Ohio State New Favorite on 2017 National Title Odds

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Special to Outkick The Coverage from OddsShark.com

Despite hauling in what many believe to be the second-best recruiting class in the country and winning four of the past seven national championships, the Alabama Crimson Tide have dropped down to 7/1 from 6/1 to repeat in 2017.

Meanwhile, moving up three spots since the last update to replace Alabama as the favorite are 2015 national champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes went from 10/1 to 6/1 following Signing Day with the addition of the country's fifth-ranked recruiting class.

The Buckeyes may have lost defensive end Joey Bosa -- who could end up being picked No. 1 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft -- but they will be replacing him with a familiar name in his younger brother Nick Bosa, the third-ranked prospect in the nation overall.

Offensively, they also lost running back Ezekiel Elliott, but he too will be replaced by another top prospect in Demario McCall, the second-ranked player at his position in the country.

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer signed 18 recruits overall and has said he wants all of them to play as true freshmen, proving how much he believes in this class.

The Crimson Tide lost Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry to the NFL as well and will face competition for the national title from their opponent in the 2016 College Football Playoff Championship Game, the Clemson Tigers, along with the Michigan Wolverines.

Both Clemson and Michigan are listed at 15/1 to win the national championship followed by the Oklahoma Sooners (14/1), Tennessee Volunteers (14/1), LSU Tigers (14/1), Baylor Bears (16/1), Notre Dame Fighting Irish (16/1), Stanford Cardinal (16/1), Florida State Seminoles (20/1) and Ole Miss Rebels (20/1).

Clemson and Stanford each return 2015 Heisman finalists in quarterback Deshaun Watson and running back Christian McCaffrey, respectively. Michigan signed the top overall recruit in the country, defensive tackle Rashan Gary, who gives head coach Jim Harbaugh the rock in the middle to go up against Meyer's Buckeyes.

Oklahoma and LSU also have possible finalists for the 2016 Heisman in quarterback Baker Mayfield and running back Leonard Fournette, who just missed the cut last year.

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Clay Travis is the founder of the fastest growing national multimedia platform, OutKick, that produces and distributes engaging content across sports and pop culture to millions of fans across the country. OutKick was created by Travis in 2011 and sold to the Fox Corporation in 2021. One of the most electrifying and outspoken personalities in the industry, Travis hosts OutKick The Show where he provides his unfiltered opinion on the most compelling headlines throughout sports, culture, and politics. He also makes regular appearances on FOX News Media as a contributor providing analysis on a variety of subjects ranging from sports news to the cultural landscape. Throughout the college football season, Travis is on Big Noon Kickoff for Fox Sports breaking down the game and the latest storylines. Additionally, Travis serves as a co-host of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, a three-hour conservative radio talk program syndicated across Premiere Networks radio stations nationwide. Previously, he launched OutKick The Coverage on Fox Sports Radio that included interviews and listener interactions and was on Fox Sports Bet for four years. Additionally, Travis started an iHeartRadio Original Podcast called Wins & Losses that featured in-depth conversations with the biggest names in sports. Travis is a graduate of George Washington University as well as Vanderbilt Law School. Based in Nashville, he is the author of Dixieland Delight, On Rocky Top, and Republicans Buy Sneakers Too.