Big Ten Championship Predictions & Odds 2024: Ohio State’s Fall is Penn State’s Gain

Entering the weekend as a -19.5 favorite over their heated rivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes saw their Big Ten Conference Championship hopes vanish into thin air after an embarrassing 13-10 loss to the Michigan Wolverines. The Buckeyes inexcusably tried to run the ball to no avail as neither running back managed to eclipse over four yards per carry while being held to just 77 total rushing yards as a team. That opened the door for the Wolverines to squeak out the narrow win, securing their fourth straight victory over their rivals.

With the Buckeyes loss, the Big Ten Conference Championship matchup is set as the undefeated Oregon Ducks will battle it out against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Defense may be optional in this contest as both units have struggled to play at a competitive level for the majority of the season. While Oregon’s front seven has been routinely gashed by the run, Penn State’s secondary has struggled in coverage. This may result in a high-scoring thriller, giving us an exciting conclusion to the 2024-2025 season for the Big Ten.

Big Ten Championship Odds 

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Place your bets at FanDuel and claim the following bonus: Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins.

Important Note: The Big Ten Championship market is closed for the rest of the season. Check back with us regularly as we will post fresh odds as soon as they are available, and give you our overview of the favorites for the next NCAAF season.

Big Ten Conference Championship

Oregon Ducks (-164) at FanDuel

It was as good a year as it could get for the Oregon Ducks as they finished the regular season 12-0 and ranked number one in the AP Top-25 poll. An impressive feat in its own right, let alone it being the Ducks first year in the Big Ten after the Pac 12 dissolved. After a slow start to the season, the Ducks dismantled a majority of their competition outside of a close contest at home against the Ohio State Buckeyes and a scare across the states in a close win against the lowly Wisconsin Badgers.

Their offense has played a major role in their success this season as the Ducks finished the year ranked 20th in Off Success Rate, 47th in Finishing Drives, and 35th in Havoc Allowed. Even with a lack of Explosiveness, Dillon Gabriel had no issue with picking apart the gaps in coverage while sustaining methodical drives down the field. While a Heisman Trophy is most likely out of his reach, Gabriel still had an impressive year as he finished the regular season throwing for 3,275 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Unfortunately for Oregon, their defense continued to be a thorn in their side and has brought in a lot of variance in their contests. Especially from their front seven as they have struggled to limit opposing rush production, entering the Big Ten Conference Championship ranked 59th in Def Rush Success Rate, 120th in Def Rush PPA, and 131st in Def Rush Explosiveness. Even though Penn State’s offense underwhelms on the ground, the Ducks front seven will still need to elevate their level of play to help secure the win.

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Penn State Nittany Lions (+145) at BetMGM

After their loss to Ohio State, Penn State’s Big Ten Conference Championship hopes looked bleak as the Buckeyes would hold the tiebreaker over them. That was until the unthinkable happened and the Wolverines upset the Buckeyes as a three score underdog, giving Penn State the chance to secure their conference championship berth with a win over Maryland. The Nittany Lions managed to do just that, making quick work of the Terrapins to the tune of 44-7.

Like the Ducks, a majority of the Nittany Lions success stems from their offense as they enter the conference championship ranked above league average across the board in Off Success Rate, Finishing Drives, Explosiveness, and Havoc Allowed. Hiring Andy Kotelnicki proved to pay immediate dividends as the highly touted offensive coordinator helped transform Penn State’s offense into a highly efficient pass attack as they finished the year ranked top-15 in Pass Success Rate, PPA, and Explosiveness.

While their offense went through a resurgence, the Nittany Lions defense came crashing back down to reality. After finishing last year ranked near the top of the board in most advanced metrics, Penn State’s defense went through some harsh regression as they finished the year ranked 62nd in Def Success Rate, 87th in Explosiveness, and 79th in Finishing Drives. With a lack of defensive production from both units heading into the Big Ten Conference Championship, we may be in for an exciting high scoring affair.

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Big Ten Teams in 2024

With the additions of Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC, the Big Ten is now up to 18 teams in total. Even with a large number of teams, only a few stood out as a viable contender to win the conference.

Big Ten Championship History

The Big Ten has been dominated by the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes over the recent years as the heated rivals have won the Conference Championship seven straight times. Both teams also find themselves at the top of the board for the most championships as Michigan has won the Big Ten 45 times while Ohio State has brought in another 39 titles. Expect a new name to be etched into the record book for the first time in seven years as Oregon is set to battle it out against Penn State.

Past Big Ten Conference Championship Winners

How to Bet on the Big Ten

Not only can you bet on who will win the Big Ten Conference Championship, but there are also other types of wagers involving the conference.

• To Make the Conference Title Game: Instead of wagering who will win the conference, you can bypass the final game and wager on someone just to make it to the Big Ten Conference Championship.

• To Make the Playoffs: While the top four teams can all make a claim as a conference title contender, you can also wager on them to make it even further by betting on them to make the playoffs

Where to Bet on the Big Ten 

With an uptick in gambling-related violations, an increase in safety protocols have started to sweep the nation. While in conference states like Illinois have already banned users from being able to wager on in-state teams, other states have started to remove player prop markets in an attempt to keep the integrity of the game intact.

As for what apps are available to use within states in the Big Ten conference, major sportsbooks like FanDuel, BetMGM, and Caesars are widely available. Each sportsbook also has their own unique signup bonus, giving new users a boost to their bankroll to wager with during the college football season.

*Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l terms.