by Northwestern Mutual. While the talent on the field should be enough to keep fans interested, the final game in the coaching career of Urban Meyer will take center stage. And you can bet the Buckeyes will be doing their damndest to send him out with a victory.
Washington Huskies vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Date and Time: Tuesday, January 1, 2019, 5 p.m. ET
Location: Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA
Opening CFB Odds: Ohio State -6.5, O/U 56.5
Washington vs. Ohio State TV Coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
Given the talent that returned for the Huskies, a CFP berth was on their radar at the beginning of the season. However, a loss to Auburn in the opener put them in a hole and they weren’t able to recover. They did capture the Pac-12 North by rallying for four wins to close the year, including an upset at Washington State in the Apple Cup in a game that decided the division title. UW won the Pac-12 title with a less than inspiring effort against Utah, posting a 10-3 victory, covering the 4.5-point spread to improve to 4-9 ATS this season.
If any team should feel disrespected about being left out of the CFP it has to be Ohio State. And that argument became even louder after watching overrated Notre Dame get pounded by Clemson, but that’s another story for another time.
The Buckeyes lost just one game, thrashed Michigan in the regular season finale and dominated Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship. However, that blowout loss to Purdue earlier in the year didn’t sit well with the committee. Missing out on the playoff is a disappointment, but Meyer is one of the most successful coaches in bowl games with an 11-3 all-time record and he concludes his career with his first Rose Bowl.
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Matchup to Watch
Washington has talent on offense and can score, but the Huskies have dominated with a stingy defense. OSU has been inconsistent defensively and misses Nick Bosa since he decided to concentrate on a NFL career earlier in the year. The Buckeyes rely on Dwayne Haskins and a potent offense that ranked second nationally in yards per game to destroy teams.
Whatever team has the most success with its strength will have a better chance of winning this contest. And considering what Haskins and the Buckeyes did to Michigan and its top-ranked defense, that edge likely belongs to Ohio State. Haskins threw for 396 yards and six touchdowns to take down the Wolverines 62-39, earning a spot in the conference championship. All he did against Northwestern was establish a title game record with 499 yards and five more scoring passes.
While the Huskies may have been overlooked as a three-loss Power 5 champion, their defense is stout and they certainly watched plenty of film on how Haskins and OSU shredded Michigan and Northwestern. UW ranked 12th in the nation and topped the Pac-12 in total defense while surrendering just 15.5 points per game. But the Wolverines were one of the best in the country before the Buckeyes got a hold of them.
Player to Watch
Much has been said about Haskins, and in any other season he would probably run away with the Heisman Trophy. But Washington has its own stud quarterback in Jake Browning, who’s ending his four-year career on New Year’s Day. He isn’t as flashy as some of the other QBs in the game, but he’s a winner with two conference championships, once CFP appearance and a third major bowl game.
And he leads a team that doesn’t hurt itself. The Huskies are the least penalized team in the Pac-12 and committed only 17 turnovers. Browning will need to lead the Huskies on methodical drives to keep Haskins on the sideline, but he has big play options with Myles Gaskins running the ball and Aaron Fuller the top receiver.
Betting Washington vs. Ohio State at BookMaker.eu
Several Ohio State players have bucked a recent trend and decided to play despite declaring for the NFL draft, showing just how important this game is to them. That alone isn’t going to win the Rose Bowl and neither is putting Haskins on the field. This has the potential to be one of the better bowl games and the Rose Bowl hasn’t disappointed recently. What concerns me is Ohio State’s defense, which has shown plenty of holes during the season that were masked by the potent play of Haskins. UW will be physical on both sides of the football and this is the last game for Browning and Gaskins, and they want to go out winners too. I like the Huskies to control the game on offense and get enough stops defensively to post the upset.
College Football ATS Betting Pick: Washington +6.5 at BookMaker.eu
College Football Score Prediction: Washington 31, Ohio State 28
