The Ohio State Buckeyes are expected to be right back at their perennial perch atop the College Football world next season, with the sports books having faith they'll be joined by the Texas Longhorns, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the new blood Indiana Hoosiers.
Per ESPN's David Purdum, "Indiana and Ohio State are the co-favorites, each listed at 7-1 at DraftKings Sportsbook, followed by Texas and Notre Dame at +750. Some sportsbooks have the teams in different order -- Notre Dame and Ohio State are co-favorites at FanDuel -- but those four are on top everywhere. Oregon (+850) and Georgia (+950) round out the teams with odds shorter than +1000."
Ohio State owns victories over the other three teams over the past two seasons, having defeated Indiana in the 2024 regular season but losing in the Big Ten Championship this past December, knocking off Notre Dame in the CFP title game last January, and beating the Texas Longhorns in Week 1 last August. The Buckeyes will face the Hoosiers and Longhorns again in 2026.
Ohio State's repeat chances hinge on next OC hire
The Buckeyes need a Chip Kelly-like veteran figure calling plays to get the most out of the offense. Not a receiver-friendly play-caller like Brian Hartline, who didn't have the running game looking up to snuff until the end of the season.
Ohio State will always have the talent coming through the door from every corner in the country, but without proper coaching, that talent will falter. CFB is a pro sport now, and that statement has always rang true at the next level.
Brand value attracts talent. Good coaching actually does something with it.
With Matt Patricia seemingly set to return as defensive coordinator, at least one side of the ball has clarity. No one-dimensional team can win a championship in this day and age, though. IU was a powerhouse on both sides of the ball, as was the Miami Hurricanes. OSU was a one-trick pony with an unexciting and unexplosive offense in big-game situations.
Ryan Day and Ross Bjork need to nail this choice. Day's legacy in Columbus may rely on him getting it right.