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Best NCAAF Bets on January 14th

Ohio State vs Notre Dame (Team Total) Betting Analysis

There was a lot of chatter from our BetUS college football handicappers regarding the national title tilt between the Buckeyes and the Irish, but Gary has included under 17 ½ in Notre Dame’s team total as part of his Ohio State vs Notre Dame Betting Analysis, and I’m riding his coattails.

With all due respect to the Fighting Irish, they are going to be faced with a different breed of cat in the Ohio State defense. The Buckeyes have held their last nine opponents to 13 points per game, and, more to the point, only one of those teams has scored above 17 points—the No. 1 team in the nation, the Oregon Ducks, who managed 21 points in their 20-point loss to Ohio State.

Notre Dame has a nice offense and has averaged 25.6 points per game in the CFP tournament, but Ohio State was the No. 1 ranked defense in the nation, allowing just 12.1 points per game. Moreover, in the CFP they didn’t allow much more than that against the top teams in the country, holding Tennessee to 17, Oregon to 21, and Texas to 14 points.

Let’s watch the Irish go low and include under 17 ½ in our team total NCAAF predictions today.

Pick: Under 17 ½ (-110) Notre Dame Team Total

Ohio State vs Notre Dame (1st Half) Betting Analysis

The Buckeyes should get off to a fast start, but once they jump out to a double-digit first-half lead, I’m not entirely sure they won’t go into the prevent defense in the second half, which always seems to prevent teams from winning…or at least favorites covering.

The current line on this game shows Ohio State -9, and that could rise as the chalky public begins sending it in on the Buckeyes as they are wont to do. Nevertheless, I am unconcerned about how the game ends; I’m focused on how it begins.

If we look at the Buckeyes’ first-half scores in the CFP, we see that they were up 21-10 against Tennessee, 34-8 against Oregon, and 14-7 against Texas. These are powerhouse squads, and although Notre Dame fits that description, they’re not going to keep pace early with the Buckeyes. As stated, the Buckeyes are a solid bet to break out on top early in our NCAA football score predictions, but whether they can maintain that “pedal to the medal” mentality throughout the second half is uncertain.

Let’s lay the points, getting under the magic numbers of 6 and 7, and cash a ticket with the Buckeyes -5 ½ in the first half as part of our best college football bets.