2024-25 College Football Championship Odds and Predictions

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The first 12-team College Football Playoffs is coming to an end on Monday, January 20, 2025, with the 2024-25 College Football Championship. Sure, the CFP can use some fine tuning, but it has been great for the sport especially with smaller teams like Boise State and SMU making it to the postseason party.

The critics need to take a deep breath and let this evolve more. We’re lucky to have this considering how long it took just to go from an outdated process to four teams. With that said, Monday’s Championship Game features two blue blood programs in Notre Dame vs. Ohio State.

These two teams have faced each other multiple times over the last few years and will continue their postseason rivalry with a National Championship on the line.

The Buckeyes come into this game as a large betting favorite due to their dominant run through the Playoffs. The Fighting Irish have defied the odds to reach the Championship Game. Will we see the Luck of the Irish prevail or will Ohio State continue to dominate their Playoff opponents?

Let’s dive deeper into the latest College Football odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites, and make our College Football Championship predictions for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Ohio State Buckeyes.   

College Football Championship Betting

Keep an eye on the latest NCAAF odds for the National Title game and monitor how the lines change throughout the week.

The Ohio State Buckeyes opened as a large betting favorite with -410 odds. They reached a high of -420 before slowly declining to the current range of -370 to -380 odds. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish opened at +325 before slowly coming down to the current range of +285 to +300 odds.

The Buckeyes opened as a 9.5-point favorite over the Fighting Irish. That spread has slowly come down to the current line of eight points. The Over/Under has remained at a range of 45 to 46.5 total points. Depending on if you think the Over or Under will hit, will affect where you should shop at for the optimal line.

College Football Championship Odds

The following College Football Championship odds are courtesy of ScoresandStats:

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish have played against each other eight times. The Buckeyes hold a sizable advantage in this series with a 6-2 record.

Now, most fans and pundits don’t really factor in the first two meetings which took place in 1935 and 1936. The Fighting Irish won both games. However, since 1995, the Buckeyes have gone 6-0 and won their two Bowl Game matchups: the 2006 and 2016 Fiesta Bowls.

Most recently, the Buckeyes won their last two matchups in 2022 and 2023. The last game took place in Notre Dame and Ohio State escaped 17 to 14.

College Football Championship Betting Trends

Check out the following Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Ohio State Buckeyes betting trends:

Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Betting Trends

• Ohio State is 6-0 SU in last six meetings
• Ohio State is 4-1-1 ATS in last six matchups
• The Under is 4-2 in last six contests

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Trends

• 10-0 SU in last 10 games
• 5-0 SU in last five Neutral Site games
• 10-0 ATS in last 10 games
• 7-0-1 ATS in last eight Big Ten games
• 4-1 ATS in last five January games
• 5-0 ATS in last five Neutral Site games
• Under is 4-1 in last five Monday games

Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Trends

• 8-1 SU in last nine games
• 9-0 SU in last nine games against independent teams
• 2-5 SU in last seven Monday games
• 4-1 ATS in last five games
• 6-2 ATS in last eight games as the favorite
• Over is 4-1 in last five January games

College Football Championship Predictions

Let’s take a closer look at some of the key matchups for this game as we make our Sunday Night Football NCAAF picks. NCAAF stats are courtesy of TeamRankings.

Notre Dame Offense vs. Ohio State Defense

Notre Dame enters this contest having won 10 games in a row. Offensively, this team really turned things around during the middle of the season to become a powerhouse.

Most notably, they score a lot of points and are highly effective in the running game. The Fighting Irish rank third in scoring at 37 ppg, while coming in as the 12^th best running team at 210.9 rushing yards per game.

It should be noted that this running game isn’t just based on their top RB in Jeremiyah Love who tallied 1,122 yards and 17 rushing TDs this season. He was banged up heading into the Semifinals versus Penn State and had a few solid plays. Of all the players, Love would have benefited the most from the break between games.

