Seven months ago, the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes were in position to battle one another for a national championship as both earned spots in the College Football Playoff.

Following an undefeated regular season, which included a second consecutive win over Ohio State, Michigan went on to defeat Purdue in the Big Ten title game, locking up a second straight conference championship as well as a second straight CFP appearance.

Unfortunately for Jim Harbaugh & Co., the second-seeded Wolverines took a 51-45 loss to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, thus ending their chances to win the program's first national title in a quarter-century.

As for Ryan Day's Buckeyes, they won their first 11 regular-season games before dropping the season finale to their longtime rivals, earning the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff. Facing the top-seeded Georgia Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl, Ohio State gave the defending champs all they could handle but ultimately took a 42-41 loss.

With the 2023 season now upon us, both programs are once again in position to make a Michigan-Ohio State national championship matchup a reality. Not only do both enter the season in the top three in the preseason AP poll, but our pals at FanDuel also have both in the top four of the national championship betting odds.

Both Michigan and Ohio State are getting lots of love in the college football national championship betting odds

Coming into the 2023 campaign, Michigan sits in second in the AP poll, the program's highest preseason ranking since 1991. Ohio State sits just one spot back at No. 3.

The top spot, of course, belongs to Georgia, who won a second straight title this past January by destroying TCU in the national championship game, 65-7. But despite losing 25 players to the NFL the past two years, the Bulldogs have reloaded and could easily become the first team to win three straight titles in nearly nine decades.

Naturally, Georgia is also the favorite as it pertains to FanDuel's national championship betting odds, starting the season at +220. But neither Michigan nor Ohio State claims the No. 2 slot. That belongs to the Alabama Crimson Tide, who begin the 2023 campaign at +600. Nick Saban's bunch sits at No. 4 in the AP poll.

Despite opening the year ranked lower than the Wolverines, the Buckeyes take the No. 3 spot in the betting odds at +700. Michigan is fourth at +850.

The Wolverines kick off the new season this Saturday at home against East Carolina, while the Buckeyes open with a conference matchup against Indiana.

As usual, Michigan and Ohio State will close out the regular season against one another. This year's matchup takes place on Saturday, November 25, and will be contested at “The Big House” in Ann Arbor. The annual battle will likely decide the Big Ten East. If both are undefeated at that time, the loser should still be in a good spot to compete in the College Football Playoff.