The granddaddy of them all appears to be one of the more lopsided bowls of bowl season thanks to Ohio State’s thrashing of Michigan, having a Heisman trophy finalist at quarterback, and an offense full of guys that will be picked at some point in the NFL draft while Washington’s offense has been stuck in neutral since about early 2017. The only hope for Washington is to use their championship level defense to make OSU’s day miserable.
How did Ohio State get here?
Other than not firing Urban Meyer (when they should have)…the offense. Dwayne Haskins set all sorts of records, Paris Campbell is a silly good wide out, and J.K. Dobbins ran for about as quiet a thousand yards as you’ll ever see. There were a few hiccups this year like the defense giving up big plays at inopportune times, the OL and running games not being in sync at times, and of course the university losing all moral authority in keeping coach Meyer but hey, it’s tOSU, they can do whatever the hell they want evidently.
How did Washington get here?
Outstanding defense. For all of U-dub’s troubles this year that defense was fantastic and finished 12th in yards allowed per game and a salty 5th in points allowed per game. Schematically they are much less reliant on crowding the line than Michigan and they are way more talented on the back end than Michigan so those big plays Ohio State demoralized their rivals with could happen, but feel less likely to.
Who will win…and why?
Washington is a rich man’s Michigan State. Their defense is out-freaking-standing but if Ohio State can find just 21 points, that feels like it puts the game out of reach for the streaky Huskies.
How to watch
- Date: January 1
- Time: 4:00 pm, central
- TV: ESPN
- Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Gambling Guide
- Ohio State -6.0, Over / Under 55.0
Washington’s defense is fantastic so maybe they slow Ohio State down…maybe, but the smart (and safe) bet is to take the Buckeyes to cover that spread.
Lightning Round for Non-Readers:
Ohio State/Washington – Ohio State
Big Ten and Counting 