In what has seemed like a constantly evolving college football landscape, one look at the Big Ten ahead of the 2024 season might prove to be the greatest change of all.
With four new members entering the league, including the team with the second-shortest Big Ten betting odds to win the conference, perhaps this is the best chance in quite some time to see a team from outside of “The Game” rivalry win a title.
Updated 2024 Big Ten Betting Odds
1993 was the first year that the conference name made little sense after Penn State was added as the league’s 11th member. Nebraska (2011), Maryland, and Rutgers (2014) were also initiated to swell the number of member institutions to 14 before the largest makeover took place this summer when Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC joined the fray.
Before its departure from the Pac-12, the Huskies (champions) and Ducks (runner-ups) played each other in the conference championship game a season ago. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the only team with shorter odds than Oregon (+200) to win the Big Ten this season is Ohio State (+155).
Shortest Odds To Win the Big Ten This Season:
1) Ohio State +155
2) Oregon +200
3) Penn State +500
4) Michigan +700
5) USC +2200
6) Iowa +4000
Before Michigan’s active run of three straight Big Ten titles, Ohio State had won the previous four league championships. Penn State was the last team from outside of that rivalry to win the conference title, but that was in 2016 when Saquon Barkley was still in the backfield for the Nittany Lions.
Despite the lack of hardware recently, Ohio State is a deserving favorite to win the league title this season according to the latest Big Ten betting odds. 10 different Buckeyes received individual honors in CFN’s Preseason All-American Team, including Impact Freshman of the Year Jeremiah Smith and Strong Safety of the Year Caleb Downs.
Since the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game was played in 2011, Ohio State has reached that contest six times and won five of those appearances, with the lone loss coming to Michigan State in 2013.
Ryan Day is 56-8 at Ohio State since taking over as head coach and should see a boost on offense thanks to additions made through the transfer portal. QB Will Howard (Kansas State), RB Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss), and C Seth McLaughlin (Alabama) are all expected to make immediate contributions.
While Oregon is a newcomer to the league, and the three most recent Big Ten additions haven’t come close to sniffing a league title since each arrived (Sorry, Cornhuskers, losing by 39 in the conference title game in 2012 does not count), the Ducks can look to Penn State for not only admiration but also a blueprint.
The Nittany Lions went undefeated and won the Big Ten in 1994, their second season in the conference.
The Ducks will have to replace Bo Nix at quarterback but should be in good shape to do so thanks to getting Dillon Gabriel and his 14,865 career passing yards out of the transfer portal from Oklahoma. It also helps that Dan Lanning brought in yet another strong freshman recruiting class this season.
Penn State (+500) and Michigan (+700) are the only other teams with Big Ten betting odds that are shorter than 22-1 to take home the conference crown. Only twice in the past 20 seasons has a team won the league championship with odds longer than that, and it was actually these same two teams: Michigan (25-1) in 2021 and Penn State (60-1) in 2016.
This is Penn State’s shortest odds to win the Big Ten since they were reigning conference champions in 2017 only to fall short of the conference title game in their pursuit to go back-to-back.
Speaking of reigning champions, Michigan has not won four straight Big Ten championships since they won five in a row from 1988 to 1992.
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