Categories: sports

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame Prediction, Odds, CFP National Championship Breakdown, Game Time, Where to Watch on TV

And then there were two. The first 12-team College Football Playoff is set to crown a national champion Monday as No. 7 seed Notre Dame faces No. 8 seed Ohio State at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

This will be the ninth meeting of two of college football’s most storied programs and marks the third straight season that the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish will face off — the longest such streak in the series’ relatively brief history. Ohio State and Notre Dame completed a home-and-home series in 2023 when the Buckeyes entered South Bend, Indiana and came away with a 17-14 victory.

Notre Dame hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 1936. The Fighting Irish’s only wins in the series came in 1935 and 1936. Since then, it’s been all Ohio State.

The two programs are no strangers to playing playoff games against each other. They met in the 2006 and 2016 Fiesta Bowls, with the Buckeyes winning both matchups.

Ohio State has been dominant in its CFP campaign. The Buckeyes won their first two games, including a decisive victory over top-seeded Oregon in the Rose Bowl, by a combined score of 83-38. In their Cotton Bowl semifinal against Texas, the Longhorns had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, but Jack Sawyer’s strip-sack and subsequent 83-yard touchdown return secured a 28-14 victory for Ohio State.

Notre Dame delivered its own string of impressive performances. The Fighting Irish beat Indiana by 10 – leading even more for much of the game – in the first round, then beat SEC champion Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. They capped their run with a last-second field goal to earn a 27-24 victory over Penn State in the Orange Bowl, becoming the first program in college football history to win two bowl games during the same season.

CBS Sports experts have dropped their picks for the College Football Playoff National Championship. Here’s what to expect.

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame: Need to Know

Can Smith get back on track? Ohio State freshman Jeremiah Smith was held in check against Texas, finishing with just one reception for three yards. It was the first time all season he failed to record multiple receptions in a game and only the third time he was held below 50 receiving yards.

The Longhorns employed several strategies to slow him down. They clogged passing lanes with defensive linemen and linebackers while framing Smith in double coverage with cornerbacks and safeties. Notre Dame now has recent tape to study as part of its effort to contain one of college football’s premier playmakers. However, Ohio State has just as much time to adjust and put together an intriguing chess match.

Entering the semifinals, Smith had recorded 13 catches for 290 yards and four touchdowns in Ohio State’s first two playoff games.

Notre-Dame’s injured list is growing: Notre Dame overcame significant injuries to get to this point. The Fighting Irish have been without starting defensive linemen Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore, starting offensive lineman Ashton Craig and potential first-round NFL draft cornerback Benjamin Morrison since October.

During their first-round win over Indiana, Rylie Mills – the team’s leader in sacks – suffered a season-ending knee injury. Then, in the semifinal win over Penn State, left tackle Anthonie Knapp suffered an injury that will keep him out of the national title game.

To add to their challenges, frontman Jeremiah Love is dealing with a nagging knee injury. However, he played against the Nittany Lions and should be available for the game against the Buckeyes.

Defensive battle on point: The CFP title game will feature two of the best defenses in the country. Ohio State (12.2 points per game) and Notre Dame (14.3 points per game) rank first and second nationally, respectively, in defensive scoring.

The Buckeyes haven’t allowed more than 21 points in the CFP, while the Fighting Irish have given up just 27 total points in their first two playoff games. Both teams rank in the top 10 nationally in total defense. Ohio State and Notre Dame are first and second, respectively, in pass defense and rank first (Notre Dame) and third (Ohio State) in defensive efficiency, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI).

How to watch Ohio State vs. Notre Dame live

Date: Monday January 20 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta
TV: ESPN | Live broadcast: fubo (Try for free)

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame Prediction, Picks

Odds via Sportsline Consensus

Spread: Ohio State -8.5 | Money line: Ohio State -368, Notre Dame +289 | OR: 46.5

Dennis Dodd: Ohio State deserves all the love it gets – best receivers, best quarterback in the playoffs, No. 1 defense in the country, but something is bothering me. In fact, it upset the betting sharks. The line favoring Ohio State dropped from 9.5 to 8.5, suggesting the gap was too big from the jump. I said from the beginning that there was a path for ND to win this game if they could win the turnover battle and keep the ball for about 35 minutes. It could happen… but it probably won’t. The Irish will stick around long enough to make the Buckeyes sweat. Pick: Notre Dame +8.5 | Ohio State 24, Notre Dame 17

