The Buckeyes are top sportsbooks online favorites in the East Division. They’re also the faves to win the conference title. As well as play in the College Football Playoff. Last season, Ohio State fell short against Alabama in the national title game in Miami.
They finally vanquished Clemson in the national semi-final. For the second straight season, head coach Ryan Day’s squad did not lose a game in the regular season. Ohio State has some big holes to fill. QB Justin Fields and RB Trey Sermon went to the NFL.
Sermon stayed in Columbus for just one season. True freshman RB TreVeyon Henderson is surrounded by a lot of hype. RB Master Teague has demonstrated he can cut the mustard. Redshirt-freshman QB C.J. Stroud is the favorite to win the starting gig. He will try to hold off redshirt-freshman QB Jack Miller and true freshman QB Kyle McCord.
Whoever gets the starting spot will have the talented receiver tandem of Chris Olave and Jeremy Ruckert. It will not be an easy start for the Buckeyes. Someone needs to step up this summer, and start delivering right away.
The schedule opens with a road game in Minnesota and a tough home date with Oregon on September 11. Those aren’t insurmountable odds, especially as far as the best online sportsbooks are concerned, but it’s no day in the park either.
Even if the Buckeyes start slow and maybe even lose to Oregon, this remains a team that should coast through the Big Ten schedule. They get Penn State at home, possibly their toughest conference game. They steer clear of Wisconsin and Iowa in crossover games. The toughest road games are in Minnesota, Indiana and Michigan. This talented Buckeyes program should manage to make it past that trio without much trouble.
PRESEASON BEST WAGER: OVER 11 WINS (-125)
2021 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES SCHEDULE
- 09/02/2021 – at Minnesota
- 09/11/2021 – vs. Oregon
- 09/18/2021 – vs. Tulsa
- 09/25/2021 – vs. Akron
- 10/02/2021 – at Rutgers
- 10/09/2021 – vs. Maryland
- 10/23/2021 – at Indiana
- 10/30/2021 – vs. Penn State
- 11/06/2021 – at Nebraska
- 11/13/2021 – vs. Purdue
- 11/20/2021 – vs. Michigan State
- 11/27/2021 – at Michigan
WIN TOTAL ODDS Over 11 -125 Under 11 +100
OHIO STATE ODDS TO WIN 2021 BIG 10 CHAMPIONSHIP (-167)
The conference schedule is set up nicely for the Buckeyes. They can only make it to Indianapolis but also win it. There is no Wisconsin or Iowa, and the stiffest conference challenge, Penn State, will have to play at Ohio Stadium.
The Indiana game could be a bit of a pickle, and then there is the Michigan game in the Big House. That always poses a threat. The Buckeyes have the skills to reload and get a rematch with the elite of the ACC and SEC.
OHIO STATE ODDS TO WIN 2021-22 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF (+400)
According to top sportsbooks online, the Buckeyes are a very good wager to reach the CFP, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them go undefeated during the regular season. But relying on inexperienced freshmen or redshirt freshman under center does not come without some risk.
But with experienced receivers, the learning curve shouldn’t be as curvy as it might seem. Is this a national championship team, capable of defeating Alabama, Clemson, etc.? It’s at least worth a small-unit play at the top sportsbooks online.
OHIO STATE 2021 HEISMAN CONTENDERS and ODDS
| Contenders | Odds |
|---|---|
| C.J. STROUD | +2000 |
| MASTER TEAGUE III | +6600 |
| GARRETT WILSON | +10000 |
Teague will have to do a lot of the heavy lifting. He could be another back in a great line of backs to pass through Columbus. Is he Heisman material, though? Not likely, but he should be just as good as Sermon was last season.
