Rose Bowl Odds and Betting History

Since the inception of the College Football Playoff in 2014, the Rose Bowl presented by Northwestern Mutual is used as the destination of one of the semifinal games every three years. The game is played on New Year’s Day, unless January 1 falls on a Sunday, in which case it’s played on January 2.

With Alabama vs Notre Dame announced, we look at Rose Bowl odds and offer handicapping info to help you make smart football betting picks on this college bowl game.

Betting History of the Rose Bowl

The very first Rose Bowl game was played on January 1, 1902, and the game has been held annually on New Year’s Day since 1916. With very few exceptions, this bowl has been played between teams from the Pac-12 and Big Ten since 1947.

From 2007 to 2016, betting favorites were dominant in the Rose Bowl, going 8-2 straight up (SU) and 6-4 against the spread (ATS). The Pac-12 is 51-44-3 all-time in 98 appearances. But, in games that don’t include USC, the conference’s record drops to 26-35-3 SU. From 2014 to 2016, the combined Rose Bowl score went OVER the posted total.

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Former Rose Bowl MVPs include college football greats like Christian McCaffrey (2016), Marcus Mariota (2015), Andy Dalton (2011), interior design star Keyshawn Johnson (1996), Jack Del Rio (1985) – remember him? – Warren Moon (1978) and Jim Plunkett (1971). Vince Young won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006, leading Texas to a 41-38 win over USC for the national championship in his final collegiate game.

The 2018 Rose Bowl saw the No. 3-ranked Georgia Bulldogs take on the No. 2-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Each college football team posted only one outright loss on the season with the Sooners coming into the game riding an eight-game winning streak. Six of those wins came in double-digit form but it wasn’t enough to keep them from succumbing to the Bulldogs 54-48. The total was set at 62.5 and went way OVER. As for the home spread at +2.5, bettors who picked Oklahoma found themselves with a losing bet.

On January 1, 2019, the No. 9-ranked Washington Huskies (10-3) played the No. 6-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1). Washington and Ohio State had their total set at 55.5 and UNDER bettors saw themselves with a winning bet when the combined score hit only 51 points. With a home spread of -5.5, the Huskies covered even though they lost outright.

The final was 28-23 with Buckeyes QB Dwayne Haskins recording three touchdowns and 251 yards. Even though Washington quarterback Jake Browning had more yards (313), it wasn’t enough to propel his team to a victory. Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer announced his retirement the previous month, making this the final game of his career. Odds point to him returning to coaching at some point in the future, but for now, let’s consider this college football game his last.

2020 Rose Bowl Odds

Last year the Oregon Ducks took on the Wisconsin Badgers. This was a very close game with oddsmakers predicting the Badgers to win by 10 points.

2021 Rose Bowl Odds

When Notre Dame takes on Alabama, oddsmakers are predicting a near 20-point blowout. Our matchup page had updated Rose Bowl odds, and Rose Bowl betting line movements.

How to Bet on the Rose Bowl

Bowl betting requires some research, a basic understanding of how odds work and a trip to our NCAA football pages. These are the main types of bets you can make on the Rose Bowl:

• Simply pick a winner by placing a moneyline bet on the team you think is going to dominate

• A totals bet (also called OVER/UNDER) requires you to predict if the total combined score from both teams will be OVER or UNDER a certain number set by the online sportsbooks

• For a point spread wager you need to figure out if the favorite or the underdog is going to win or lose by a set number of points

• Props are bets made on individual players (how many rushing yards will X player have, how many sacks will Y player have, etc.) and non-football related things like who will win the coin toss

• Parlays let you bundle more than two bets on one ticket

Rose Bowl Bites

• O.J. Simpson was the 1968 Rose Bowl MVP and he has lived a quiet life ever since without controversy or criminal charges. NOT!

• USC has the most Rose Bowl appearances with 34, Michigan follows with 20, Stanford has 15, Ohio State and Washington each have 14, and UCLA has 12.

• Current NFLer Sam Darnold holds two Rose Bowl records for touchdowns (5) and total offense (473 yards).

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