The Ohio State Buckeyeslost 13-10 in the Big Ten Championship gameto the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday and fell out of the top spot in theCollege Football Playoffrankings. Ohio State QB Julian Sayin also likely lost out on a chance at the Heisman trophy to Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (Sayin had 300-1 odds to Mendoza's -5000 before the odds were taken down on Monday).
However, despite being the No. 2 seed, the defending champion Buckeyes remain the betting favorite to win the CFP at sportsbooks, includingBetMGM. Ohio State has +225 odds to win it all, followed by No. 1 seed Indiana at +275 and No. 3 Georgia at +500.
"The sportsbook is in great shape heading into the College Football Playoff," Seamus Magee, BetMGM trading manager, said in a statement. "Many of the favorites to win the championship, including Ohio State, Indiana and Georgia, are winners for the book."
Ohio State has the most wagers (13.8%) and total dollars wagered (16.8%), followed by Georgia in both categories. The Buckeyes were the 8 seed in last year's CFP after missing the Big Ten title game. Ohio State then won four straight games in the CFP en route to a title, capped by a 34-23 win over No. 7 Notre Dame.
The two biggest title liabilities for BetMGM are Texas and LSU — and neither team even reached the College Football Playoff.
The four higher-seeded teams in the first round — No. 5 Oregon, No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 8 Oklahoma — opened as favorites, but No. 9 Alabama was quickly bet to a 1.5-point favorite against the Sooners. Oregon is a 21-point favorite vs. No. 12 James Madison, Texas A&M is a 3.5-point favorite against No. 10 Miami (Fla.) and Ole Miss is a 16.5-point favorite vs. Tulane in the opening round.
The Buckeyes will play the winner of the Miami-Texas A&M matchup on Dec. 31 in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
