Ohio State Buckeyes Fourth Favorite to Win 2024 College Football Championship at Caesars Sportsbook

The Ohio State Buckeyes might be the country's third-ranked team, but the betting public isn’t as high on the Buckeyes.

Ohio State is the fourth-favorite (+850) at Caesars Sportsbook Ohio to win their ninth national title and just behind Big Ten rival Michigan, Georgia, and Florida State on the internationally known Caesars betting board.

Harrison Jr. Comes up big against Penn State

The Buckeyes came up big when they needed to in their Week 8 home victory over previously unbeaten No. 7 Penn State Saturday at Ohio Stadium. The offense benefitted from Heisman contender Marvin Harrison Jr–the Buckeyes wideout accounted for 162 of Buckeyes QB Kyle McCord’s 286 passing yards.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day specifically mentioned his All-America wide receiver to reporters after the game,

“I think most teams, the first thing they look at is how to take away Marvin Harrison,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “I think we targeted him 16 times, and he was open on most of those plays. He showed up in a big spot today again. I haven’t seen everybody play across the country, but it would be hard for me to find somebody who’s better in the country. I don’t know how he gets on these lists or doesn’t get on these lists, but to me, he’s one of the most special players in the country.”

🌰WIN COLUMNS🌰

Marvin said thank you very much😏Harrison had quite the game today. #GoBucks🌰 pic.twitter.com/DmZlVuPzev

— Ohio State Buckeyes 🌰 (@OhioStAthletics) October 21, 2023

Buckeyes’ defense comes up big against the Nittany Lions

On Saturday, the Buckeyes limited Penn State to 240 yards of offense. They also sacked Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar four times and held the 33rd-best Penn State rushing offense to 49 yards. Ohio State senior linebacker Tommy Eichenberg led the Buckeyes defense with eight tackles.

2024 National Championship odds, according to Caesars Sportsbook

Team	School
Michigan Wolverines	+220
Georgia Bulldogs	+280
Florida State Seminoles	+600
Ohio State Buckeyes	+850
Washington Huskies	+1000

2024 National Championship odds betting analysis

Now that Week 8 is in the books, some of these teams have plenty of work to do to win their respective conferences, let alone play with enough consistency to win a natty.

Michigan Wolverines (8-0, +220)

Michigan has been heavily criticized for playing a soft non-conference schedule, but the Wolverines are undefeated and have looked more impressive with each passing week.

The Maize and Blue boast the top-scoring defense among their FBS peers but end their regular season with three challenging games – consecutive away games with Penn State and Maryland and their regular season finale at home against No. 3 Ohio State.

JJ McCarthy is currently the betting favorite to win the Heisman trophy via FanDuel 👀 pic.twitter.com/jco5uVYUCj

— Michigan Wolverines 〽️ (@uofmcoverage) October 22, 2023

Next Up: The No. 2 Michigan Wolverines have a bye week before hosting Purdue on November 4.

Georgia Bulldogs (7-0, +280)

No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs are two-time defending national champions and haven’t budged from the top spot in the national rankings for nearly three seasons.

The Bulldogs are top-ten on both sides of the ball but have a tough road ahead of them, with three nationally ranked teams on their schedule over their last five regular season games (Missouri, Mississippi, and @ Tennessee).

With news that Georgia Bulldog Brock Bowers is expected to be out for the next four to six weeks, Dawg fans can take some comfort in knowing that their team is built to withstand a major loss like this better than any other.https://t.co/UvWiSaLv6Z

— Matt DeBary (@MattDeBary) October 18, 2023

Next Up: The No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs are coming off a bye week but host the 5-2 Florida Gators in a Week 9 SEC matchup.

Florida State Seminoles (7-0 +600)

The No. 4 ranked Florida State Seminoles are undefeated and running away with the ACC conference. FSU boasts the fifth-best offense in the country, and although they allow a robust 18.6 points per game, their defense can be shaky at times.

Florida State doesn’t play a nationally ranked team over their remaining five games but does play against a pair of previously ranked schools with a Week 11 home matchup with Miami and closes the season at Florida.

WATCH LIVE: Duke Post Game Press Conference with Mike Norvell & Players https://t.co/Hrzf6TQqz8

— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) October 22, 2023

Next Up: The No. 4 Florida State Seminoles are at Wake Forest for a Week 9 matchup with the Demon Deacons.

Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0 +850)

Although the No. 34 Ohio State Buckeyes are 34th in scoring, their defense ranks third nationally and held Penn State to 12 points on Saturday in Columbus. The Ohio State offense has some injury concerns on the offensive line and in the backfield but may have lost reserve quarterback Devin Brown to an ankle sprain suffered in the victory over Penn State.

Three of their remaining five games are on the road (against Wisconsin, Rutgers, and Michigan), and that’s a daunting prospect.

🎙Head Coach @ryandaytime commends the atmosphere Buckeye Nation provided and highlights Coach Knowles' defense 🗣 pic.twitter.com/rOGkzVkawF

— Ohio State Buckeyes 🌰 (@OhioStAthletics) October 21, 2023

Next up: The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes will face the 5-2 Wisconsin Badgers in Madison.

Washington Huskies (7-0 +1000)

The No. 5 ranked Washington Huskies were impressive up until their 15-7 Week 8 victory over Arizona State. The Huskies still boast the seventh-best scoring offense, but their 87th-best defense isn’t going to beat any of the teams above.

Washington plays three of their five remaining games against nationally-ranked opponents (@ USC, Utah, and @ Oregon State), which will either make or break the Huskies’ national championship hopes.