Four Buckeyes land in too-early Heisman Trophy odds
COLUMBUS — Ohio State is loaded for a 2024 national title run. The Buckeyes have talent at every level of their offense as part of that.
A whopping four of them are already posted on Fanduel Sportsbook with Heisman Trophy odds before spring practice even begins. Let’s talk about them.
Buckeyes presumed starting quarterback Will Howard, who transferred to Ohio State after a successful career at Kansas State, is +1000 to win the Heisman Trophy before spring ball begins — despite not even winning the quarterback job yet. Howard started games in portions of four seasons for the Wildcats and led them to a Big 12 title in 2022. He has 5,786 yards passing with 48 touchdown passes and 25 interceptions. His role in the Buckeyes offense as a run threat alongside two star tailbacks — and as a passer to elite offensive weapons out wide — will lead to him being a trendy Heisman pick next season.
Ohio State star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is +7500 to win the Heisman Trophy. After going over the 1,000-yard receiving mark as a sophomore, Egbuka struggled through an ankle injury during his junior campaign. He passed on the NFL Draft — even as a potential first-round pick — to return to the Buckeyes for his senior season and a shot to win a national title. Oh, and he plays a position that can win a Heisman. Wide receiver Davonte Smith won it for Alabama in 2020.
Then there’s the two-headed tailback tandem of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, who are both +12000 to win the Heisman Trophy. Henderson returned for his senior season instead of heading to the NFL Draft, even as one of the best backs in the country for the last three years, and Judkins is a former two-time All-SEC tailback who left Ole Miss and transferred to Ohio State for his third year as a college running back. Odds are that they’re going to split carries, making their Heisman Trophy cases complicated. But they’re both among the college football players with the best odds to win the trophy.
All four are stars in their own regard. They’re all in the mix for the Heisman Trophy before spring camp begins.
Early spread also released for pair of Buckeyes games
Ohio State opens as home favorite over Michigan
The Buckeyes opened as a 7.5-point favorite for their Nov. 30 matchup against Michigan in the Horseshoe.
Ohio State hasn’t beaten Michigan at home since 2018 and hasn’t won the rivalry game at all since 2019.
Of course, Ohio State has had the talent advantage in each of the last three years — according to all available metrics such as the On3 Industry rankings from the past few years. Yet Michigan has won the last three meetings on the field.
Ohio State hasn’t lost four straight games to Michigan since 1988-91. The Buckeyes will finally have a chance to get back over their rivals in late November. We’re a long way away from that game, but the expects in the desert are already pinning Ohio State as a favorite over its biggest rival.
Buckeyes are already road underdog at Oregon
Yes, Ohio State will be an underdog in a Big Ten matchup. Fanduel Sportsbook recently debuted its betting lines for some of the biggest games of the college football season, months before toe meets leather on the college football season. And the Buckeyes opened as a 1.5-point underdog for their first trip to Autzen Stadium since 1967 when they beat Oregon.
The last time these two teams met, the Ducks upset the Buckeyes inside the Horseshoe early in the 2021 regular season, prompting Ryan Day to demote then-defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs. That season, Ohio State struggled on that side of the ball and missed the College Football Playoff. Following that year, Day parted ways with Coombs and other defensive coaches, leading to the Buckeyes hiring new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
Since that last matchup, the Ducks lost then-coach Mario Cristobal to Miami and hired Dan Lanning, the former defensive coordinator at Georgia, to be the new head coach. He has led the Ducks to a PAC-12 title game and now leads them into the Big Ten this season.
