No. 3 Ohio State vs. Indiana Big Ten football on CBS odds: Kyle McCord to start at quarterback for Buckeyes, gets 2023 Heisman Trophy boost

While it took until today for Ohio State coach Ryan Day to make it official that Kyle McCord would be the team's starting quarterback for Saturday's season opener at Indiana over Devin Brown, the various sportsbooks clearly expected this because McCord was much higher on the 2023 Heisman Trophy odds board. His DraftKings odds shortened from +2200 to +1600 with today's news and Brown's rose to +7500. Kickoff Saturday is Bloomington is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS, which now has Big Ten football rights. Click here for model picks.

McCord was the No. 8 quarterback in the recruiting class of 2021 out of Philadelphia per sister-site 247Sports. There had been some scuttlebutt that McCord might transfer immediately if he didn't win the job with two seasons of eligibility left. He was C.J. Stroud's backup last year and has played in 12 games the past two seasons with a start in 2021 vs. Akron. In that blowout of the Zips, McCord completed 13 of his 18 passing attempts for 319 yards and two touchdowns.

Brown was the No. 5 QB in the class of 2022 out of Utah. He was one of 13 early enrollees who arrived on campus in January 2022 and played a total of 15 plays in two games last season, vs. Toledo and Rutgers, and then redshirted. Brown has switched jersey numbers from 15 to 33, a number he wore throughout age group football and for a time in high school, as a tribute to Sammy Baugh.

"I think that's significant that we have two guys that we feel confident playing in the game," Day said of his decision, adding that Brown will see the field in packages. "This is something that's a little unchartered territory for me, but you just go on what you see every day in practice. I think that Kyle's consistency the last couple of weeks has allowed him to be the starter."

The Buckeyes might have the best skill position talent in college football around McCord in running backs TreVeyon Henderson (+4000 to win Heisman) and Miyan Williams, and wideouts Marvin Harrison Jr. (+2000 – shortest odds of any non-QB) and Emeka Egbuka (+10000).

For Saturday, the Buckeyes are 30-point favorites and have won 28 straight against the Hoosiers, the longest such active FBS winning streak. Ohio State is 30-0 in Big Ten play under Day against teams other than Michigan. The Buckeyes lost their final two games of last season (Michigan and Georgia) and haven't lost three in a row since the end of 2011. Ohio State has won 23 straight season openers.

These are the longest odds Indiana has faced at home since 1996, also against Ohio State. The Hoosiers have dropped 42 straight games vs. AP Poll top five opponents, with their last win coming in 1967 vs. Purdue. Most expect Indiana coach Tom Allen to be fired after this season – if he even makes it all the way through. 

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