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Rose Bowl
Ohio State vs Oregon
4* Key Release
1/1/10
Sportsbook.com Betting Line Oregon -4 O/U 50
Besides the BCS Title game this is the most intriguing game of the whole bowl
season. On one sideline you have a team that started the season as bad as you
can possibly imagine. Not only did Oregon lose their opening game to Boise
State, but they had their starting RB LeGarrette Blount get into a fight after
the game with a Boise State player then he had to be restrained from fighting
with people in the crowd.
Most teams would have folded after a start like that, but Head Coach Chip Kelly
did an amazing job getting his team to put that behind them and to concentrate
on the rest of the season, and Oregon did just that and now they have a Pac 10
Title under their belt, and now they find themselves playing New Year’s Day in
the Rose Bowl against Ohio State.
The Ducks only lost one game after that opening loss to Stanford to finish the
year 10-2 now they are in their first New Year’s day bowl since making it to the
Fiesta Bowl in 2002. This Oregon football team is looking to finish what they
started after the LeGarrette Blount incident, and the only thing standing in
their way is the Ohio State Buckeyes.
While Oregon might have had a long drought from New Year’s Day bowls the Ohio
State Buckeyes have not. The Buckeyes finished their year off 10-2 and added
another Big 10 Title to their name and this Rose Bowl will be their 5th straight
BCS Bowl Game appearance. The last 3 BCS Bowl games have not gone the way they
would have liked, so the Buckeyes are looking to turn their post season luck
around with a big win over the Ducks.
PRIMETIME MATCHUP
With LeGarrette Blount just recently being reinstated it was very important for
another RB to emerge and take charge if this Oregon team was going to succeed
and that other RB has been LaMichael James. James has rushed for over 1400 yards
this season to go with his 14 TDs. Since taking over as the starting RB James
has been held to under 100 yards just one time against Washington State, and he
only got 13 carries that day with the outcome of that game never being in doubt.
If Ohio State is going to get the win it all starts with stopping the Oregon
Duck running game that is ranked 1st in the Pac 10 and 6th nationally averaging
236 yards per game. The Buckeye’s defense has done very well against the run all
season. They are ranked 1st in the Big 10 in rushing yards allowed only giving
up 83 yards a game. Something has got to give and which ever team is able to win
the battle in the trenches will come away with the victory in this ball game.
THE FINAL VERDICT
Ohio State has had success all year against the run, but they have yet to face
an offense that is this dynamic with their rushing attack like Oregon is. It all
starts with RB LaMichael James, but that is not where it ends. QB Jeremiah
Masoli is a headache for any defensive coordinator who tries to stop him. Masoli
has thrown for over 2,000 yards through the air and 15 TDs this season, but he
also has added over 600 yards rushing and another 12 TDs with his legs.
Oregon has played a schedule almost a touchdown stronger than Ohio State. That is noted. But even if we factor that into the equation, we can't ignore this Ohio State defense. They put up some pretty hefty numbers this year. A yards per point defensive number of 23 on the road and 22 overall puts them among the top in the country. Their offense wasn't too shabby either with a ypp number 12.5. Very balanced and solid on both sides of the ball.
Oregon on the other hand, great offense, mediocre to poor defense. Teams have had no trouble finding the end zone against the Ducks. Oregon has given up 146 points in their last 5 games alone!
Every year, the team names change, but the numbers stay the same. If we take a look at all the games over the last 25 years with numbers similar to this game, it's the numbers that Ohio State is sporting, that come out on top more times than not. With that in mind, we'll gladly take +4 or more with the Buckeyes in a game we think they win straight up. 4* Ohio State +4
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