CFP National Championship: Ohio State vs Notre Dame Betting Preview

Head-to-head history

Overall, there have been eight meetings between the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish, with Ohio State going 6-2. They’ve clashed twice since 2022 and the Buckeyes won both. However, their 2023 matchup was one for the ages, with Ryan Day’s squad winning 17-14 thanks to a touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter. Monday’s meeting will of course be the most important one, with a national title at stake.

Buckeyes look unstoppable

While Ohio State closed out the regular season with a disappointing loss to Michigan, they’ve looked unstoppable since then. The Buckeyes have flown through the College Football Playoff, convincingly beating Tennessee, top-ranked Oregon, and Texas. The win over the Ducks was undoubtedly the most impressive considering Dan Lanning’s squad was unbeaten. OSU took them down by a score of 41-21, keeping Oregon in the negative in rushing yards.

As for the win over the Longhorns, the Buckeyes didn’t necessarily shine in any particular area, it was just a clean game of football. QB Will Howard completed 24 of 33 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown against one interception. Ohio State’s run game, which is arguably their biggest strength, was solid, with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins rushing for over 80 yards. These two are a force to be reckoned with and you can expect the Buckeyes to lean more into their two RBs against Notre Dame because that’s the notable weakness in their defense.

Other than Henderson and Judkins, Howard is a force at QB and a versatile weapon. Aside from throwing for 3,779 yards and 33 TDs vs 10 picks, he also has seven rushing TDs. Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka form a dynamic partnership out wide and combined for nearly 150 catches this season. Defensively, OSU is first in fewest total yards, passing yards, and points allowed. You can see why the Buckeyes are a -358 favorite at Betway to win Monday’s Championship.

Can ND pull off the upset?

The Fighting Irish have 11 national titles in their history, but they’ve never climbed the mountaintop since the induction of the College Football Playoff. And although they’re a massive underdog at online betting sites, Notre Dame has already eliminated Georgia en route to the final. That in itself will have them feeling confident of another upset on Monday.

Freeman’s team has won 13 in a row since a Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois, beating Indiana, the Bulldogs, and Penn State in the expanded CFP. While none of these victories were blowouts, ND remains a solid team on both sides of the ball. They’re sixth in the country in ppg with 37. Defensively, they’re second in points allowed, ninth in total yards, and second in passing yards.

Quarterback Riley Leonard is one to watch. He put up respectable numbers as a passer but Leonard can also run it, rushing for 866 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. Ohio State’s defense will need to contain him in more ways than one. RB Jeremiyah Love is the other star for this squad. He’s averaging seven yards per carry and had a touchdown vs Penn State. Notre Dame might have steep odds to win this one, but they’ve advanced this far. The Irish could definitely give Ohio State a run for their money.