Betting lines for the College Football Playoff National Championship began to take shape well before the conclusion of the semifinals, but now that teams in the title game have established themselves, a clear favorite has emerged. As of this weekend, Ohio State finds itself favored by 9.5 points over Notre Dame in what will serve as the third meeting between the schools across the last three seasons.
DraftKings posted the first line for the matchup prior to the conclusion of the semifinal round, and hardly any movement at all across other books has since taken place. Only BetRivers currently offers a spread deviating from the opening number, favoring Ohio State by a double-digit margin of 10 points.
The current spread would close as the second-largest between the schools among the six games since 1995 with betting data available per Odds Shark (data from 1996 was not immediately available). The largest during that stretch was the 2022 game, which served as the season opener for both teams and saw the Buckeyes favored by 17 points at home.
That was the only instance in which Ohio State lost against the spread, although the most recent contest between the sides resulted in a push after OSU won by a narrow score of 17-14 a season ago as time expired. Consequently, the Buckeyes have not lost to Notre Dame outright since the 1936 game between head coaches Francis A. Schmidt and Elmer F. Layden.
Another top moment of 2023 was Ohio State’s game winning drive against Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/dgmN1USzL0
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) December 28, 2023
As for the total, a line on the over/under began at 46.5 points before slightly dipping to 45.5 as of Saturday afternoon. That would easily serve as the shallowest total across the last four decades of meetings between these teams, with the next lowest closing at 54 points for the 1995 game. The over took shape twice in 1995 and 2016, while the under prevailed in the other three meetings with betting data available — including the two most recent showdowns.
Ryan Day and the Buckeyes will meet Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to decide the season's national champion on Monday, January 20th at 7:30 p.m. ET with coverage provided by ESPN.
OHIO STATE AND NOTRE DAME
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 11, 2025
THE CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IS SET pic.twitter.com/0kCZmq4XPb
