Buckeyes open as favorite to win Big Ten title
COLUMBUS — Ohio State hasn’t been to the Big Ten Championship Game in either of the last two seasons following a run of four straight league titles.
The folks in the desert are picking the Buckeyes to not only get back to the conference title game, but also win it for the first time since 2020.
Fanduel Sportsbook released its odds for the Big Ten title, and Ohio State is the early-summer preseason favorite. The Buckeyes (+165) are ahead of Michigan (+210), Penn State (+500), Wisconsin (+650) and Iowa (+1400).
Although the Buckeyes don’t have a starting quarterback named yet, while Michigan and Penn State have a set starter, it makes sense why Las Vegas has picked Ohio State to be the favorite in the league. Led by an incredible group of offensive skill talent and a surging defense that should be better this fall, the Buckeyes have arguably the most talent in all of college football.
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Those expectations are nothing new for the Buckeyes, who also have the second-best odds to win the national championship this fall (+600), trailing only defending champ Georgia (+220).
Oddsmakers are big believers in Ohio State to have a shot at the national title by winning the Big Ten. They have picked the Buckeyes to be the favorite for the league crown. Now Ohio State has to go do it for the first time since 2020.
Four Buckeyes games already have spreads released
Fanduel Sportsbook debuted its betting lines for some of the biggest games of the college football season in February. And the Buckeyes opened as a one-point underdog for their Nov. 25 road trip to Ann Arbor when they take on Michigan. It has remained steady since then.
If that line holds and Ohio State is an underdog at kickoff in late November, it’ll be the first time since the 2018 game against Michigan that the Buckeyes are a regular-season underdog. Ohio State famously beat then-No. 4 Michigan 62-39 inside the Horseshoe that day.
Ohio State also opened as a way-too-early favorite over Notre Dame in February when the oddsmaker released spreads for some of the biggest games of the college football season. The Buckeyes opened as a 7.5-point favorite over Notre Dame, according the Fanduel. That line has since ballooned to 8.5.
Ohio State also opened as a seven-point favorite for their home clash against Penn State on Oct. 21. That line has since moved to 10.5 points, signaling that the early money is pouring in on the Buckeyes. They are also favored by 24.5 in the too-early set spread for their Nov. 11 home game vs. Michigan State.
