Ohio State likely to be favored rest of way

After a dramatic win against the Nittany Lions, Buckeyes are likely to be the favorites in their next seven regularseason games. If they manage that, it could be the same in the Big Ten Championship.

The Ohio State football team cleared a huge hurdle with its dramatic 27-26 win at Penn State on Sept. 29.

It could be the last big hurdle for the Buckeyes until the Big Ten Championship game, and even that might not be the case. According to the gambling website bovada.com, Alabama has the best odds — by a wide margin — to win the College Football Playoff championship. The Crimson Tide’s odds of winning the title at -125. Ohio State and Clemson are next with +550 odds.

OSU’s odds of making it to the CFP’s four-team field got a boost with the win at Penn State. Without it, the Buckeyes would have needed the Nittany Lions to lose two times, plus OSU would have needed to win out.

Going forward, the Buckeyes are likely to be favorites in each of their seven remaining regular-season games. If they do that, it will likely be the same in the Big Ten Championship game, no matter which team is the opponent.

It begins Oct. 6 when OSU hosts Indiana. The Buckeyes will be a 25-point favorite, according to Bovada. The Hoosiers game is the halfway point of the Buckeyes’ 12-game regular season. Here are OSU’s remaining games after Indiana: Oct. 13: Minnesota Oct. 20: at Purdue Nov. 3: Nebraska Nov. 10: at Michigan State Nov. 17: at Maryland Nov. 24: Michigan The toughest games on the schedule are at Michigan State, and at home vs. rival Michigan. But even in both contests, it wouldn’t be a shock if OSU was a double-digit favorite.

Here’s this week’s top games to watch:

Oct. 6

Alabama at Arkansas, noon (ESPN)

Kansas at West Virginia, noon (ESPN2)

Oklahoma vs. Texas at Dallas, noon (WJW)

Maryland at Michigan, noon (WEWS)

Northwestern at Michigan State, noon (Fox Sports 1)

Clemson at Wake Forest, 3:30 (ESPN)

Florida State at Miami, 3:30 (WEWS)

LSU at Florida, 3:30 (WOIO)

Indiana at Ohio State, 4 (WJW)

Kentucky at Texas A&M, 7 (ESPN)

SMU at Central Florida, 7 (ESPNU)

Auburn at Mississippi State, 7:30 (ESPN)

Notre Dame at Virginia Tech, 8 (WEWS)

Top 10

(last week’s ranking in parenthesis)

1. Alabama 5-0 (1): Beat Louisiana, 56-14

2. Ohio State 5-0 (3): Won at Penn State, 27-26

3. LSU 5-0 (2): Beat Ole Miss, 45-16

4. Notre Dame 5-0 (7): Beat Stanford, 38-17

5. Georgia 5-0 (4): Beat Tennesse, 38-12

6. Clemson 5-0 (5): Beat Syracuse, 27-23

7. Auburn 4-1 (6): Beat Southern Miss, 24-13

8. Oklahoma 5-0 (9): Beat Baylor, 66-33

9. Penn State 4-1 (10): Lost to Ohio State, 27-26

10. Washington 4-1 (NR): Beat BYU, 35-7

Watch list: West Virginia, Michigan, Central Florida, Stanford, Kentucky

CHRIS KNIGHT — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Ohio State’s Parris Campbell, left, and Johnnie Dixon embrace after beating Penn State, 27-26, in State College, Pa. on Sept. 29.