Ohio State Buckeyes vs Oregon Ducks Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/01/2025

Game Time: 5:00 pm ET, Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Venue:  Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  OSU -2.5, Oregon +2.5; Over/Under:  55.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  OSU -2.5, Oregon +2.5; Over/Under:  55.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  OSU -2.5, Oregon +2.5; Over/Under:  55.5 points

Ohio State Buckeyes:  11-2 (7-2) (4th place, Big Ten)

Oregon Ducks:  13-0 (9-0) (1st place, Big Ten)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Sean Murphy is on a HOT STREAK in college football on a 17-10 CFB RUN for +$6,120 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Ohio State Buckeyes:  won their last game at home against the Tennessee Volunteers 42-17.

Oregon Ducks:  won their last game at a neutral site against the Penn State Nittany Lions 45-37.

Ohio State is entering this game with an 11-2 record overall and they have a 7-2 record in their conference games too. They are 8-1 in their home games, 3-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against Tennessee 42-17. Will Howard was the starting QB and he completed 24/29 passes for 311 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. TreVeyon Henderson led the team in rushing yards with 80 and 2 TDs. Jeremiah Smith led the receivers with 103 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 2 TDs. Cody Simon led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 7 assisted tackles while J.T. Tuimoloau led the defense in sacks with 2. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Oregon is entering this game with a 13-0 record overall and they have a 9-0 record in their conference games too. They are 7-0 in their home games, 5-0 in their road games, and they are also 1-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against Penn State 45-37. Dillon Gabriel was the starting QB and he completed 22/32 passes for 283 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Jordan James led the team in rushing yards with 87 and 2 TDs. Tez Johnson led the receivers with 181 receiving yards on 11 receptions and 1 TD. Tysheem Johnson led the defense in that game with 9 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles while Derrick Harmon led the defense in sacks with 1. Nikko Reed came away with the only interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Oregon listed as a 2.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Oregon has looked great in their games this season with their 13-0 record overall and their 9-0 conference record which has them at the top of the Big Ten with the only undefeated record left in the nation. They won the Big Ten Championship over Penn State and they have one of the best QB's in the nation. Meanwhile, Ohio State has looked really good in their games this season with their 11-2 record overall and their 7-2 conference record which has them right near the top of the Big Ten. They ended the regular season with a terrible loss at home to Michigan and that loss kept them out of the Big Ten Championship, but they bounced back nicely in their last one with a home win over Tennessee 42-17 in the first round of the playoffs. They needed that get right game after losing to Michigan, but they also got to play Tennessee at home and will be at a neutral site for this one. This game is at the Rose Bowl which does mean a time change for Ohio State, and that didn't go too well for them earlier this season as their other loss this year was on the road in Oregon to this very same Ducks team. That was a really close game and Ohio State will be looking for their revenge, but Oregon has been getting better as the season has gone on and they are also looking to go far after getting bested by Washington in their own conference last season. Oregon has the offense to keep up with Ohio State and they already beat them earlier in the season. The best way to place a bet here is on Oregon to cover the spread in this game. 

Ohio State Oregon Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Wednesday, January 1, 2025 (5:00 pm ET start time) is Oregon 38 Ohio State 35.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Ohio State Buckeyes Oregon Ducks prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

Ohio State Buckeyes: 0-3 ATS revenging a loss against an opponent. 15-24 1H ATS in all lined games. 14-23 1H ATS as a favorite. 11-6 OVER off a home win by 17 points or more. 7-2 OVER after a 2 game home stand. 

Oregon Ducks: 25-14 ATS in all lined games. 16-7 ATS off a win against a conference rival. 15-6 ATS after scoring 37 points or more last game. 4-1 OVER when the line is +3 to -3. 8-2 1H OVER when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 5-1 1H OVER after a bye week.

Ohio State Buckeyes:  M. Maggs (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed. S. McLaughlin (OL) Out - Achilles. J. Simmons (OL) Out - Knee. T. Caffey (RB) Out - Knee.

Oregon Ducks:  M. Gardner (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Florence (DB) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Kasper (WR) Out - Undisclosed. T. Gray (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. R. Saleapaga (TE) Out - Undisclosed. M. Bedford (OL) Out - Undisclosed.

“You could tell from the jump that they had a look in their eyes that they were going to win this game.” - Ryan Day after his team’s win against Tennessee in their last game. 

“I thought our offense did an unbelievable job tonight and the belief in our team never wavered.” - Dan Lanning after his team’s win against PSU in the Big Ten Championship.

WR Smith, Jeremiah

WR Tate, Carnell 

WR Egbuka, Emeka 

TE Scott Jr., Gee 

QB Howard, Will 

RB Judkins, Quinshon

WR Holden, Traeshon

WR Stewart, Evan

WR Johnson, Tez 

TE Ferguson, Terrance

QB Gabriel, Dillon

RB James, Jordan

Passing: W. Howard (3171)

Rushing: Q. Judkins (839)

Receiving: J. Smith (1037)

Touchdowns: J. Smith (13)

Passing: D. Gabriel (3558)

Rushing: J. James (1253)

Receiving: T. Johnson (866)

Touchdowns: J. James (15)

Coaches:

Ohio State Buckeyes: Ryan Day (7th season)

Oregon Ducks: Dan Lanning (3rd season)