Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes now national title favorite after odds shift
COLUMBUS — The odds have shifted after two weeks of football season, and Ohio State is now the favorite to win the national title.
The Buckeyes have been second behind Georgia all offseason and for the first half of September. But the Bulldogs struggled in a one-point win at Kentucky on Saturday night, and the folks at Fanduel took notice.
Ohio State (+330) is now the betting favorite to win the national championship, passing up Georgia (+400). Texas (+500, Alabama (+750) and Oregon (+950) round out the top five; those five are the only five teams with odds smaller than +1000.
The Buckeyes haven’t truly been challenged yet; they will travel to Oregon on Oct. 12 for a top-10 matchup with championship implications. A week before, Ohio State will face Big Ten heavyweight Iowa. That’s when we’ll know if this team can win a national title.
The folks in the desert seem to think they can. That’s why Ohio State is now the betting favorite to win it all at the end of this season.
Buckeyes expect to have Donovan Jackson back Saturday
Ohio State is expected to have one of its starting offensive linemen and leaders of the unit in action for the first time this season.
Three-year starting left guard Donovan Jackson is slated to make his season debut Saturday when the Buckeyes take on Marshall (Noon, FOX). Jackson has missed the first two games of the year and then had the idle week to make sure he’s ready to go.
Buckeyes coach Ryan Day clarified that Jackson should be good to go for the nonconference finale before Big Ten play starts next weekend — as long as he has no setbacks.
“He’s ready to roll,” Day said of Jackson. “He’ll be ready to go for Saturday.”
Jackson, a former five-star prospect from the 2021 recruiting class, first started for the Buckeyes during his second year. He has been starting at left guard since then.
But when a preseason injury popped up, Day and the Buckeyes turned to second-year lineman Austin Siereveld to make his first two starts in the first two games of this season. Siereveld performed well in place of Jackson, but Ohio State will certainly enjoy having its most veteran lineman back in action on Saturday.
READ MORE: Donovan Jackson expected to make season debut against Marshall
ICYMI: Buckeyes fall in ESPN power rankings despite not playing
Ohio State opened the season as one of the top two teams in the country, up at the top of every ranking, power rating and analytical ratings in the college football landscape.
Three weeks in, and the Buckeyes have fallen three spots in the latest ESPN Power Ratings despite having Week 3 off.
Yes, Ohio State has dropped three spots to No. 5 in the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader in Sports’ Power Rankings after three weeks of the season. Texas is in the top spot after a dominant win over UTSA, overtaking Georgia, which struggled on the road in a win over Kentucky.
Two teams jumped over Ohio State this week: Alabama, after its win at Wisconsin, is No. 3 and Tennessee is No. 4 after easily beating Kent State.
With the Buckeyes off during the weekend, they’re down to No. 5. But they can rise back up in the rankings soon if they impress against Marshall on Saturday and again a week later on the road at Michigan State.
Other Big Ten teams in ESPN’s Power Rankings are No. 8 USC, No. 10 Penn State, No. 11 Oregon, No. 16 Michigan, No. 18 Nebraska and No. 25 Illinois. Ohio State will face Penn State, Oregon, Michigan and Nebraska this season, two of them coming at home and two on the road.
Counting down
Buckeyes vs. Marshall: 3 days
Ohio State at Oregon: 24 days
Ohio State at Penn State: 45 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 73 days
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