The first 12-team College Football Playoff concludes when Notre Dame takes on Ohio State in a National Championship Game between two powerhouse programs. Here are the best bets to consider for the game at DraftKings Sportsbook.
National Championship Game: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
Ohio State is an 8.5-point favorite over Notre Dame on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total set at 46.5.
Ohio State and Notre Dame have been two of the best teams in the country all season. Ohio State entered the season with high expectations and one of the best rosters in the nation. Their regular season ended on a demoralizing note when they lost to their arch-rivals, Michigan, once again. This loss also kept them out of the Big Ten Championship Game and made them the eight-seed in the College Football Playoff.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame suffered arguably the worst upset loss of the season to Northern Illinois early in the campaign. However, that loss served as a rallying point for the Fighting Irish. They have not lost a game since then and have only gotten better as time has gone on. They did played great football to knock off Indiana, Georgia and Penn State throughout the playoffs en route to this title game.
Both of these teams are led by transfer quarterbacks who came to these programs to compete in games like this. Riley Leonard transferred from Duke to Notre Dame and has really improved throughout the season. He is one of the best running quarterbacks in the country and manages the game really well. On the other side is Will Howard, who transferred from Kansas State to Ohio State to win a national title. Now he has the chance to do it. Howard has been playing his best football of the season in the College Football Playoff.
These are two of the best defenses in college football. Ohio State ranks first in defensive success rate and third in defensive EPA/play this season. Meanwhile, Notre Dame ranks second in the nation in defensive EPA/play. Both of these teams rely on their elite defenses and great running games to control the pace and wear down their opponent. With similar styles of play, one or two game-changing plays could make all the difference.
Ohio State is a sizeable favorite in this game despite how well Notre Dame has been playing. The Buckeyes have the more talented roster top-to-bottom and more importantly, they have the key difference-makers on offense who can create the one play to blow this game open. Freshman WR Jeremiah Smith and senior WR Emeka Egbuka would both easily be the best pass catchers on Notre Dame’s team. Smith was sensational in Ohio State’s first two wins in the CFP, then drew almost all of Texas’ defensive attention in the semifinals. That allowed Egbuka and other weapons to create explosive plays because of all of the attention that was on Smith.
Notre Dame simply does not have a player like Smith or Egbuka who can single-handedly take over the game with individual skill. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is one of the best backs in the country but he is still not 100% healthy. Ohio State also has not one, but two, running backs among the best in the sport. The need to worry about TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins not only in the running game, but in the screen game too, makes them so difficult to defend.
While both quarterbacks are great leaders and athletes who have had great moments in the College Football Playoff, Ohio State’s Will Howard is the more dependable of the two. Howard has played fantastic ball in the CFP and is a much more capable downfield passing threat than Leonard. The defenses mostly cancel each other out, but the Ohio State offense has better quarterback play and multiple skill position players that are difference makers. This game could be tight early on, but Ohio State should create a couple of explosive plays to pull away late in this game and cover the spread.
Best Bet: Ohio State -8.5 (-110)
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