With that said, Riley Leonard is almost as dangerous as his backfield mate in Love. The talented QB rushed for 866 yards on the year. However, he’s tallied some big runs in the Playoffs. Against Georgia, Leonard put up 80 rushing yards. He’s also scored two rushing TDs in the last three games.

The Buckeyes are the #1 scoring defense as they allow only 12.2 points per game. However, Oregon did put up 21 in a blowout loss. During the regular season, Oregon put up 32 points and Michigan beat the Buckeyes with 13 points total.

With that said, points are going to be hard to come by for the Fighting Irish who have not surpassed 27 points in a CFP game. The Buckeyes defense hasn’t allowed more than 21 points in a CFP game.

Another thing that will be hard for Notre Dame is running the ball against the #3 ranked rush defense in the Country. Ohio State allows only 90.3 rushing yards per game.

Over the last two CFP games, the Buckeyes allowed under 20 rushing yards per game. Now, this team did give up 152 rushing yards against Tennessee in their opening round CFP game. So, it’s not impossible for the Fighting Irish to find success on the ground. It’s just going to be tough sledding.

Ohio State Offense vs. Notre Dame Defense

On the flip side, Ohio State’s offense is a juggernaut like Notre Dame. When they’re playing to their full potential, the Buckeyes are unstoppable. They’re 8^th in the country for scoring, at 35.8 ppg. However, they’re third in points per play (0.571) and fourth in yards per play (6.8).

Ohio State doesn’t crack the Top 20 in any other major offensive statistical category. However, they have playmakers at every skilled position. Additionally, they’ve averaged 37 ppg in the Playoffs, while Notre Dame has allowed 17 ppg.

The Fighting Irish have the 3^rd best pass defense at 165.3 yards per game. The Buckeyes average 265.1 passing yards per game. This is going to be the in-game battle to keep an eye on for these two units.

For Notre Dame to have any shot at winning this game, they will need to contain wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. This incredible receiving duo has combined for 146 receptions, 2,174 yards, and 24 receiving touchdowns.

Who Wins The College Football Championship?

I like for Ohio State to win this game. They are extremely talented on both sides of the ball. They have more playmakers than Notre Dame does, especially on offense.

The Buckeyes have won six straight against Notre Dame, so it’s hard to think that the Fighting Irish are going to break that streak. Ohio State is playing like the best team in the Nation.

With that said, I do like for Notre Dame to cover the 8-point spread. The Fighting Irish are 10-0 ATS in the last 10 games, 7-0-1 ATS in their last eight games against Big Ten opponents, and 5-0 ATS in their last five Neutral Site games.

As for the Over/Under, this is a tough one. It really can go either way depending on both defenses. I would avoid this wager for this game.

Take Ohio State to win 27 to 20 in what should be a good game for the first half. I see the Buckeyes wearing down this Fighting Irish defense, stifling the Notre Dame run offense, and pulling away in the second half.

Bets: Ohio State Buckeyes (-380), Notre Dame Fighting Irish +8 (-110)

Best Bets For The College Football Championship

The best bets for the College Football Championship are as follows:

• Ohio State Buckeyes (-380)
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish +8 (-110)

The Buckeyes seemed to have awakened after their 13-10 loss to Michigan in late November. Since then, they’ve looked like the best team in College Football. The previous best team, Oregon Ducks, were blown out by the Buckeyes in their rematch during the CFP Semifinal Round. The Buckeyes won by three touchdowns.

Ohio State has won six straight games against the Fighting Irish and are 2-0 against Notre Dame in the postseason. They have more playmakers on offense, which should be the difference in this matchup.

With that said, I still like for the Fighting Irish to fight and remain competitive in this matchup. I believe they will keep this game within a touchdown, which means they should cover the eight-point spread.

The Fighting Irish have gone 10-0 ATS in their last 10 games, 7-0-1 ATS versus their last eight Big Ten opponents, and are 5-0 ATS in their last five games played at Neutral Sites.

Recent NCAAF National Title Winners