Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Ohio State Buckeyes Matchup

Check out our free Ohio State Buckeyes vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish pick and preview for this CFB College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T game in Atlanta. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T CFB matchup.

ESPN is handling the television broadcast as Ohio State and Notre Dame face off in the College Football Playoff National Championship, presented by AT&T. Kick-off is set for 7:30 ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Ohio State is the -8.5-point favorite, with the over/under line at 45.5 points. The Buckeyes have a 13-2 record, while Notre Dame is 14-1 heading into this matchup.

Buckeyes vs. Fighting Irish Matchup At A Glance

Sport: CFB
Teams: Ohio State Buckeyes at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Where: Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Date: Monday, January 20th
Betting Odds OHIOST -8.5, OHIOST -370 | ND +292 O/U 45.5

Buckeyes Preview:

Ohio State enters the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T with a 13-2 record, going 8-1 at home and 5-1 on the road. They’ve been favored in all 15 games this season, posting a +23.6 average scoring margin.

Against the spread, the Buckeyes are 9-6, with a 5-4 record at home and 4-2 on the road. Their average over/under line is 50.5 points, and they’ve gone 7-8 against the total, with their games averaging 48 points.

This week’s over/under line is set at 45.5 points. Ohio State has played 12 games with higher lines and two with lower ones, while seven games have exceeded this total and eight have fallen short.

Buckeyes Offense Breakdown

Ohio State’s offense ranks 2nd in our power rankings heading into the National Championship, and they are 10th in scoring, averaging 35.8 points per game. Will Howard has thrown for 3,779 yards and has a passer rating of 118. Ohio State is 10th in passing yards per game, and they are 4th in completion percentage, connecting on 71% of their passes.

Howard has thrown 33 touchdowns but also has 10 interceptions. TreVeyon Henderson leads the rushing attack with 964 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 7 yards per carry. Jeremiah Smith has caught 71 passes for 1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Buckeyes Team Defense

Ohio State's defense has been impressive this season, ranking first in the nation by allowing just 12.2 points per game. They’ve also held opponents to 93.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks ninth, and 161.1 passing yards per game, the seventh-lowest in the country. Quarterbacks have managed a passer rating of just 68.7 against Ohio State, the eighth-lowest in college football.

In their recent game against Texas, Ohio State gave up 14 points but allowed only 58 rushing yards on 29 attempts. Texas threw for 283 yards on 39 passes, completing 23, but Ohio State’s defense also came away with an interception.

Fighting Irish Preview:

This week’s over/under line is set at 45.5 points. Ohio State has played 12 games with higher lines and two with lower ones, while seven games have exceeded this total and eight have fallen short.

Fighting Irish Offense Breakdown

Notre Dame’s offense has been driven by its rushing attack, ranking 7th nationally with 211.8 rushing yards per game. Jeremiyah Love has been a standout, rushing for 1,121 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 7 yards per carry. The Fighting Irish are 6th in scoring, putting up 37 points per game, and we have them 14th in our offensive power rankings heading into the national championship game.

Quarterback Riley Leonard has thrown for 2,606 yards, completing 66.4% of his passes, with 19 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Notre Dame ranks 61st in passing yards per game, and Jaden Greathouse leads the team with 464 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Fighting Irish Team Defense

Notre Dame’s defense has been strong this season, ranking 5th nationally by allowing just 14.3 points per game. They’ve also held opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating of 58, the 2nd-lowest in the country, and allowed just 165.3 passing yards per game, ranking 8th.

In their recent game against Penn State, Notre Dame gave up 24 points but managed to secure a win. They allowed 204 rushing yards on 42 attempts but limited Penn State’s passing attack to 135 yards and forced one interception.

Buckeyes vs Fighting Irish Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last three road games, Ohio State has averaged 33 points per game while allowing 14. The team's record in this stretch was 3-0 while going 2-1 vs. the spread.
When looking at their past three matchups at home, Notre Dame has an ATS record of 3-0 while averaging 33 per game. The team went 3-0 overall in these games.
Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a straight up record of 5-5. But, their mark vs the spread was just 6-3-1.
The last ten games that Ohio State was favored, they have an ATS mark of 6-4 while going 8-2 straight up.