It’s already clear to bookmakers that Ohio State is a juggernaut.
The Buckeyes scored 90 points in two games and their offense is averaging 508.5 yards per game thanks to stellar quarterback play from Heisman Trophy contender Justin Fields. After double-digit wins against Nebraska and Penn State, OSU moved from -275 favorites to -500 at PointsBet Sportsbook.
“It’s them and then it’s everybody else,” one professional bettor told NBC Sports. “They are worlds ahead of any other team in the conference. Nobody is going to stop that offense and their defense has NFL talent all over the field. I would make them a 17-point favorite in the Big Ten title game. They’re that good.”[[ad:athena]]
Wisconsin is next at +625, but it’s really hard to imagine young Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz going toe-to-toe with Fields in a big game. The next five teams on PointsBet’s board are Michigan (+725), Penn State (+1600), Minnesota (+2200), Purdue (+3500), and Indiana (+5000).
Then you get into the long shots – Northwestern (+6000), Iowa (+10000), Rutgers (+15000), Nebraska (+25000), Michigan State (+50000), Illinois (+50000) and Maryland (+75000). I’m still laughing that a $100 dollar bet on Maryland would win $75,000 if they did the unthinkable. It’s not happening, but it’s still funny.
I’ve gone ‘round and ‘round over the years with people about not laying a lot to win a little. I personally draw the line at -300 for juice while others would tell you -1600 is a good bet if it has value. It’s an unwinnable argument, really.
Ohio State at -500 still feels sort of cheap though. That implies around an 83 percent chance of probability and even that seems low given how loaded they are. If they do wind up being a 17-point favorite in the conference title game, they’ll be -1400 or higher on the moneyline. Hmmm.
I wish I could give you a live sleeper in the Big Ten. It’s just not worth it.
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