Bet CFP National Championship with the season coming to an end from Atlanta on Monday night in the Final game as eighth-seeded Ohio State takes on No. 7 Notre Dame.

The Buckeyes comes as better than touchdown favorites on the NCAAF odds.

How to Bet CFP National Championship Ohio State vs. Notre Dame

Opening NCAAF Lines: Notre Dame +295 / Ohio State -391
When: Monday, 7:30 PM ET
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+

Bet CFP National Championship: Ohio State Analysis

The Buckeyes (13-2) got here with a 28-14 win over No. 5 Texas in the Cotton Bowl semifinal on Jan. 10 and have won all three of their playoff games by double digits. Against the Horns, OSU defensive end Jack Sawyer stripped Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers — his former roommate — and returned the fumble 83 yards for the clinching touchdown, giving the Buckeyes a shot at their sixth AP national title.

Jack Sawyer

Sawyer got to Ewers on a fourth-and-goal from the 8, knocking the ball loose before scooping it up and lumbering all the way to the other end zone with 2:13 left. It was the longest fumble return in CFP history. The defense as a whole tallied four sacks, nine tackles-for-loss, three forced fumbles and seven pass break-ups. Safety Caleb Downs sealed the game with his fourth career interception.

Points Allowed

The Buckeyes rank first nationally this season in points allowed per game (12.2), points allowed per drive (1.0), first in yards per play (4.1), first in yards allowed per drive (22.8), first in percentage of opponents’ plays gaining at least 10 yards (14.6%), first in red zone touchdown rate allowed (41.7%), first in yards allowed per dropback (4.6), first in sacks per dropback (10.3%), third in success rate allowed (34.1%) and third in three-and-out rate (41.2%).

Will Howard

Quarterback Howard completed 24-of-26 passes for 289 yards and one touchdown in the win over Texas. Superstar freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith had a quiet game with one catch for three years but the All-American and Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year and Freshman of the Year has 71 catches for 1,227 yards on the year with 14 scores. The yardage total ranks seventh nationally and are the most amongst true freshmen. His catches are the most of any freshman. In OSU’s three playoff games, Smith has totaled 14 receptions for 293 yards and four touchdowns.

Jeremiah Smith

Smith’s performance in the Cotton Bowl was by far his least productive of the season, but it helped to open up opportunities for other skill players such as Carnell Tate (seven catches for 87 yards) and Quinshon Judkins (two receiving touchdowns). Smith, who repeatedly pointed out during his media day availability that the Irish play man-to-man defense “80%” of the time, acknowledged that he relishes when defenses try to stop him with only one defender: “If you are going to play man [to-man defense] against Ohio State, be ready. I can’t wait to put on a show.”

Ryan Day

Coach Day is 7-4 in post-season games at Ohio State. He is 2-0 in Big Ten championship games, 4-3 in CFP and NY6 bowl games, 1-0 in CFP first-round games and 0-1 in CFP championship games. OSU has not trailed in this CFP. The team led 21-0 over Tennessee, 34-0 over Oregon and 7-0 vs. Texas, which tied the game twice (7-all and 14-all), before consecutive fourth quarter Buckeye TDs.

Against Top Teams

Ohio State is one of four schools all-time to defeat four Top 5 teams in one season (wins over #3 Penn State; #5 Indiana, #1 Oregon and #3 Texas). The others: LSU-2019, USC-1967 & Notre Dame-1943. The Buckeyes will be seeking their second CFP national championship after winning the inaugural title in 2015, and their ninth national championship overall.

Best Fridays (Sunday) in 🏈: National Championship Edition 🌰 pic.twitter.com/jgfx30pJRZ

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 19, 2025

Rankings

Ohio State (977 wins) and Notre Dame (962) rank second and fourth, respectively, in all-time college football wins. Their respective winning percentages of .7351 and .7330 are No. 1 and No. 4, respectively, all-time.

Bet CFP National Championship: Notre Dame Analysis

The Irish (14-1) have won 13 straight games since a stunning home loss to MAC school Northern Illinois and try for their first title since 1988. They advanced with a 27-24 win over No. 6 Penn State in the Orange Bowl semifinal on Jan. 9. Cornerback Christian Gray’s interception of Drew Allar’s ill-advised pass across the middle at the Penn State 42 with 33 seconds left set up a 19-yard drive that ended with Mitch Jeter’s winning 41-yard field goal as time expired.

