If Marcus Freeman and his playmakers on the Notre Dame football team were looking for some extra motivation to make a statement against Ohio State, the oddsmakers in Las Vegas have gone ahead and provided it. The Fighting Irish and Buckeyes are all set to dance on Jan. 20.
While Notre Dame has posted impressive back-to-back wins over Top 5 teams in Georgia and Penn State, not many people out there are giving Riley Leonard and his teammates much of a chance to keep things close with Will Howard and the Buckeyes.
Shortly after Ohio State was able to take down Texas in the other national semifinal, the opening line for the National Championship Game dropped and the Irish are 9.5-point underdogs. What? So, you mean to tell us that despite Notre Dame looking strong this postseason, betting analysts believe a double-digit loss could potentially be on the way? Yeah, no chance.
Ohio State is a 9.5-point favorite over Notre Dame in the National Championship Game
Yes, we won't argue with the fact that the Buckeyes are looking unreal right now. The wins over Tennessee and No. 1 Oregon to start their CFP were eye-opening. Howard has looked sensational with the ball in his hands.
Then in the win over Texas, it was the defense that stepped up big time, with Jack Sawyer posting one of the best plays in program history - the replay of his forced fumble and scoop/score is going to be shown for decades.
However, let's not forget that Notre Dame didn't have an easy path to the title game. Freeman has his guys playing incredibly well on both sides of the ball. Freeman, a former Ohio State linebacker, will make sure his players do everything possible to make life tough for Ryan Day and his staff.
From our chair, these two teams match up pretty well. Are we coming out and saying Notre Dame is going to pull off an upset and win it all? Nope, we're not going to go that far just yet. However, the opening line being 9.5 points is laughable and it should serve as bulletin-board material for the Irish.