Las Vegas sets Ohio State win total odds at 10.5 for upcoming season

Coming off an 11-2 2021 season, Ohio State lost two key playmakers on offense to the NFL Draft. Despite that, the oddsmakers still think the Buckeyes can match that win total in 2022.

Las Vegas has Ohio State’s win total over-under at 10.5 this year, according to VegasInsider. Those are high expectations considering the losses on offense, but the Buckeyes still have plenty of talent returning to be the early favorites in the Big Ten.

Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson were two of CJ Stroud’s top targets last season and became first-round NFL Draft picks. Wilson went to the New York Jets as the No. 10 overall pick and Olave headed to the New Orleans Saints at No. 11 overall. Normally, those would be two huge losses for a team that wants to win 11 games for the second straight year.

That’s where a strong group of returners comes into play. Stroud is the biggest piece of that puzzle after finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2021. He’s currently the betting favorite to win the award this year and will try to build off a huge year, throwing for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns last season.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is also coming back at wide receiver, which is massive. Olave and Wilson got a lot of the attention, but Smith-Njigba led Ohio State with 1,606 receiving yards in 2021. He especially put himself on the map with a monster game against Utah in the Rose Bowl when he 347 yards and three touchdowns as Ohio State beat the Utes in a shootout, 48-45.

In the backfield, TreVeyon Henderson is also coming back for his sophomore season. He burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2021, rushing for 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns to lead the Buckeyes’ rushing attack. Add in a talented linebacker room led by Tommy Eichenberg and the No. 4 recruiting class in the country, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking, and Ryan Day and Co. have plenty of pieces to make a run at a Big Ten title.