The Ofensive

The game featured three ties and three lead changes, along with 31 points in the fourth quarter alone. The Irish offense racked up 267 yards passing, its highest output in a game this season. Jaden Greathouse was a big reason, posting a career-high 105 yards on seven catches, with 98 yards coming in the second half to help lead Notre Dame to the victory. QB Riley Leonard’s 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter is the 43rd rushing score of the season for Notre Dame, establishing a new program record (previous season high was 42 in 1989).

The Defense

A crucial stat of the game was third down efficiency, as Notre Dame converted 11-of-17 attempts while the Irish defense held the Nittany Lions to just 3-of-11. After also beating Georgia in the quarterfinals, it marks the first time Notre Dame has beat back-to-back top-five AP teams since 1988 — at No. 2 Southern Cal and vs. No. 2 West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl.

A Notre Dame defense hammered by injuries has been the biggest reason behind the team’s national title push. The Irish lead the nation in takeaways with 32 and rank second nationally in points allowed at 14.3 per game, trailing only Ohio State.

Marcus Freeman

Notre Dame coach Freeman is a former Ohio State linebacker. Freeman will try to become the first Black coach to win the title at college football’s highest level. Freeman, whose mother is South Korean, also is the first coach of Asian heritage to get this far.

Five former Ohio State players-turned-coaches have had their teams play against their alma mater. They are 5-18-1 in those games. The list includes Freeman (0-2 vs. Ohio State as head coach at Notre Dame), Luke Fickell (0-1 at Cincinnati; 0-1 at Wisconsin), Glen Mason (1-7 at Minnesota), Gary Moeller (0-3 at Illinois and 3-1-1 at Michigan) and Bo Pelini (1-3 at Nebraska).

History

This is Notre Dame’s first trip to the CFP National Championship game. The Irish appeared in the BCS National Championship in the 2012 season. Notre Dame owns 11 national championships, all consensus. The Irish have national titles in six different decades: 1920s (1924, 1929), 1930s (1930), 1940s (1943, 1946, 1947, 1949), 1960s (1966), 1970s (1973, 1977) and 1980s (1988). Only Alabama has won national titles in more decades with seven: (20s, 60s, 70s, 90s, 00s, 10s, 20s). No other team has won in six different decades.

Anthonie Knapp

The Irish will be without starting left tackle Knapp for the game after he suffered a knee injury against Penn State. Graduate senior Tosh Baker replaced Knapp in the second quarter. Freeman said running back Jeremiyah Love, who has been dealing with a right knee injury, is expected to be “full go” against Ohio State, but wide receiver Beaux Collins is still dealing with a calf strain that sidelined him for much of the Penn State game. Collins is second on the team in receptions with 37 for 458 yards, three touchdowns and 30.5 yards per game.

On Cam: The National Championship episode ☘️

Powered by @Verizon #GoIrish | @cam_will30 pic.twitter.com/IniVsnVjVz

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) January 19, 2025

Against Top Teams

Notre Dame has faced three other Big Ten opponents this season, defeating Purdue (66-7), Indiana (27-17) and Penn State (27-24).

Bet CFP National Championship Game Trends

• Ohio State is 4-1 ATS in its past games.
• The total has gone under in 8 of Ohio State’s last 12 games.
• Ohio State is 4-1-1 ATS in its past six against Notre Dame.
• Ohio State is 6-2 ATS in its past eight as the favourite.
• Notre Dame is 11-0 ATS in its past 11 games.
• Notre Dame is 7-0-1 ATS in its past eight against an opponent in the Big Ten conference.
• The total has gone over in six of Notre Dame’s past nine as an underdog.

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame Series History

Ohio State leads all-time 6-2 and has won the past six. They last played in September 2023 in South Bend with the Buckeyes ranked sixth nationally and Notre Dame ninth. OSU won 17-14 on a 1-yard scoring plunge by Chip Trayanum with 1 second left. The Irish have not won a game in this series since 1936.

BIG GAMES CALL FOR A BIG RING 💍

ESPN and @CFBPlayoff joined together to create BIG rings for the champions and to celebrate the first-ever 12-team CFP 🤩 pic.twitter.com/sS4NbgOeTf

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 19, 2025

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