Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Odds May Never Be The Same

The Ohio State Buckeyes have long been a favorite of college football gamblers. The Buckeyes are nearly always ranked in the top five, and with that distinction comes an attention from bettors. The Buckeyes are often big favorites when they play on Saturday afternoons.

That may all be changing with the revelation that the NCAA is not done investigating the scandal that broke late last year. Head Coach Jim Tressel is the target of the scandal, with the NCAA claiming that Tressel lied on a routine compliance form. The form asked whether Tressel had any knowledge of NCAA infractions by his players, and Tressel signed off that he did not.

That signature could land one of the most well-known college coaches in deep water. Tressel has already been suspended by Ohio State for five games in the upcoming season, but now it appears his job may be in jeopardy, depending on what the NCAA takes as a next step.

One option for the NCAA is to accept the self-imposed punishments by the university. If that is the case, the Buckeyes program will likely not be hurt too much from the scandal. Bettors would go on placing their money on Ohio State, likely after the five game suspensions were served by Tressel and the players involved in the scandal.

If, however, the NCAA forces Ohio State's hand, and Tressel is fired, it could be a long time before gamblers could again trust the Buckeyes. With a new coach always comes some form of cynicism, and following in the footsteps of one of the most successful coaches in program history would not be an easy chore.

"With as big a gambling draw as the Ohio State football program is each year, any major shakeup in the program would be devastating to sports books," said Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz. "The initial reaction would be gamblers staying away, but the sports books will survive, with most bettors just placing their money on other top teams."

The scandal involved the owner of a tattoo parlor giving merchandise to Ohio State players. Tressel, according to many reports, attempted to cover up the scandal and deal with the matter internally. When it was revealed that Tressel knew about the gifts, the head coach admitted to keeping his knowledge from the Buckeyes administration.

April 25, 2011
Posted By Vincent Tapoglia III
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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