College Football Championship Bracket 2025: Odds, Top Matchups in OSU vs. Notre Dame
The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff is down to the final two teams. Either Ohio State or Notre Dame will win the CFP National Championship Game, which is set for Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The Buckeyes are looking to win their first national title since the 2014 season. The No. 8 seed in the bracket, Ohio State has reached this point with wins over No. 9 Tennessee (first round), No. 1 Oregon (Rose Bowl quarterfinal) and No. 5 Texas (Cotton Bowl semifinal).
The Fighting Irish could win their first national championship since the 1988 season. No. 7-seeded Notre Dame advanced with victories over Indiana (first round), Georgia (Sugar Bowl quarterfinal) and Penn State (Orange Bowl semifinal).
With a national champion soon getting crowned, here's a look at the betting information for the Ohio State-Notre Dame tilt, followed by a breakdown of the top matchups to watch for during the contest.
National Championship Game Odds
Spread: Ohio State (-8.5)
Over/Under: 46.5 total points
Moneyline: Ohio State (-360; bet $360 to win $100); Notre Dame (+285; bet $100 to win $285)
Ohio State WRs vs. Notre Dame's Man Defense
Ohio State has a pair of talented playmakers atop its receiving depth chart. Freshman Jeremiah Smith (1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns) and senior Emeka Egbuka (947 yards and 10 TDs) have been among the top targets for Buckeyes senior quarterback Will Howard all season, and that should continue to be the case Monday night.
However, Ohio State's passing attack could have trouble against Notre Dame's secondary. The Fighting Irish are allowing only 165.3 passing yards per game (second best in the country), and they're coming off an Orange Bowl performance in which they held Penn State QB Drew Allar to 135 yards through the air.
What makes Notre Dame's pass defense so successful? For one, the Fighting Irish excel at man-to-man coverage, which is something they do a lot. And it's something that the Buckeyes know they could be seeing quite a bit.
"You look at how much man they play, and the reason they do it is because they can," Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly recently said, per Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch. "No one's really exploited that with them. They all can cover. It's not like, 'Well, just stay away from him and throw against this guy.' I think all of them are really skilled."
It's also possible that the Buckeyes' premier wide receivers force the Irish to change it up. Perhaps Notre Dame will try to emulate Texas, which played a variety of man and zone defenses during the Cotton Bowl. In that game, Smith was held to one catch for 3 yards.
Whatever the Fighting Irish try to do, it will be an intriguing battle to watch throughout the night. If Notre Dame pulls off an upset, it could be because it found a way to limit the production of Smith and Egbuka, taking away an Ohio State passing attack that has averaged 265.1 yards per game.
Notre Dame's Rushing Attack vs. Ohio State's Run Defense
On the other side of the ball, Notre Dame has had much of its offensive success on the ground. The Fighting Irish are averaging 210.8 rushing yards per game (10th most in the country), with sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love leading the way (1,122 yards and 19 total touchdowns this season).
Notre Dame's ground game isn't one-dimensional, though. Senior quarterback Riley Leonard has rushed for 866 yards and 16 touchdowns, while junior running back Jadarian Price has run for 733 yards and seven scores.
It could be difficult for the Fighting Irish to get going on Monday night. Ohio State's run defense is among the best in the country, as it ranks third with only 89.9 rushing yards allowed per game.
That may not stop Notre Dame's approach to the game, however.
"For us, we have to be able to run the football, and we've got to find ways to do that," Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman recently said, per Dan Morrison of On3 Sports. "At the end of the day, you're going to study teams that have had success against your opponent, but you still have to do what your team does well."
If Ohio State is stingy on the ground, it could make things quite difficult for Notre Dame.
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