Are the Ohio State Buckeyes a College Football Betting Lock to Win the Big Ten?

Are the Ohio State Buckeyes a college football betting lock to win the Big Ten this season?  My apologies to Iowa, Penn State, and Wisconsin but, yes, I do believe that the Buckeyes are a lock to win the Big Ten this season.

Ohio State isn’t just a lock to win the Big Ten, they’re one of the favorites, like they often are year in and year out, to win the BCS National Championship.  So, if the Buckeyes are such a sure thing in the Big Ten, why am I even writing this article?

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Because even though Ohio State is a “lock” they, like every team in college football, is one or two injuries away from their season going up in smoke.  That’s the nature of college pigskin.

Big Ten – Best and Worst Bets

** Odds to win the conference

Best Bet:  Ohio State -250

The Buckeyes should probably be at -350 or even -400 college football betting odds to win the Big Ten this season.  Ohio State simply has one of the top teams in the country.  The Bucks went 11 and 2 last season overall, 7 and 1 in the conference, and last season was supposed to be a down year for them.  Everybody knows how good QB Terrelle Pryor can be. Pryor can take the ball to the house every time he touches it.  If he can be a consistent drop back passer, forget it.  The man will win the Heisman Trophy this year.  On defense, the Buckeyes are expected to have one of the top unist, if not the outright top unit, in college football.  Cameron Heyward had 10 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks last season.  Safety Jamie Wood is going to make his presence felt after redshirting in 2009.  This team is loaded.
 
Second Best Bet:  Wisconsin Badgers +350

The Badgers return 18 players this season.  If that weren’t enough of a problem for the rest of the Big Ten, one of those players is named John Clay.  Clay is the 2009 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.  He’s going to have every chance to win that award again in 2010 because left tackle Gabe Carimi is ranked in the Top 3 at his position by NFL scouts.  Left guard John Moffitt also returns.  In fact, Wisconsin brings back 7 offensive linemen this year and all of them could end up starting at one or more points during the season.  That isn’t just good news to Clay.  It’s also good news to returning QB Scott Tolzein.  The defense retains 6 starters.  One of them isn’t linebacker Mike Taylor, the 2009 team leader in tackles, however.  Taylor tore his ACL and will be out for the season.  He’s the reason that I’m not giving Wisconsin as much credit in the college football betting sportsbook as some others might, but even without Taylor, the Badgers are the second best team in the Big Ten.
 
Worst Bet:  Penn State Nittany Lions +650

The Nittany Lions may suffer a down season after being so good for so long in the Big Ten.  Penn State’s offensive line should be better in 2010 than it was in 2009 but they lost QB Daryll Clark and some terrific defensive players including Big Ten defensive player of the year Jared Odrick.  The team also has, without a doubt, the most brutal schedule out of any Big Ten team this season.  They travel to Alabama for their second game and then travel to Iowa and Ohio State later on in the season.  Tough times appear to be in store for Penn State this year. 

Other Teams With a Shot

Iowa Hawkeyes +350 – - They return 8 starters on defense.  The offensive line needs experience but the defense will keep them in games and the schedule isn’t that difficult.

Michigan Wolverines +1200 – - Sure, they’re young and coach Rich Rodriguez is seemingly breaking every negative record in the Big Ten this year, but the Wolvies could take a leap forward in 2010 if a lot of things, I mean a lot of things go their way.

Michigan State +1200 – - This team is probably a year away from really challenging but like I wrote to begin this article, every team in college football is an injury or two away from getting their hopes and dreams smashed.  If something bad happens to Iowa, Ohio State and Wisconsin, the Spartans could be there.  They’re not a bad consider wager at those +1200 college football betting odds.

Get more college football betting free picks in the sportsbook.

Sources:  espn.com, usatoday.com