The Notre Dame Fighting Irish just keep winning games and with one more victory they will have their first recognized national championship since the 1988 team led by Lou Holtz went 12-0. The Irish take a 13-game winning streak into the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes looking to knock off one of the Big Ten’s best programs for a second straight time. The Irish advanced with a 27-24 win over Penn State in the semis and face perhaps the best team in the playoff. OSU advanced with a 28-14 win over Texas and won its three CFP games by an average of almost 20 points. The Buckeyes opened as an 8.5-point favorite at the Bitcoin sportsbook. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, January 20 from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on ESPN.
College Football Betting Lines
CFP National Championship Game Betting Lines
Ohio State Buckeyes -8.5
Notre Dame Fighting Irish +8.5
Over/Under: 46.5
Money Line: Ohio State -369, Notre Dame +295
If Notre Dame used its Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois as a springboard you could say the same about OSU’s setback to Michigan in the regular season finale. Neither team has lost since those games with ND reeling off 13 straight wins and the Buckeyes showing their dominance in the playoff. The Irish were a 4-touchdown favorite to beat the Huskies back in early September but they had more questions than answers after the 16-14 defeat. I’d say they answered those in fine style. The Irish have been extremely profitable at the betting window as well with 11 consecutive payouts.
The Irish were underdogs just twice this season and won outright both times, beating Texas AM in the season opener and besting PSU as a 1-point dog in the semis. It’s been a while since the Irish were catching this many points on the betting line and they way they’ve been able to win games has me liking the points. They aren’t spectacular but the Irish play the right way and if they can slow the game down and keep OSU’s offense off the field the 8.5-point might as well be 14.
One thing Notre Dame has been good at is defending the pass. Indiana did nothing in the first round and Drew Allar completed just 12 passes last week, none to a wide receiver. The Irish have the No. 1 pass defense in the country and even returned a pair of interceptions for a touchdown in the win over USC in November.
Since his face plant against Michigan Will Howard has been a demon completing nearly 74 percent of his passes for 919 yards and six touchdowns in three playoff games. During that run the Buckeyes averaged 37 points against some stout units. And take away that game against Michigan where the Buckeyes scored 10 points and they are averaging 37.5 points in three games before that loss and the three games after.
Even when Jeremiah Smith isn’t a factor in the offense the Buckeyes can still move and score the football. After compiling 290 receiving yards and four TDs in the first two playoff games, Smith was held to one catch on three targets by Texas. Howard still threw for 289 yards targeting Carnell Tate nine times and Quinshon Judkins rushed for a pair of TDs.
The teams are close to being even on defense meaning this game comes down to who operates the best on offensive. And that might not be so easy to do with the top two scoring defenses on the field. Ohio State allows an average of just 12.2 points to rank No. 1 nationally while the Irish concede 14.2 points per game as the No. 2 ranked team.
The Irish would rather not throw the football making Jeremiyah Love an integral part of the game plan. Love has rushed for over 1,100 yards this season but has just 64 yards total in the last two games. That’s a good and bad sign for Notre Dame, and if the ground game doesn’t work against OSU I don’t see them winning. But again the spread is high and if there is a defensive battle I’ll have to back the points.
CFP National Championship Game: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame Parlay Picks
Notre Dame +8.5
Ohio State / Notre Dame UNDER 47
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