Notre Dame faces 9 1/2-point underdog status against Ohio State in final matchup
Following two exhilarating semifinal matches in the College Football Playoff, bookmakers established Ohio State as a 9 1/2-point favorite to triumph over Notre Dame in the championship game on January 20th in Atlanta.
The Buckeyes (13-2), seeded eighth in the inaugural 12-team CFP format, will go head to head with the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish (14-1).
Three prominent sportsbooks -- FanDuel, DraftKings and BetRivers -- were unanimous in declaring Ohio State as the clear frontrunner against Notre Dame.
However, the books had differing opinions on the total score. BetRivers set the over/under at 45 1/2, while the other two listed it at 46 1/2.
Ohio State, who secured their third CFP victory of the new format by defeating Texas 28-14 on Friday in the Cotton Bowl, scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes.
The final touchdown was made when Texas was on the verge of scoring a tying touchdown in the last minutes of the fourth quarter. Buckeyes defensive lineman Jack Sawyer forced a fumble from quarterback Quinn Ewers, recovered the ball, and then ran 83 yards for the clinching score.
Notre Dame earned their spot in the championship game on Thursday with an equally thrilling 27-24 triumph over Penn State in the Orange Bowl. Mitch Jeter's 41-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining secured the winning points. The Fighting Irish also had to win three playoff games to reach the championship game.
