College football’s early Signing Day was in December. National Signing Day was in February.
Finally, there is time to examine the rosters of Ohio’s college football powers and look forward to the 2022 season.
All of the major sportsbooks have posted their numbers on who is going to take home the national championship this year. Odds on who will win the prestigious Heisman Trophy, given annually to college football’s best player, are also posted.
Legal sports betting in Ohio is still almost a full year away, but it has officially been signed off on by Gov. Mike DeWine.
What say you, Buckeyes?
Ohio State is coming off an 11-2 season where it was beaten by “The School Up North,” Michigan. The Buckeyes rebounded with a thrilling 48-45 win in the Rose Bowl over Utah.
At Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel, Ohio State is the third choice to win the national title in 2022 behind Alabama and defending champs Georgia.
Caesars has Ohio State as +700 to win the national title, while Draft Kings and FanDuel have the Buckeyes at +550.
Ohio State has won eight national titles in program history, with the last one coming in 2014.
In case you were curious, Michigan is listed as +3,000 on the board at Caesars Sportsbook Ohio. Ohio State fans say, “we will see you at The Shoe in November for payback.”
The Buckeyes are slated to start the 2022 season by hosting Notre Dame on Sept. 3. Those two schools haven’t played since the 2016 Fiesta Bowl.
We see you, Cincinnati
Ohio was represented in the four-team College Football Playoff in 2021, but it was the Cincinnati Bearcats who made it. In doing so, they became the first team from the American Athletic Conference to make the CFP playoff.
The Bearcats lost to Alabama, 27-6, in the semifinal and finished the season 13-1.
The sportsbooks aren’t high on the Bearcats chances in 2022. Caesars has Cincinnati as +6,000 to win the national title, while DraftKings lists them at +10,000 and FanDuel has them at +20,000.
Back the MAC
The rest of Ohio’s Division I football programs are way back in the crowd. Kent State won its division in the Mid-American Conference a season ago, and lost in the MAC Championship game to Northern Illinois.
The Golden Flashes then lost in the Idaho Potato Bowl and finished 7-7.
Kent State, Miami of Ohio, and Toledo are all +200,000 on the board at Caesars. Bowling Green and Akron are +500,000, the highest number listed.
Heisman talk
It’s never too early to talk about the Heisman Trophy. Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud finished fourth in the Heisman voting in 2021 after throwing for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns as a freshman.
Stroud is the second choice on the boards at Caesars and FanDuel Sportsbook Ohio. Caesars has Stroud as paying +350 to win, and FanDuel has him as +450.
One name that will be familiar to Ohio State fans is highly-rated quarterback Quinn Ewers. He recently transferred from Ohio State to Texas, and is on the board at both Caesars and FanDuel. He is +3,000 at Caesars and +5,000 at FanDuel.
Ohio State boasts eight Heisman Trophy winners in its illustrious history. The last was quarterback Troy Smith in 2006.
