As conferences begin holding their media days and college football season draws ever closer, Ohio State remains among the favorites to win the national championship this upcoming season.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Bruce Feldman, Vegas oddsmakers are giving the Buckeyes a 20 percent shot at winning the 2018 College Football Playoff.
Latest national title odds #Bama 3/1; #OhioState 4/1; #USC 7/1; #FSU 15/2; #Michigan 12/1; #OU 15/1; #UDub 20/1; #Auburn #LSU & #PennSt 22/1
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) July 10, 2017
There’s certainly reasons to be optimistic about the Buckeyes’ championship chances. Ohio State has one of college football’s most experienced quarterbacks, a coach who has won three national titles and a defense that once again appears to be loaded with NFL talent.
Still, the road to potentially winning a national championship or even a Big Ten championship won’t be easy. While there is no clear-cut championship favorite heading into this season, there are plenty of teams with the talent to contend for college football’s top prize – or at least be a thorn in the Buckeyes’ side along the way.
Let’s take a look at the 10 teams with the most potential to stand between the Buckeyes and a trophy:
10. LOUISVILLE
With reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson at quarterback, Louisville remains one of college football’s most dangerous teams.
The Cardinals might not have enough talent around him to make a run to the College Football Playoff, but if they get there, Jackson’s dual-threat playmaking ability gives them the potential to win any game.
9. MICHIGAN
One of the most likely scenarios that could keep Ohio State out of the College Football Playoff would be a regular-season loss to a team the Buckeyes shouldn’t lose to on the road. The only formidable road opponent on Ohio State’s schedule, however, is Michigan.
Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines are likely to give the Buckeyes a competitive rivalry game, but they may not be playing for a Big Ten Championship Game berth themselves. The Wolverines, who had 11 players selected in April’s NFL draft, might have lost too much talent to contend for the conference title this year.
8. OKLAHOMA STATE
Oklahoma State’s offense, led by one of the nation’s most underappreciated quarterbacks in Mason Rudolph and one of its best wide receivers in James Washington, should be among the best in the country.
Combine that with a manageable schedule, and the Cowboys have a real shot at making the College Football Playoff – especially if Ohio State can weaken Oklahoma’s case with a win over the Sooners in September. The Cowboys’ defense isn’t likely to shut anyone down, but their offense should be a tough matchup for even the country’s most talented defenses, making them a potential postseason threat for the Buckeyes.
7. WISCONSIN
The path to a conference title and a playoff berth could go through Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Badgers stand out as the best team in the B1G West, and they don’t have to worry about playing Ohio State or Penn State in the regular season.
Quarterback Alex Hornibrook must improve for the Badgers to win consistently, but the Badgers have solid returning experience on both sides of the ball. With the exception of Ohio State’s 59-0 championship game rout in 2014, Wisconsin typically plays the Buckeyes tough and typically plays well on big stages.
6. CLEMSON
The Tigers are college football’s defending national champions, and the Buckeyes have had a notoriously tough time against them in postseason games. Clemson’s defense is one of the nation’s most talented units, and Dabo Swinney appears to have his program at a level where it will compete for championships year in and year out.
Even so, the Tigers will be hard-pressed to repeat as champions following the departure of quarterback Deshaun Watson. Clemson does not have a single quarterback on its roster with significant game experience, and the Tigers also lost their top running back, wide receiver and tight end from last season. The Tigers will be a tough out if they make the College Football Playoff, but they’re not favored to even win the ACC as of now.
5. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Led by star quarterback Sam Darnold, the oddsmakers’ preseason favorite to win this year’s Heisman Trophy, USC appears well-positioned to win the Pac-12 and make a College Football Playoff run, making the Trojans a strongly possible opponent for the Buckeyes if they get that far.
The Trojans played as well as anyone down the stretch of last season, finishing the season with nine straight wins. USC still doesn’t have the overall talent it once had, before the program was hit by major sanctions in 2010, but it has enough talent to be a legitimate championship contender if Darnold plays as well as he did during that winning streak.
4. OKLAHOMA
Ohio State’s first game against a potential playoff team will come in its Sept. 9 home opener, when the Buckeyes play host to Oklahoma, another team among this year’s favorites to win the national championship.
With one of the nation’s top returning quarterbacks in Baker Mayfield and talented units on both sides of the ball, the Sooners aren’t expected to miss a beat under first-year coach Lincoln Riley.
The loser of the Ohio State/Oklahoma game could still hypothetically make the playoff and win the national championship, but that team won’t have any margin of error for the rest of the regular season. If the Buckeyes want to maintain their status as a top championship contender throughout the 2017 season, they’ll need to be at their best in Week 2 to earn a win.
3. FLORIDA STATE
One of this year’s top national championship contenders and the preseason favorite to win the ACC, Florida State could present one of the toughest potential postseason matchups for Ohio State.
If Deondre Francois can get more help from his offensive line, he’s another candidate to emerge as a Heisman frontrunner. The FSU defense is loaded with talent, led by former five-star recruits Derwin James, Matthew Thomas and Josh Sweat. The Seminoles have a challenging schedule, including a season-opening game against Alabama and a road trip to Clemson, but they’ll be a threat to win the playoff if they make it there.
2. PENN STATE
The most obvious threat to Ohio State’s championship hopes is Penn State, which defeated OSU in Happy Valley last year to keep the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten Championship Game.
Ohio State will have home-field advantage in this year’s game against the Nittany Lions, but Penn State remains the Buckeyes’ toughest competition for a conference title. Trace McSorley has a case for being the Big Ten’s best quarterback. Saquon Barkley has a case for being the best running back in all of college football. Penn State’s offensive line is expected to be better, and its defense should hold its own.
1. ALABAMA
The only team to make all of the first three College Football Playoffs, Alabama is once again the most likely team to stand in the way of anyone else winning a national championship.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts, running backs Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough and wide receiver Calvin Ridley are all back from last year’s national runner-up team. The defense remains loaded with former five-star recruits including defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand, linebacker Rashaan Evans and defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. Nick Saban’s squad is bound to have a down year at some point, but that doesn’t appear likely to be this year for the Crimson Tide.
