The timing of this was pretty interesting. On Monday night, right before kickoff between the Miami Hurricanes and Indiana Hoosiers, the national championship odds for next season were posted by FanDuel and Ohio State is at the top of the list.
Why Ohio State should be considered a top contender next season
That's right, while the Buckeyes saw their 2025 season end in heartbreak thanks to the Canes, the Vegas oddsmakers think this team has what it takes to win it all next January. However, Ohio State is listed as the co-favorites, as Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame also hold +650 odds. So, is a season to remember on the way for the Buckeyes?
Ohio State is the co-favorite with Notre Dame to win the CFP title next season
It really should be no surprise that the Buckeyes have such strong odds. Ohio State will bring back two of the best players in all of college football, with quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith motivated to bounce back next fall and winter.
The Buckeyes ended their 2025 season with defeats to Indiana in the Big Ten title game and Miami in the CFP. Since then, everyone has been waiting to see who Ryan Day will hire as his new offensive coordinator, as a Brian Hartline replacement needs to move to Columbus soon.
Brian Daboll was long viewed as a dream target by OSU supporters, but it's looking more and more likely that he's going to stay in the NFL either as a head coach or OC. So, who will Day shift his focus to? That's a bit unknown at this point.
Regardless, Day has loaded up by signing high school recruits for the 2026 class, while also making a splash in the transfer portal - he's not done there yet either. Once the roster is finalized, we'll get more of a full idea of what to expect from Ohio State in 2026, but Vegas is quite high on them with Week 1 of the regular season still more than seven months away.