We are less than a week away from the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish kicking off in the CFP National Championship Game and the College Football Playoff National Championship odds for this epic matchup have already been on a wild ride.
Join me as I break down the college football odds ahead of Monday's must-see clash between the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish.
CFP National Championship Odds
The opening line for the CFP National Championship game briefly hit the board at Ohio State -7.5 but early bettors hammered the Buckeyes and the spread almost immediately landed at -9.5.
According to BetMGM as of Monday, the early money on the spread was split down the middle but it appears the Notre Dame Fighting Irish saw some action overnight as we work up with the line sitting at 8.5 as of Tuesday morning.
Bettors and oddsmakers alike were clearly impressed with Ohio State’s performance in the CFP, defeating Tennessee and Oregon in dominating fashion before taking down Texas 28-14 as 4.5-point favorites in the Cotton Bowl.
But savvy bettors know that the 14-point difference in the Cotton Bowl resulted from two key plays. A massive 75-yard TreVeyon Henderson screen for a touchdown to end the first half and a Jack Sawyer fumble return for a touchdown to close a series that started with Texas having a first and goal at the one.
That means the Cotton Bowl was a lot closer than the final score indicates. When you consider that Notre Dame has arguably the best defense Ohio State has seen all season, it’s no wonder that bettors would put some support behind the Irish with a spread this big.
However, don’t expect that line to move much farther down than 8, not only is 7.5 the next key number we come across, but Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman announced on Sunday that starting left tackle Anthonie Knapp will miss the title game with a high ankle sprain.
Bettors are also hoping for the luck of the Irish in hoping Notre Dame can pull off the upset. BetMGM is reporting 59% of the moneyline bets are on Notre Dame (+280).
