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Notre Dame vs Ohio State CFP Title Game Picks and Prediction: Bet OSU Straight Up in January 20

 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Ohio State Buckeyes
-9 Ev
Point Spread
+9 -120
-360
Moneyline
+290
O 46 -110
Total
U 46 -110
O 27½ -120 | U 27½ -110
Team Total
O 17½ -115 | U 17½ -115

Place your Bets on Notre Dame vs Ohio State at BetUS Sportsbook!

Notre Dame vs Ohio State Picks: Bet OSU Straight Up in CFP Title Game January 20
Quinshon Judkins #4 of the Mississippi Rebels | Todd Kirkland/getty Images/afp

A matchup between Notre Dame and Ohio State was not the way the first 12-team College Football Playoff bracket was expected to end. Ohio State won its first three CFP games by 25, 20 and 14 points while Notre Dame edged Penn State in the semifinals to punch their ticket to Monday’s national title game.

The NCAAF betting lines favor the Buckeyes by more than a touchdown. Ohio State has won six games in a row against the Fighting Irish, with Notre Dame’s last win in the series coming in 1936.

The teams played a home-and-home series in the 2022 and 2023 seasons with Ohio State winning 21-10 in 2022 as a 17-point favorite at home and coming away with a 17-14 as a three-point road favorite in 2023. Both those games landed under the total.

The BetUS Sportsbook has Ohio State favored by nine points with -360 odds to win its first national championship since the 2014 season. Notre Dame, which last won an undisputed national title in 1988, has +290 to pull off the upset.

Let’s take a look at my top three college football picks today for this CFP championship game.

 

CFP National Championship Game Information

  • Game: Notre Dame (14-1) vs Ohio State (13-2)
  • Date/Time: Monday, Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
  • Notre Dame vs Ohio State Live Stream: Fubo.tv

 

Check the latest college football news before betting on this game.

 

Notre Dame vs Ohio State 3 Best Bets

1. Moneyline Pick: Ohio State (-360)

Ohio State came into the 2024 season with lofty expectations. The additions of running back Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss and safety Caleb Downs from Alabama along with signing receiver Jeremiah Smith, the top-rated incoming freshman, made a talented roster even more imposing.

That led to the Buckeyes being ranked third in the BetUS preseason countdown. Notre Dame came in at No. 11 in the preseason countdown.

There’s not much of a return in picking Ohio State to win outright unless it is part of a college football parlay, but going with the Buckeyes to win by double digits could be a risky pick.

Notre Dame averages more yards per game than Ohio State. However, the Buckeyes had two games against an Oregon team that headed into the College Football Playoff as the top seed and there was also a game at Penn State.

In the CFP, Ohio State has averaged 7.4, 8.8 and 6.5 yards per play, so a very talented Notre Dame defense could have its hands full in this one.

For those not wanting to go with Ohio State to win outright, the +190 odds for neither team to score at least three times in a row could be a tempting backup plan when making college football predictions.

Bet This Pick: Ohio State -360

 

2. Total Pick: Under 46 (-110)

Will Howard, Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson and Jeremiah Smith are some of Ohio State’s offensive stars while Notre Dame counters with quarterback Riley Leonard and running back Jeremiyah Love. So while there are plenty of offensive playmakers, this could be a defensive showcase.

Ohio State is first and Notre Dame is second among Football Bowl Subdivision teams in scoring defense this season, per NCAAF betting trends. These are two of the nine teams to allow less than 300 yards of total offense per game.

The Buckeyes have given up just 15 touchdowns in 36 red-zone drives by the opposition this season while Notre Dame has surrendered touchdowns on 21 of 39 drives into the red zone.

When looking at the Notre Dame vs Ohio State stats, none of the other 10 teams that took part in the College Football Playoff averaged fewer plays per game than the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish.

Ohio State has run an average of 59.3 plays in its three CFP games, with the opponents having more plays, so the Buckeyes are just fine slowing things down.

When looking at the Notre Dame vs Ohio State best bets, going with this game to land 46 is a good way to proceed.

Bet This Pick: Notre Dame vs Ohio State to land under 46 (-110)

 

3. First Score To Come After 6-Minute Mark (-115)

There have been no points scored in the first quarter in each of Notre Dame’s last two games and the only score for the Fighting Irish in the first quarter of the three CFP games came on Love’s electrifying 98-yard scoring run against Indiana in the first round.

The Buckeyes have gotten off to a slow start in the toughest tests for Ohio State this season. The first score in the Nebraska game came with 29 seconds remaining in the opening quarter and the first points for the Buckeyes in the matchup with Penn State resulted on a TD catch by Emeka Egbuka with 1:59 left in the opening quarter.

Ohio State was limited to a field goal in the first quarter in the loss to Michigan in the regular-season finale. The Buckeyes have come away with points in 11 of 19 first-half possessions in the three CFP games, but this feels like a game when it might be hard to score that frequently.

When making online bets, go with the -115 odds for the first score after the 6-minute mark.

Bet This Pick: Notre Dame-Ohio State First Score Over First 6 Minutes (-115)

 

Notre Dame vs Ohio State State Score Prediction

Ohio State 24, Notre Dame 20

 

Questions of the Day

Which team has a better record against the spread this season, Notre Dame or Penn State?


Notre Dame is 12-2-1 and Ohio State is 9-6 against the college football spread this season.

Are there any key injuries to monitor in the CFP title game?


Notre Dame receiver Beaux Collins is questionable and left tackle Anthonie Knapp is out. Offensive linemen Seth McLaughlin and Josh Simmons are among the Ohio State players out for the season.

 

Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.

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