Don't look now, but the Ohio State Buckeyes are at least 12.5-point favorites in each of their six biggest regular-season games.
In a little over three weeks, Ohio State opens its season against Notre Dame, in what will be a top-five showdown in Columbus on Sept. 3. Although the Irish are ranked as one of the best teams in college football in the preseason Coaches Poll, it appears as though there is still a major gap between them and the Buckeyes, at least according to the oddsmakers. Ohio State is currently listed as a 14.5-point favorite over the Fighting Irish, according to the Action Network. That's just the beginning, too.
In the Buckeyes' five other biggest regular-season games following the season opener – Wisconsin, Michigan State, Iowa, Penn State and Michigan – they are also favored to win by double digits.
| Opponent | Spread |
|---|---|
| VS. NOTRE DAME | -14.5 |
| VS. ARKANSAS STATE | N/A |
| VS. TOLEDO | N/A |
| VS. WISCONSIN | -15 |
| VS. RUTGERS | N/A |
| AT MICHIGAN STATE | -13 |
| VS. IOWA | -20.5 |
| AT PENN STATE | -12.5 |
| AT NORTHWESTERN | N/A |
| VS. INDIANA | N/A |
| AT MARYLAND | N/A |
| VS. MICHIGAN | -14 |
Although Ohio State is currently a 14.5-point favorite over Notre Dame to kick off the season, it’s the closest spread the Buckeyes have had in a season opener since 2003, when they were just nine-point favorites over Washington after winning the national championship the previous season.
Looking back, the Bucks were double-digit favorites throughout the majority of last season as well. The Game in Ann Arbor against Michigan (-6.5) and the Rose Bowl against Utah (-4) were the only two games of the season in which Ohio State wasn't favored by double digits. The Buckeyes were 14.5-point favorites against Oregon, a game they ultimately lost to the Ducks the second week of the season.
The oddsmakers' spreads certainly don't determine who will inevitably win each game – Michigan was a 33-point favorite over Appalachian State in 2007 and we all know how that game ended – but the fact that Ohio State is currently favored by at least 12.5 points in every regular season game shows you how good the college football world believes the Buckeyes can be this fall.
Ohio State begins its 2022 season at home against Notre Dame on Sept. 3. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
