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Bold Predictions as Buckeyes, Ducks meet in CFP quarterfinal at Rose Bowl

Spencer-Holbrookby:Spencer Holbrook•12/31/24•

SpencerHolbrook

Caleb Downs by Mick Walker -- Lettermen Row --
Caleb Downs (Mick Walker/Lettermen Row)

LOS ANGELES — Ohio State has been on plenty of bowl trips before. The Buckeyes have even been involved in the College Football Playoff before — and traveled to a bowl site for those games.

But nothing compares to this, Ohio State vs. Oregon in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal in the CFP.

“I’ve been on [bowl] trips before; this one’s probably the most high profile, most at stake,” Howard said. “We’re trying to treat it like a business trip. … This isn’t a normal bowl trip, right? 

“We’re not here to necessarily go sightseeing or check out the city or anything. We here to win a football game. … We’re going to be hunkered down, doing everything we can to get this win.”

Ohio State has a chance to make two more bowl trips this season if it takes care of business and gets past the No. 1 undefeated Ducks in Pasadena. Lettermen Row has made its bold predictions on how things will shake out in the matchup on the West Coast. Let’s dive in.

Spencer Holbrook: Buckeyes force two Oregon interceptions

Oregon senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been one of the best passers in the country this season; he and Will Howard have the exact same completion percentage on the year. But Gabriel hasn’t seen a defense like this new-look Buckeyes unit, which revamped nearly everything about itself following the first loss to Oregon back in October. I’ll predict that Jim Knowles and the Ohio State defense have some really tough looks to throw at Gabriel. With that being said, the prediction here is that Gabriel will turn the ball over twice — and fuel an Ohio State win.

Tim May: Jeremiah Smith reels in three scores

Tim’s not quite going back to the same well, because last week against Tennessee, his prediction of six catches and two touchdowns from Jeremiah Smith came to perfect fruition. This time around, Tim is picking Smith to put on an even more impressive show — finding the end zone three times for the Buckeyes in his biggest game of his young career. If he gets in the end zone for a trio of scores, Ohio State will have a great chance to advance to the Cotton Bowl semifinal.

Mick Walker: Will Howard tosses five touchdown passes for Buckeyes

This second matchup between Ohio State and Oregon will likely come down to which quarterback plays better. Not that Will Howard played bad in the first matchup but Dillon Gabriel seemingly stepped up when it mattered most and led the Ducks to a win. On Wednesday, I expect Howard to response with a performance similar to what he did against Tennessee. With a receiving corps of Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate and even Gee Scott, I expect Ohio State to pass the ball often against Oregon. Look for Will Howard to have a big day in a win.

Alex Gleitman: Dillon Gabriel struggles this time around against Ohio State secondary

Oregon senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel has only thrown two interceptions in one game this season, a 31-10 win over Michigan State. Gabriel didn’t turn it over a single time in the Ducks’ win against Ohio State earlier this season. But this week in The Rose Bowl, I predict that the Silver Bullets will force Gabriel to throw a pair of picks, including one to Denzel Burke, an avenging play of sorts after getting burned back in October in Eugene.

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