Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes still among top favorites to win national title

COLUMBUS — Ohio State suffered a last-second loss to Oregon in Autzen Stadium and then just had a week off to recalibrate and refocus.

The folks in the desert still believe the Buckeyes are the best team in the Big Ten — and still among the favorites to win the national title.

FanDuel Sportsbook has officially updated its national championship odds now that the latest week of college football is wrapped up. And Ohio State has the third-best odds to win the national title despite the loss.

Georgia is the back to the top as the betting favorite. The Bulldogs are +330 to win the national championship after their road win at Texas. They’re followed by Ohio State, which is unchanged from last week (+450). Texas is right behind the Buckeyes at +500. The team which beat Ohio State, Oregon, now has title odds at +500 after the one-point win over the Buckeyes — the biggest regular season win in Ducks program history — and then a win over Purdue.

Penn State sits currently at +1200 odds to win it all. The Nittany Lions will host Ohio State on Nov. 2.

Buckeyes, Penn State will meet at Noon next week

For the second time this season, Ohio State will go on the road to face a ranked team — one that will likely be in the top five of the AP Poll. And when the Buckeyes take on Penn State in Beaver Stadium next weekend, it’ll do so in the Big Noon window on FOX.

Yes, the Big Ten and the TV networks announced game times for the Nov. 2 slate of games, and the Buckeyes will face Penn State on FOX with the Big Noon treatment.

It will be the third time Ohio State has been in FOX’s premier television window this season. The Buckeyes beat Marshall on Sept. 21 during a Big Noon Saturday broadcast and will be on FOX in the early window this week, as well.

Penn State must travel to Wisconsin this weekend and take care of the Badgers in a primetime trap game. Assuming the Nittany Lions do beat Wisconsin and Ohio State beats Nebraska, next weekend will be the second road game against a top-five team for Ohio State this year. The Buckeyes lost on the road at Oregon on Oct. 12.

Penn State is currently No. 3 in the AP Poll. Ohio State is No. 4.

ICYMI: Idle Buckeyes stay put in AP Poll after chaotic week of college football

Ohio State had a full weekend to regroup and recover after its loss to Oregon on Oct. 12. Chaos was the order of the day in college football while the Buckeyes were off.

Now that the dust is settling on a crazy weekend of action, the Buckeyes stayed put in the latest AP Poll. The team that beat Ohio State, Oregon, is now the No. 1 team in the country after previous No. 1 Texas fell at home to Georgia. Penn State moved up to No. 2, while Georgia leaped over Ohio State for the No. 3 spot after beating Texas in Austin. Ohio State is fourth, while the Longhorns are now fifth.

Undefeated Miami, one-loss LSU, undefeated Iowa State, one-loss Clemson and one-loss Tennessee round out the top 10.

Other Big Ten teams to be ranked are: No. 13 Indiana (7-0) and No. 20 Illinois (6-1). They’re two of the most surprising teams and stories in the sport right now.

The Buckeyes will finally get back on the field — to potentially get the bad taste of the Oregon loss out of their mouths — against Nebraska on Saturday (Noon, FOX). The Cornhuskers were blown out in a 56-7 loss to Indiana on Saturday. Now Nebraska will play its second straight road game against a ranked team.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Nebraska: 4 days
Ohio State at Penn State: 11 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 39 days
Big Ten title game: 46 days

Are you a Lettermen Row member yet?

Are you ready to get all your latest Buckeyes news in one place? Become a member of Lettermen Row today. With your Lettermen Row/On3+ membership, you’ll not only have access to everything that’s happening with the Buckeyes, but you’ll also be able to peruse other fan sites within the network to hear just how rivals are feeling about Ohio State, as well. Make sure to follow along on X, Instagram and on Youtube for all the latest Buckeyes news you need to know.