It feels like a long time since the first 12-team bracket for the College Football Playoffs was revealed, but the time has finally come for what promises to be an epic showdown between two historic programs, each eager to add another National Championship to their trophy cases.
Notre Dame and Ohio State – originally seeded Nos. 7 and 8, respectively – are the two schools that will collide in Atlanta for the ultimate 2024-25 prize. The Fighting Irish bring a 13-game win streak into the match and stand 14-1 on the season, while the Buckeyes come in at 13-2.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
- When: Monday, January 20, 2025 – 7:30 PM ET
- Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
The Odds
Top sportsbooks officially sent Ohio State out as a 9½-point favorite, but the spread has since dropped to 8½ at most outlets. The few shops that are listing the Buckeyes -8½ are juicing the Fighting Irish at that spread and showing signs of joining the 8-point club.
While the spread has been dropping, the total has been rising. The scoreboard number first went out at 45 points, and it has since gone up to 46½ at the majority of books.
Bettors looking to play the moneyline are finding Ohio State around -360 with Notre Dame sitting around +280.
Both sides have been on the plus side of covering spreads. The Buckeyes are 9-6 ATS with the Fighting Irish pleasing their backers tremendously at 13-2 ATS. Neither team has been a strong pick either way in the totals column with Ohio State 7-8 O/U and Notre Dame 8-7 O/U.
The Fighting Irish
A 27-17 win over Indiana in the first round of the playoffs was not nearly as close as the final score suggests. Notre Dame dominated and led 27-3 with 5 minutes remaining before the Hoosiers scored a couple of late touchdowns.
The 23-10 win over Georgia in the quarterfinals hinged primarily on the Fighting Irish scoring a touchdown in the final minute of the first half and then returning the second-half kickoff for a touchdown.
Notre Dame had a much tougher time against Penn State in the semis, trailing by 7 late in the fourth quarter before a long touchdown pass tied it and a field goal in the closing seconds won it.
The only thing all three games had in common was the Fighting Irish covering the odds each time, even closing as a small underdog to the Nittany Lions after opening that contest as small chalk.
Marcus Freeman’s squad comes into the championship game banged up on the offensive line. Most notably will be the absence of starting left tackle Anthonie Knapp who suffered a high ankle sprain in the win over Penn State.
Adding to Freeman’s concerns is starting right guard Rocco Spindler (ankle) and wide receiver Beaux Collins (calf) each listed as questionable.
The Buckeyes
Ryan Day and the Buckeyes also breezed through their first two playoff games, first taking out Tennessee by a 42-17 count before avenging a loss to Oregon earlier this season with a 41-21 decision over the Ducks.
Ohio State jumped to a 21-0 lead over the Volunteers to put that one out of reach early, then piled on with another 21-0 spurt in the second half. It was even more lopsided against the Ducks in the quarterfinals when the Buckeyes scored the game’s first 34 points.
It was a much different story against Texas in the semifinals. That contest was knotted 14-apiece to begin the fourth quarter before a long touchdown drive put the Buckeyes ahead to stay. The Longhorns were driving for a potential game-tying score late, but Jack Sawyer’s 83-yard return of a Quinn Ewers fumble gave the Buckeyes the 28-14 final.
The best news for the Buckeyes was coming out of the win over Texas without any new injuries to report.
The Rivalry
The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish met in a home-&-home series just a few seasons back, each of those 2022 and 2023 contests taking pace early in the campaign and both of the matchups won by Ohio State.
In each case, the Buckeyes were favored, the underdog Fighting Irish covered both times, and both of the games failed to reach totals that oddsmakers set in the mid-to-upper 50s.
Ohio State has, in fact, won each of the last six meetings. Two of those matchups took place at the 2006 and 2016 Fiesta Bowls.
Notre Dame’s only two wins in the series occurred in the first two meetings way back in the 1935 and 1936 seasons. After a 7-2 win by the Fighting Irish in the 1936 contest, 59 years would pass before the schools met again in 1995.
The Pick
These are two defenses in the country, especially when it comes to thwarting their opponents’ passing. But that doesn’t mean the game will be low-scoring. Look for an ‘over’ winner when the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish slug it out for the National Championship.
