Ohio State, favored by 9 1/2 points over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff national championship game, is facing criticism from analysts. BetMGM Sportsbook and Caesars Sportsbook have set the spread, with Georgia being the only team to receive a larger line two years ago when they were favored by 13 1/2 points over TCU.
CBS SportsLine handicapper Bruce Marshall believes the point spread is “way too high” for Ohio State. He argues that the Buckeyes will not roll over Notre Dame easily and expects the game to be slower-paced than previous matchups.
Caesars head of football Joey Feazel notes that most early betting has come in on the Fighting Irish, which is a surprising trend given the recent dominance of Ohio State. However, he anticipates the line to come down slightly as game time approaches.
Ohio State rolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs, beating Tennessee 42-17 and Oregon 41-21. The team’s semifinal victory over Texas was also impressive, with a dominant goal-line stand that sealed their win.
Notre Dame, on the other hand, has been on a roll, beating Indiana 27-17, Georgia 23-10, and Penn State 27-24. Analyst Marshall praises the Irish for their speed, which he believes gives them an edge over Ohio State. He notes that Notre Dame has covered the past 11 point spreads and is 22-6 against the line going back to last season.
While Marshall thinks Notre Dame could win, the Buckeyes are still favored by a significant margin. The early betting action is largely split between Ohio State and Notre Dame, with a slight preference for the Irish.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/notre-dame-ohio-state-national-championship-betting-e522d9f0dd80e6f4962ee9f04a35827f