Just as they did when the NCAA introduced the four-team College Football Playoff in 2014, the Ohio State Buckeyes claimed the National Championship crown in the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff this year, defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish  34-23 in Monday night's title game from Atlanta, Georgia. It's the Buckeyes third National Championship this century, and the first in what had been a turbulent tenure for head coach Ryan Day, who has spent as much time on the hot seat as he has atop the AP Poll.

After a surprising loss at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines in their regular season finale, many Buckeyes fans were calling for the school to fire Day before the College Football Playoff even began. But a dominant showing in the postseason has surely put Day back into the good graces of fans in the Buckeye State. It's also landed him and his Ohio State squad atop a preseason list that gamblers will be particularly interested in.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Buckeyes are listed as the favorites to once again make their way through the College Football Playoff and win the 2026 National Championship. Ohio State is a +450 favorite, and they're followed by Texas and Oregon (both +650), Georgia (+700), Penn State (+850) and Notre Dame (+1200).

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Despite a subpar showing in the postseason, the bookmakers still love the SEC, with Alabama, Tennessee, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, South Carolina and Florida all having odds between +1600 and +5000. Clemson (+1800), Michigan (+3500) and Miami FL (+4000) are all in the mix as well.

Ohio State's place at the top of this list shouldn't come as a huge surprise. Not only is it customary for the defending champ to be among the favorites heading into the next season, but since Day took over for Urban Meyer ahead of the 2019 season, the Buckeyes have been among the best team's in the nation, even if it took them half a decade to reach the mountaintop. Ohio State is 70-10 under Day, with an appearance in either the College Football Playoff or a New Year's Six Bowl Game in each of his six seasons.