After nearly six months and the most extended playoff format in the sport’s history, college football is finally ready to crown its champion. By every account, Ohio State is supposed to be in this position. It was at the forefront of the NIL movement and helped fund key additions to an already veteran roster. Notre Dame is the unexpected squad trying to cap off its Cinderella run with a ring. It’s won 13 straight games on the back of coach Marcus Freeman’s brilliance and a smash-mouth squad that’s been dominant in the trenches.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Ohio State is currently a substantial -8.5 point favorite, with the game’s point total at 45.5.
Nothing sets the tone of a contest quite like the first touchdown. Here are the top six options in terms of odds to find the endzone early:
- Jeremiah Smith (+450)
- TreVeyon Henderson (+500)
- Quinshon Judkins (+500)
- Emeka Egbuka (+600)
- Jeremiyah Love (+800)
- Riley Leonard (+800)
After crunching the numbers and analyzing the matchup, I have the perfect pick for the first touchdown scorer.
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
TreVeyon Henderson First TD Scorer (+500)
The Buckeyes are an offensive juggernaut. Teams have only had success slowing down Chip Kelly’s unit by daring them to pound the rock in a light box or generate constant gap pressure. Notre Dame can generate penetration in the middle like Texas did, but it’s hard to imagine the Ohio State offensive line will be so penalty-prone in consecutive performances.
The Irish, instead, will hope they can with equal numbers and turn off the rushing attack. That’ll force Will Howard to become a pure drop-back passer without the crutch that is play-action. That strategy can possibly keep the game close early. At some point, the talent disparity will be too much for Notre Dame to overcome.
Ohio State will prove that it can flourish as a run-first team and lean on its stellar backfield. TreVeyon Henderson has been as explosive as ever and is electric with the ball in his hands. Henderson should see an uptick in carries thanks to a favorable game script, so he’s my choice to cross the goal line first.
