Though a Group of Five team didn’t make it this far in the College Football Playoff, all fans of the sport will certainly be interested in this year’s national championship.
The first year of the 12-team CFP resulted in Ohio State and Notre Dame making it to the title game. Neither program would’ve made it this far if the CFP only had four teams, as was the case in years past.
But there’s no doubt both teams have been playing exceptionally well since the first round of the CFP bracket, and both are worthy of getting to this point.
The only question left is: Which team will ultimately win it all?
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Ohio State vs. Notre Dame Betting Odds
Ohio State is a -8.5 college football betting odds favorite against Notre Dame, with the Over/Under being 46.5.
The moneyline for Ohio State is -350, while it’s +280 for Notre Dame.
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame On TV
The CFP national championship matchup between Ohio State and Notre Dame will be televised on ESPN.
The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 20. The contest is taking place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame Prediction
I predict Ohio State will win but Notre Dame will cover the spread at +8.5. I also project the game will go Under 46.5 total points.
It’s amazing Ohio State has played this well after closing out the regular season with an excruciating loss to rival Michigan. But any doubt that the Buckeyes faced going into the postseason should be erased by now.
In two of Ohio State’s three playoff games, the Buckeyes have put up more than 40 points. Ohio State also scored 28 against a tough Texas team in the CFP semifinals.
And defensively, the Buckeyes have been stout. They haven’t allowed any team they’ve faced in the CFP to score more than 21 points. And all three of those programs – Texas, Oregon, and Tennessee – all averaged 33 or more points per contest while playing either in the SEC or the Big Ten.
Despite all of that, I think a matchup of this magnitude will be decided by a touchdown or less. And that’s because Notre Dame has also been spectacular this postseason.
Since the Fighting Irish suffered an upset loss to Northern Illinois in the first month of the season, Notre Dame hasn’t lost since. In fact, only two of the Fighting Irish’s victories have been decided by a single possession. One of those games was an impressive 27-24 victory over Penn State in the CFP semifinals.
Notre Dame’s defense has been solid recently and all season. After ranking second in the country in scoring defense with 14.3 points per game allowed – behind only Ohio State which averaged 12.2 points per game given up – the Fighting Irish have limited opponents to a collective 51 points in three CFP games.
Notre Dame’s offense hasn’t been at its best in the playoffs. The Fighting Irish haven’t scored more than 27 points in any of their CFP games after ranking in the top 10 in the country with 37 points per contest.
Still, I like the poise of quarterback Riley Leonard, and I think that’ll be crucial against Ohio State. I think he’ll make enough plays with his arm and his legs to sustain drives and keep the Buckeyes offense off the field for a good amount of time.
But in the end, I expect Ohio State will be too much on offense and defense and that the Buckeyes will ultimately win another national title.
