It all comes down to this, as Ohio State and Notre Dame prepare to meet in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday night.
In the process, one of those teams will make college football history by winning the sport’s first-ever 12-team playoff tournament.
Ohio State already made history of that kind, winning the first College Football Playoff national championship back in the 2014 season, the school’s last title.
Notre Dame last hoisted the trophy back in the 1988 season, but under head coach Marcus Freeman has produced by far its most promising team.
Ohio State has proved arguably the most dominant team in the playoff this year, winning its three postseason games by an average of 20 points.
Notre Dame has won 13 straight games since its surprising loss at home against Northern Illinois, boasting the nation’s sixth-ranked scoring offense and the second-best scoring defense.
What do the wiseguys expect as the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish square off in the title match?
Let’s check in with the early predictions for Ohio State vs. Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, according to the oddsmakers.
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The bookmakers have been of one mind since the opening, and that opinion hasn’t changed as we move closer to the actual football game.
Ohio State is an 8.5 point favorite against Notre Dame, according to the updated game lines posted to FanDuel Sportsbook for the matchup.
FanDuel lists the total at 46.5 points for the game.
And it set the moneyline odds for Ohio State at -375 and for Notre Dame at +290 to win outright.
Ohio State: -8.5 (-106)
Notre Dame: +8.5 (-114)
Over 46.5 points: -106
Under 46.5 points: -114
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Notre Dame is 12-2-1 against the spread (85.7%) overall this season, the best mark in college football …
Ohio State is 9-6 (60%) ATS this year …
Notre Dame is 5-0 against the spread in neutral site games this season …
Ohio State is 2-0 ATS in neutral site matchups …
Notre Dame is 6-0-1 against the spread when playing ranked opponents …
Ohio State is 5-1 (83.3%) ATS against ranked teams in 2024 …
Ohio State is 9-6 against the spread as a favorite this year …
Notre Dame is 2-0 ATS as the underdog this season …
Ohio State is 4-1 against the spread in its last 5 games …
Notre Dame is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games against Ohio State …
The total went under in 6 of Ohio State’s last 9 games …
The total went over in 14 of Notre Dame’s last 21 games …
Ohio State is 6-2 against the spread in its last 8 games as the favorite …
Notre Dame covered in its last 10 straight games …
And the Irish are 7-0-1 ATS in their last 8 games against a Big Ten opponent …
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A plurality of bettors expect the Fighting Irish to make this a game against the Buckeyes, according to the latest spread consensus picks for the matchup.
Notre Dame is getting 65 percent of bets to either keep the game under 9 points in a loss or to win the national title outright in an upset.
The other 35 percent of wagers project Ohio State will cover this point spread and win its first national championship since the 2014 season.
The game’s implied score suggests a comfortable victory for the Buckeyes over the Fighting Irish.
When taking the point spread and total into consideration, it’s implied that Ohio State will defeat Notre Dame by a projected score of 28 to 20.
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Our early pick: Notre Dame +8.5 … We already saw Ohio State’s superb offense slow down in the face of a talented defense against Texas, and the Irish present another credible challenge on that side of the ball, but Notre Dame doesn’t have the vertical game to contest OSU for all four quarters. Ohio State by 7.
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When: Mon., Jan. 20
Where: Atlanta, Ga.
Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern
TV: ESPN network
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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