College Football Championship 2025: Odds, Box Score Prediction for OSU vs. Notre Dame
Ohio State most recently won a national championship in the 2014 season, the first year of the four-team College Football Playoff era. Now, the Buckeyes could also win a national title in the first year of the 12-team CFP format.
Not if Notre Dame has anything to say about it, though. And the Fighting Irish are hungry for a national championship, something they haven't won since the 1988 season.
The 2024 college football season concludes Monday night, when No. 7-seeded Notre Dame and No. 8 Ohio State meet in the CFP National Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Each team has won three Playoff games to get to this point.
Heading into the game, here's betting information for the contest followed by predictions for how things will unfold.
CFP National Championship Odds
Spread: Ohio State (-8.5)
Over/Under: 45.5 total points
Moneyline: Ohio State (-380; bet $380 to win $100); Notre Dame (+300; bet $100 to win $300)
Stat Predictions
Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka will both score touchdowns
Notre Dame's pass defense has been solid because of its man-to-man coverage. But it will have its hands full with the duo of Smith and Egbuka, the top two playmakers in Ohio State's receiving corps.
Smith scored two touchdowns in each of the Buckeyes' first two CFP games before failing to get into the end zone during the Cotton Bowl vs. Texas. Egbuka's only Playoff touchdown came in the Rose Bowl against Oregon.
But Ohio State will need these two to step up, and senior quarterback Will Howard should be looking to get the ball in their hands. That will lead to both Smith and Egbuka scoring at least one touchdown apiece.
Riley Leonard will set a new season high for passing yards
The Notre Dame senior quarterback threw for 223 yards in his team's Orange Bowl victory over Penn State, 6 yards shy of his season high. Leonard could reach 230 passing yards for the first time while playing Ohio State.
The Fighting Irish typically lean on their running game, but the Buckeyes allow only 89.9 rushing yards per game, the third fewest of any team in the nation. So it could be challenging for Notre Dame to move the ball that way.
It's also quite possible Ohio State will get off to a strong start. So Leonard will likely need to throw it a good bit to keep the Fighting Irish in the game, especially if they struggle to run the ball as expected.
Game Prediction
It's not surprising that Ohio State is a sizable favorite in this matchup. The Buckeyes have been quite impressive during the College Football Playoff, winning each of their games against Tennessee, Oregon and Texas by 14 or more points.
There's a good chance Ohio State will win by at least double digits again on Monday.
The Buckeyes are on a roll, having moved past their disappointing loss to rival Michigan in the regular-season finale. They should match up well against Notre Dame, which has played closer games during the CFP.
The prediction here is that Ohio State will build an early lead and not look back. The Fighting Irish will try to keep things interesting, but the Buckeyes won't allow that to happen.
Prediction: Ohio State 37, Notre Dame 24
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