Three Big Ten schools are in the top five according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
Well friends, as we close the book on one college football season, we open the book on another. While we are just moments removed from Ohio State’s 34-23 College Football Playoff National Championship win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Buckeyes are never ones to rest on their laurels, so we are looking ahead 364 days to Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium when the 2026 national champion will be crowned.
According to our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook, the now-reigning college football champion Buckeyes are the betting favorites to take the title next season as well. The oddsmakers have OSU at +450, which coincidentally is the exact same odds that I got on the Buckeyes to win the 2025 title on March 9 of last year. So I might have to just reinvest some of those winnings on back-to-back titles for the Buckeyes.
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As has been chronicled throughout the course of this season, Ohio State will be losing a significant portion of its starters heading into next season as up to 10 defensive starters and nine pre-injury offensive starters could head into the NFL Draft. While some of those players very well could come back, there are 15 players in the Ohio State offensive and defensive starting lineup who are out of eligibility, and after his season-ending injury, junior Josh Simmons said that he plans to enter the draft rather than coming back to Columbus for a third season.
So, if OSU is going to win the national title next season, it will need to be done with a predominantly new cast of characters. But, given Ohio State’s prowess in recruiting and its new-found focus on the portal, I wouldn’t put it past them.
In terms of other Big Ten teams coming in toward the top of the odds, Oregon is tied with Ohio State’s season-opening opponent Texas for second place at +650 and Penn State is in fifth at +850. Michigan sits in 13th with +3500, Indiana and Nebraska are tied with Arizona State and Florida State in 21st at +9500.
As far as 2024-25 playoff teams, we’ve got:
No. 1: Oregon | +650
No. 2: Georgia | +700
No. 3: Boise State | +25000
No. 4: Arizona State | +9500
No. 5: Texas | +650
No. 6: Penn State | +850
No. 7: Notre Dame | +1200
No. 8: Ohio State | +450
No. 9: Tennessee | +1800
No. 10: Indiana | +9500
No. 11: SMU | +6000
No. 12: Clemson | +1800