Notre Dame did not have the luck of the Irish on its side on Monday.
With 26 seconds left and the Fighting Irish knocking on the door 31-23, the Buckeyes made it a fourth decision when they sent Jayden Fielding kicking a 33-yard field goal through the uprights to put Ohio State up by 11 , covering the A gap of 8.5 points and a victory of 34-23.
The little giveaway for Ohio State bettors just before time expired in Monday night’s national championship game wasn’t ideal for the bookies, but it was still a good performance in the playoffs for sports betting.
The late points have been a boon for the betting public with 55 percent of bets and 64 percent of handles at BetMGM Sportsbook on Ohio State to cover.
“The Ohio State coverage was a good outcome for bettors,” BetMGM’s Christian Cipollini told the Associated Press. “BetMGM was happy with either team winning from a future perspective. The 12-team playoffs were a success, with each game being among the highest stakes of the year.
About halfway through the third quarter, it looked like the Buckeyes were going to easily cash in on their backers’ gambles before the Fighting Irish made a late run.
Notre Dame scored two touchdowns and was able to convert two 2-point conversions to cut the score to eight and almost got the ball back with a chance to tie.
But on third-and-11, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard connected with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith on a 56-yard pass, setting them up for the field goal and essentially ending the game.
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Ohio State has always been one of the crowd’s favorite teams to win the national championship title this year.
Before the 12-team playoff began in early December, the Buckeyes had 12.6 percent of the tickets and 15.9 percent of the odds to win it all on BetMGM — both of which were higher than all other teams.
