The Ohio State football team breezed past an outmatched Big Ten foe on Saturday, routing Purdue. The Buckeyes didn't get any closer to the Big Ten Championhip Game because thw two teams ahead of them also won, but OSU will get its chance later this month.
At BetOhio.com, your top spot for the best Ohio betting promotions, we developed exclusive odds on which playoff seed the Ohio State Buckeyes will get in the College Football Playoff based on the team’s latest performance.
Seed | Odds | Percentage Chance |
#5 | -250 | 71.4% |
#6 | +800 | 11.1% |
#7 | +1750 | 5.4% |
#1 | +3250 | 3.0% |
The Field | +1000 | 9% |
The Buckeyes (8-1 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) dominated Purdue at The Horseshoe on Saturday. The Boilermakers (1-8, 0-6) are last in the Big Ten and offered little resistance against the Buckeyes, who outgained the visitors 433-206.
OSU has a margin of error for making the first 12-team CFP field even after losing Oct. 12 at Oregon. A one-point loss to the Ducks, who are No. 1 in the CFP rankings, only slightly dented Ohio State’s hopes of a CFP bid. OSU has -6000 odds to make the Playoff at DraftKings Ohio Sportsbook, tied with the Ducks at the top of the operator's board.
The fact that OSU was second, ahead of one-loss SEC powers Tennessee and Texas, in the initial CFP rankings shows how much the Buckeyes impressed the committee. The next set of rankings will be revealed tonight (Nov. 12) and there is no reason to think the new numbers will read any differently.
Indiana is undefeated and looms for the Buckeyes on Nov. 23 in Columbus. A loss to the Hoosiers would knock Ohio State out of the Big Ten title game picture. But a two-loss Buckeyes team (with only unbeaten teams Oregon and Indiana topping them) would be ranked high enough to be in the CFP, albeit lower in the seedings.
Another possibility for Ohio sports betting is that the Buckeyes run the table from here, win the Big Ten title game (probably in a rematch against Oregon) and likely ascend to No. 1 in the final rankings.
Still, before all of that, OSU has to take care of business in its final road trip this season. The Buckeyes travel to Chicago on Saturday to face Northwestern (4-5, 2-4) at Wrigley Field. See our Ohio State vs. Northwestern odds page for tips. After that comes the showdown with the Hoosiers the following week.
And that’s before That Team Up North comes into Ohio Stadium for the season finale on Nov. 30.
Bowl | Location | Conference Opponent | Odds | Pct. Chance |
College Football Playoff | TBD | TBD | -900 | 90% |
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl | Orlando, FL | Vs. SEC | +1500 | 6.3% |
The Field |
|
| +2600 | 3.7% |
As you can see, we think it’s extremely likely (a 90% chance) that Ohio State will qualify for the CFP even after the defeat against Oregon, thanks to the road win over previously unbeaten Penn State on Nov. 2.
These Ohio State bowl projection odds are exclusive to BetOhio.com, where we review the best Ohio sports betting apps so you can compare operators when you sign up or go searching for the best lines for a game.
What if the Buckeyes stumble again – it would take an upset now, even against Indiana – and miss the Playoff? Then we project that the most likely destination for them is the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, at +1500 odds (a 6.3% implied probability) against an SEC opponent.
What’s the new CFP format? The five highest ranked conference champions – from the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12 and the Group of Five leagues – will automatically qualify. The top four of those teams in the rankings will occupy Seeds 1-4 and get a first-round bye in the CFP.
The next seven teams will be chosen at large. Teams 5-12 in the bracket will play first-round games at campus sites, to be held this year on Dec. 20 and 21. Those winners will face the top four teams in the quarterfinals – the Fiesta, Peach, Rose and Sugar Bowl – on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The semifinals will be the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9, 2025, and the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10. The CFP National Championship Game is Jan. 20 in Atlanta.
All of that is why we cannot project Ohio State to a specific CFP bowl. Assuming the Buckeyes make the field, there’s no way to know where they might be sent until the bracket is revealed the day after the conference championship games.
At Caesars Ohio Sportsbook, Oregon is favored to win the Big Ten at -110 odds (as of Nov. 12), followed by OSU at +100.
Year | Bowl | Result |
2023 | Cotton Bowl | Loss, 14-3 against Missouri |
2022 | CFB Playoff | Loss, 42-41 against Georgia |
2021 | Rose Bowl | Win, 48-45 against Utah |
2020 | CFB Playoff | Win, 49-28 against Clemson; Loss, 52-24 against Alabama |
2019 | CFB Playoff | Loss, 29-23 against Clemson |
The Buckeyes have lost three of their past four bowl games, including two CFP games. In their most recent CFP appearance, OSU lost a heartbreaker in the semifinal against Georgia to end the 2022 season.
USA Today Network photo by Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch
For the 2024-25 college football season, we project Ohio State to play in the College Football Playoff with odds of -900 (a 90% chance). If OSU qualifies, the exact bowl and location would be announced when the 12-team Playoff field is set.
Ohio State is bowl eligible, having earned their sixth win of the 2024 season on Oct. 26 against Nebraska. Their most recent bowl game was the 2023 Cotton Bowl, a loss against Missouri.
Author
Ohio native Jim Tomlin has 30 years of experience in journalism, mostly in sports. He lends his expertise to BetOhio.com as a writer and editor after previous experience at the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition.
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