Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4). John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Rose Bowl 2024 odds: Is Crimson Tide QB Jalen Milroe a better bet than J.J. McCarthy?

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 12/20/23

The Alabama Crimson Tide looks to keep rolling as they punch their ticket to another College Football Championship. Nick Saban's team won a national championship back in 2020, but still has one more hurdle to get back to the title game as they face No. 1-ranked Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

That game could come down to how each starting quarterback plays.

Although Michigan gunslinger J.J. McCarthy has garnered more of the spotlight, Alabama QB Jalen Milroe is listed as a +600 favorite at DraftKings to be the first to score in this New Year's Day showdown while McCarthy is a +2000 long shot. Sure, the Wolverine is listed at a favorable +360 to score at any point in the game, but it is still interesting that one of the season's biggest Heisman hopefuls — and at one point, the favorite to win the award — isn't listed higher.

Are you better off betting on a more underrated QB in Milroe — who is a -110 favorite to score at any point in the game — in the 2024 Rose Bowl?

Rank the four QBs in the College Football Playoff pic.twitter.com/fF6be3rc8X
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 19, 2023

This isn't to say McCarthy isn't a standout QB, as he tops Milroe with a 74.2 completion percentage and overall and a third-ranked 89.2 QBR.

However, the Crimson Tide QB tops his opponent in other areas, which is likely what makes him a more favorable bet. Milroe logged 2,718 passing yards in 2023 compared to McCarthy's 2,630 and has a better QB-INT ratio, going 23-6 on the season while McCarthy went 19-4.

But what really ups Milroe's value in this QB matchup is his ability to run the ball into the end zone on his own. The Katy, TX native totaled 468 rushing yards for 12 TDs, compared to the Michigan product's 146 yards on the ground for three TDs. It's no wonder Milroe ended the season with a combined 3,186 yards and 35 TDs. McCarthy had 2,776 combined yards and 22 TDs.

This isn't to say that McCarthy won't be a threat to Alabama, as he totaled 56 passes for 701 yards and seven TDs in non-conference games this season. But even with 40 completions for 646 yards in non-conference play, Milroe still came out ahead again with eight TDs.

JALEN MILROE WITH THE UNREAL TD

Making something out of nothing

(via @AlabamaFTBL)
pic.twitter.com/H8cPirthXz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 2, 2023

Michigan may still be the 1.5-point betting favorite against the spread and -122 favorite on the moneyline to win the 2024 Rose Bowl. But when it comes to which QB you should be putting your money on to open up scoring and register more points, Jalen Milroe looks like the better option.

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