Why does Ohio State have the best shot to win the Rose Bowl Saturday?

Ute Nation publisher Alex Markham and Scarlet and Gray Report managing editor Colin Gay give their best reasons why to pick the Buckeyes.

"While people will want to focus on the Buckeyes being down two elite receivers with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson both opting out, Ohio State still has a Heisman Trophy finalist leading their offense in C.J. Stroud.

As a freshman, Stroud led the no. 1 offense in the country, averaging 551.4 yards and 45.5 points per game. The Buckeyes were also no. 5 overall in passing offense with 364.9 yards per game. He’s arguably the best passer in the country when it comes to the deep ball.

This is where Utah has the potential to get exposed. If he can develop quick rapport with the new starters at receivers, that’s trouble for Utah. The Utes have terrific safeties in Vonte Davis and Cole Bishop, but their depth at cornerback is severely depleted. Stroud will surely test them early and often.

Ultimately, I don’t see Ohio State’s defense being able to put the clamps on Utah’s offense very often, so the Buckeyes would be better off if this was a high-scoring game. Utah’s offense is well-rounded, but it lacks the explosive deep threats to potentially keep up with the Buckeyes scoring capabilities. If Ohio State connects on some explosive plays early on, this game is over. Advantage Buckeyes, in this case."

"It’s mad.

Yes, the Buckeyes will not have two starters from its wide receiver room, one starter from its offensive line and one starter from its defensive line. But depth is on Ohio State’s side here, the mantra of “next man up” ringing in the ears of every player who made the trip from the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus to Pasadena.

Besides, there’s enough to work with in California.

Offensively, the Buckeyes still have enough weapons to showcase the nation’s No. 1 scoring and total offense with redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud, freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson and sophomore wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba — their statistical leaders at each of those three positions. If Henderson and Smith-Njigba garner the attention of Utah’s defense, players like wide receivers Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Julian Fleming, along with tight end Jeremy Ruckert, have each made an indent in the passing game, while Miyan Williams and Master Teague III, if healthy, have shown enough to alleviate all the pressure from the freshman tail back.

Defensively, it’s a young group, but one that continues to grow with each game, using players like redshirt sophomore safety Ronnie Hickman, freshman cornerback Denzel Burke, defensive ends Tyreke Smith and Zach Harrison, along with freshmen Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau waiting in the wings: All are first-time starters for a defense that had only one returning starter from 2019: redshirt junior cornerback Cameron Brown. It’s had its share of ups and downs, but it has the talent to shut down any offense like it did Michigan State: seven points, 224 yards and 12 first downs facing nine tackles-for-loss and two sacks.

That’s dominance, dominance Ohio State has shown in 2021, dominance people don’t quite remember with all the attention on the losses to Oregon and Michigan keeping the Buckeyes out of the College Football Playoff.

For the Buckeyes, it’s as easy as this: if it wants to win the Rose Bowl, it will.

Ohio State has played in Pasadena before: 15 different times in the Rose Bowl, including a 2019 win against Washington in Urban Meyer’s final game as its head coach. In 2021, there’s not really the same ceremony or meaning behind a game, but instead faces a team to which this game means everything.

If Ohio State can act like it’s been to the Rose Bowl before, approach this game as a rebound from its worst loss in 10 years and use it to create expectations into 2022 — a new era of Ohio State football — it will win this game.

It’s truly up to the Buckeyes.”