Vegas Does NOT Want the Ohio State Buckeyes to Win the 2022 National Championship

If you think you're surprising the sportsbooks by picking the Ohio State Buckeyes to win the College Football National Championship, you're awfully late to the party.

With Week 0 beginning this Saturday to kick off the 2022 season, the projected favorite in the Big Ten is the overwhelming pick by both public bettors, as well as the sharps to take home the College Football Playoff.

BetMGM Sportsbook recently released their latest splits ahead of the season, highlighting every contender's opening odds as well as where they stand now. They also feature the percentage of actual betting tickets for each specific team, as well as how much money they've taken in to win.

At the top of the list are the Buckeyes. While the Alabama Crimson Tide begun as the top favorite, and still hold the shortest odds to win the title, Ohio State has made a serious move since when they first opened.

Alabama opened at +200 to win the title, taking in 20.5% percent of the National Championship tickets at BetMGM, as well as 21.1% of the money. Ohio State, on the other hand, moved from +600 down to +320 as a result of 21.3% betting tickets, and more-so a whopping 39.1% of the money.

The sportsbook revealed via press release that after Ohio State, their top two liabilities as of Monday, August 22 were the Michigan Wolverines, as well as Alabama. Interestingly enough, despite Michigan opening at +3500 odds, they currently stand at +5000 despite being second on the sportsbook's liability list.

Can Ohio State Knock Off Alabama as the Best Team in College Football?

BetSIded's college football expert Reed Wallach certainly seems to think the Buckeyes are deserving of the shortest odds to win the title over Alabama this year.

In his recent Ohio State betting preview for 2022, Wallach cited his rationale for why he's willing to take the likely Big Ten champs over the favorites in the SEC.

Ohio State is the best team in the country heading into the season. Much will be made about Alabama and the return of Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and pass rusher Will Anderson, but the Buckeyes have the more proven talent on offense and the secondary to offset some of the explosiveness National Championship contending teams possess. Ohio State is going to be a double-digit favorite in each game this season and has an easier schedule to navigate than SEC foes such as Georgia and Alabama, opening up the ability to be the No. 1 team heading into the College Football Playoff. I see reason to buy the Buckeyes ahead of the season before these (odds) numbers grow closer together, and possibly flip over the course of the season.

I agree with Reed's assessment here. Ohio State has the talent to match up with Alabama for a title game, and even with the odds nearly cut in half from where they opened, 3/1 now feels a lot better than what they could end up at several games down the road.

The Crimson Tide have a tougher schedule in the SEC compared to the Buckeyes, who are expected to be double-digit favorites at minimum for every game on the schedule as of now.

Therefore, even if it feels like it's late, it's not too late to take Ohio State, and make your sportsbook just a tad bit more nervous.

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