With Ohio State not playing in college football's National Championship game Monday night, frowns are in Columbus — and for their backers in Ohio sports betting — for another year until the Buckeyes open at home against Akron on Aug. 31.
However, that does not mean the Buckeye State will not be represented with past and present glory.
There have been 75 touchdowns scored in the National Championship since the beginning of the College Football Playoff back with the 2014 season. But which states have produced those scorers?
BetOhio.com utilized College Football Reference to gather the touchdown scorers and their birthplace. A player with multiple touchdowns scored was counted each time, and quarterback passing touchdowns were not counted. Here is the scoring breakdown:
States With Most Championship TD Scorers
ESPN BET Ohio lists Michigan as a 5-point favorite in this year’s title game with an over-under of 55.5 total points.
Ohio Cracks Scoring Top 10
Ohio and Illinois are both tied for eighth in our list with four touchdowns (5.3%) apiece, a good eight touchdowns away from Louisiana, who tops the list with 12 (16%).
The rise of third-string Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones (2013-15) is one of championship lore. Taking over for injured starting quarterback J.T. Barrett after their Michigan win in 2015, Jones was catapulted into the starting role for one and possibly two playoff games.
Trailing 14-10 after the first quarter against Alabama in the 2015 Sugar Bowl, Jones completed 18-of 35 passes for 243 yards with one TD and one interception plus had 17 carries for 43 yards on the ground in a 42-35 victory to advance to the title game against Oregon.
Jones completed 16-of-23 passes for 242 yards with one TD, one interception and had 21 carries for 38 rush yards and a score in the Buckeyes' 42-20 rout of the Ducks to finish the season at 14-1 with a National Championship locked up.
Fast forward to Monday.
Aurora native and Michigan senior tight end AJ Barner will be the only Ohio native to participate. The three-year Indiana transfer has 22 receptions for 249 yards (11.3 yards per catch) and one TD for the Wolverines this season. Ohio sports betting apps list Barner as +500 to score a touchdown in the game and add to Ohio’s title game scoring list.
