The Big Ten race is already taking shape, and the sportsbooks have Ohio State sitting at the top of the board. FanDuel lists the Buckeyes at +185 to win the conference, with Oregon right behind at +270 and Indiana close on their heels at +290.
That top tier makes for a crowded fight, but Ohio State is the team drawing the clearest favorite’s respect. The Buckeyes are coming off a 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game, yet the market still likes them most thanks in part to the return of quarterback Julian Sayin, receiver Jeremiah Smith and running back Bo Jackson. Ohio State is also just two years removed from a national title, and FanDuel has the Buckeyes as the national championship favorite at +550.
The catch, as always, is the schedule. Ohio State has to survive a brutal run that includes back-to-back road games at Indiana and USC, plus a home matchup with Oregon.
The Michigan game at Ohio Stadium won’t be a soft landing either. The talent is there, but the path is rough.
Oregon remains a real threat at +270, even if the Ducks are sitting behind Ohio State in the odds. Their last two seasons have featured only three losses, and all of them came against eventual national champions in Ohio State and Indiana. Dan Lanning has kept Oregon near the top of the league, but the program’s ugly College Football Playoff showings have left it a step behind the Buckeyes in the betting market.
Quarterback Dante Moore is a major reason Oregon still has a strong case. Moore turned in a big 2025 season, and some thought his omission from the Heisman finalist group was a mistake. He threw for 3,565 yards with 30 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 71.8% completion rate.
Indiana, meanwhile, sits at +290 after winning the Big Ten title game last season. The source notes the Hoosiers are coming off a national championship and will be in a strong spot to chase another conference crown, even with Ohio State and Oregon looming.
Penn State is the dark-horse name to watch at +1900, and the roster makeover is massive. The Nittany Lions were supposed to be a national title contender heading into 2025, but after James Franklin was fired in the middle of the season, they finished 7-6. Matt Campbell is now in charge, and he brought plenty of Iowa State with him.
Penn State added 48 players through the transfer portal, including 24 from Iowa State. The biggest pickup may be quarterback Rocco Becht, who arrives with three years of starting experience and a résumé that includes 9,272 passing yards, 64 passing touchdowns and 19 rushing touchdowns.
Michigan sits fifth on the board at +1600, and there’s a different feel around the program now. The Wolverines won three straight Big Ten titles from 2021 through 2023, but two seasons under Sherrone Moore went the wrong way, and he was fired this offseason. Kyle Whittingham is now the head coach, bringing 21 seasons of stability from Utah, where he went 177-78 and won the Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl.
Michigan still has plenty to work with. Bryce Underwood, the 2025 No. 1 overall recruit, is back at quarterback, and running back Jordan Marshall and receiver Andrew Marsh return as key pieces. The Wolverines also added transfer help, with edge rusher John Henry Daley and receiver JJ Buchanan expected to make an impact after coming over from Utah.
The schedule, though, is unforgiving. Michigan has road games at Oregon and Ohio State, plus home dates with Oklahoma, Penn State and Indiana. If the Wolverines get all the way to the Big Ten title game, it would mean they’ve already outperformed the expectations attached to them this season.
In Other News...
Michigan Coach Pulled Into Troubling Utah Injury Claims
Six former Utah football players have accused the program and former coach Kyle Whittingham of mishandling injuries during their time in Salt Lake City, adding another layer of scrutiny around a situation that already touches college footballs broader debate over player health and accountability. The allegations surfaced in a Salt Lake Tribune report and include claims of pressure to keep playing while hurt, along with disputes tied to NIL payments, prompting responses from both Utah Athletics and Michigan.
For Michigan fans, the connection comes through a statement from the Wolverines, whose role was clarified as the story drew wider attention beyond Utah. Even without direct wrongdoing attached to Ann Arbor, the allegations have put a familiar coaching name in the middle of a messy discussion about how programs manage injured players and how those decisions are explained after the fact. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fall Camp Just Changed The Early Fight For Snaps
As Michigans fall camp winds down, the competition for early-season snaps has started to sort itself out, and a few names have clearly moved themselves into better position. Travis Johnson, Nathaniel Staehling and Savion Hiter have all stood out enough to be counted among the camps biggest winners, giving the staff more reason to trust them as the Wolverines head toward the opener under new head coach Kyle Whittingham.
The flip side is just as important, because camp also began to define who may be waiting longer for a real role. Andrew Babalola and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng have been mentioned as players whose chances for immediate playing time could be limited, which is the kind of separation that always matters once practice intensity starts to give way to game planning. The depth chart is getting clearer, but there are still a few spots where the final picture is not completely settled. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Still Has One Big O-Line Decision Left Before Week 1
Michigan is still sorting out the last few pieces of its offensive line puzzle with Week 1 against Western Michigan approaching, and the most interesting battle remains at guard. Evan Link is expected to open at left guard, while Nate Efobi and Brady Norton are fighting for the right guard job as the staff works to settle the five-man group that will protect the quarterback and set the tone up front.
The rest of the line looks much closer to decided, with Jake Guarnera at center, Andrew Sprague at right tackle and Blake Frazier likely on the left side. But the guard competition still carries real weight for a unit that wants stability before the opener, and Michigan appears to be using these final days to make sure the right combination is in place before the first snap counts for real. [Read more 🡒]