Ohio State vs. Notre Dame Odds and Predictions: National Championship Game Picks

Ohio State is the most talented team in the country. Over the past month, it has been as impressive as any team has seen at any point all season. He is the big favorite to win the national championship, as he should be.

But the Buckeyes know how easy it is to fall off that perch.

When it won its most recent national title a decade ago, Ohio State and its third-string quarterback (Cardale Jones), entered as six-point underdogs to Heisman winner Marcus Mariota and Oregon, and came away with a 22-point victory.

Its other national championship victory in the 21st century came as an 11-point underdog, ending Miami’s 34-game winning streak. Between those titles, Heisman winner Troy Smith and the undefeated Buckeyes were eliminated by Florida.

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame Odds

Team	Spread	Money line	Total
Ohio State	-8.5 (-115)	-400	Over 45.5 (-110)
Notre Dame	+8.5 (-105)	+310	Under 45.4 (-110)

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame Prediction

If Ohio State wins, it will be the first two-loss national champion in 17 years. At best, the Buckeyes could embarrass Notre Dame. But it’s not hard to imagine Ohio State failing to reach its potential, as it did during the regular season.

This is a team that is a month away from scoring 10 points as a 21-point favorite, that needed late goal-line stands to beat Texas and Penn State, that faced a fourth-quarter deficit against Nebraska.

Ohio State is led by a coach (Ryan Day) with a losing record in his biggest games, whose only national championship game ended in a 38-point loss.

The Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator (Chip Kelly) also made an appearance in a national title game as head coach, leading Oregon’s top offense to 19 points in a loss to Auburn in the game for the 2011 title. Quarterback Will Howard has thrown five interceptions in the last five games.

Superstar receiver Jeremiah Smith was held to one catch for three yards in the semifinals. The ground game was limited to 3.4 yards per carry against the Longhorns.

The recent plan is a bonus. Notre Dame has the structure and discipline to play blind, leading the nation’s No. 2 defense to 13 straight wins while posting an 11-1-1 record against the spread. In the playoffs, the Irish allowed an average of 17 points per game.

They forced the most turnovers in the country, ranking fourth in interceptions. In 2022-23, the gap between Ohio State and Notre Dame was even bigger, but the Irish held the Buckeyes to an average of 19 points in two games.

Unfortunately for the Irish, Ohio State’s defense is even stronger, even better at stopping the run and rushing the passer. Notre Dame’s inability to hit home runs — and injuries to its offensive line — give the Buckeyes’ defense a significant advantage in the game.

However, the biggest mismatches in the national college football championship regularly produce surprises. Since the introduction of the BCS in 1998, favorites with six points or more have lost more than they have won (6-8), four out of 14 times.

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Betting on college football?

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Yes, it’s hard to imagine how Notre Dame will score enough to win, but it shouldn’t be hard to imagine the Irish staying close in a nasty rock fight.

The pick: Notre Dame +8.5 (-110, ESPN BET)

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Why trust New York Post betting

Doug Kezirian is a New York Post contributor who currently serves as chief content officer for Only Players, a sports betting media company. Doug has more than two decades of betting experience, including 11 years at ESPN as a host, columnist and betting analyst. He is also the rare personality to have achieved success – 14th place in the 2023 Circa Million and Las Vegas SuperContest ($37,000), two top-10 finishes in the 2022 William Hill College Football Challenge ($58,000) and has also made headlines with a $297,000 win. on the 2021 NFL Draft.