Chip Patterson: Ohio State was human in the national semifinal, especially on offense, as the Buckeyes failed to pull away from Texas early and then found themselves facing overtime before the defensive heroics on the goal line. But even with this game proving that the Buckeyes aren’t going to blow away the competition, I think Ohio State will be able to establish — and then defend — a lead in this game against Notre Dame. The resiliency of this Fighting Irish team tells us that they certainly won’t fold for a coronation, but even if they can hang around, I think this will be a game that Ohio State will mostly control from start to finish. Pick: Ohio State -8.5 | Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 20

Tom Fornelli: The only team that was able to stop Ohio State this season was Ohio State. Oregon didn’t stop them in Eugene – the Ducks simply dominated them. Michigan didn’t stop the Buckeyes as much as Ohio State’s game plan and decision-making. Notre Dame has been exceptional since its inexplicable loss to Northern Illinois, but I don’t think the Irish offense is balanced enough to defeat the Buckeyes. Pick: Ohio State -8.5 | Ohio State 24, Notre Dame 14

Shehan Jeyarajah: Ohio State has been building the best team in college football this season, and they’ve finally reached their vast potential in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes have been better on offense and defense than the Irish and have playmakers at all levels of the court. To its credit, Notre Dame is perhaps the best-coached team in the country and has taken advantage of every mistake en route to a title game. But against Ohio State, that won’t matter. The Buckeyes are better at almost every position and will be headed to their first national championship in a decade. Pick: Ohio State -8.5 | Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 13

David Cobb: Ohio State showed its potential in blowout wins over Tennessee and Oregon to open the College Football Playoff by crushing two quality opponents with dominance on both sides of the football. Notre Dame’s path has focused on powering crippling turnovers, special teams execution and timely plays from a solid but not overly explosive offense. The Fighting Irish are the two most injured teams and have to walk a fine line to keep it close late in the second half. Expect the Buckeyes to pull away late and cap off a dominant playoff run with one last elite performance. Pick: Ohio State -8.5 | Ohio State 24, Notre Dame 13

Will Backus: Notre Dame has done an admirable job getting this far while battling a litany of injuries, but I think this game is where they catch up to them. The Fighting Irish have a clear advantage along the line of scrimmage, where they will likely be behind two offensive line starters — including left tackle Anthonie Knapp — and three starting defensive linemen. That’s bad news against an Ohio State team that has been largely dominant in the trenches during its run in the College Football Playoff. Given the play of both defenses this year, I expect this to be a low-scoring, hard-fought game until Ohio State’s depth allows it to pull away a bit at the end . Pick: Ohio State -8.5 | Ohio State 24, Notre Dame 13

Jerry Palme: Notre Dame showed ingenuity and resilience during these playoffs, and it paid off well for the Irish. However, the best team in college football is the Ohio State team that annihilated Tennessee and destroyed number one Oregon. The Buckeyes were challenged by Texas, but rose to the occasion there as well. The Fighting Irish will live up to their name and fight, but the best team in college football is still on the other side. It’s tough to compete against the Buckeyes. Pick: Ohio State -8.5 | Ohio State 24, Notre Dame 10

Brandon Marcello: Ohio State’s run to the national championship has long seemed inevitable to me, but the path hasn’t always been clear. I was there for the Buckeyes’ two losses this season to Oregon and Michigan, and even through the fog of those disappointments, it was clear they were equipped to win a national title with the most talented players in the game. sport and a defensive line. capable of pushing any team past their breaking point. Then I watched Notre Dame up close in the Sugar Bowl, where a shorthanded team dictated the pace and conditions against Georgia. The Irish did it again in the second half against Penn State in the semifinals, rallying from a 10-point deficit.

The key to Notre Dame’s run has been Riley Leonard taking control of games in spurts with his legs and an opportunistic defense that rallies to the ball and forces turnovers. Ohio State is more talented than the Irish, but Marcus Freeman’s team isn’t used to losing, motivated by its lone loss in Week 2 against a scrappy but average Northern Illinois team. I’d like Notre Dame more in this matchup if left tackle Anthonie Knapp was available — and if sacks leader Rylie MIlls wasn’t also out. Notre Dame still has the speed and power to slow down Ohio State, but the Buckeyes have too much firepower in this battle of the two best defenses in the country. Pick: Notre Dame +8.5 | Ohio State 28, Notre Dame 21.

Who wins Ohio State against Notre Dame, and which side of the spread reaches more than 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out, all from the model that has simulated this game 10,000 times.

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