On Jan. 20, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football program will face the Ohio State Buckeyes for the third time in as many seasons. This time, it’s for the national championship.
FanDuel Sportsbook has released the College Football Playoff championship game spread between the Irish and the Buckeyes. No. 8-seed Ohio State (13-2) opened as a 9.5-point favorite against No. 7-seed Notre Dame (14-1).
Notre Dame is 12-2-1 against the spread this season, the best in all college football. It has covered 85.7% of its games. Only Arizona State — who had a 12-2 record against the spread — has covered the same number of games.
The only time the Irish didn’t cover the spread was in its 16-14 loss to NIU (+28) in Week 2 and its 28-3 win over Miami (Ohio) in Week 4. Notre Dame was a 27.5-point favorite against the RedHawks.
Ohio State is 9-6 against the spread, covering 60% of the time this season.
The Buckeyes beat the Irish the last two times they squared off. First, 21-10 in 2022 in Columbus and then 17-13 in 2023 in South Bend. Notre Dame covered the spread as a 17-point underdog in the first game; the second was a push since the Buckeyes were only favored by 3.
The Irish were 4.5-point underdogs when they faced Ohio State in the 2006 and 2016 Fiesta Bowls. However, they failed to cover both times, losing 34-20 in 2006 and 44-28 in 2016.
According to OddsShark’s database, Notre Dame was a 7-point underdog when it played Ohio State in 1995. The Irish lost that game 45-26. The Buckeyes hold a 6-2 record all-time in the series. Notre Dame last beat Ohio State 7-2 in South Bend in 1936. Its first win over the Buckeyes occurred in Columbus, 18-13, the prior year.
When the Irish played Alabama in the 2013 national championship, it was an 18.5-point underdog. However, the Irish covered the spread in that game, even though they lost 31-14.
This year’s national championship is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. ESPN will have television coverage with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call.
Notre Dame is looking for its first national championship since 1988. The last time Ohio State won was in 2014 under Urban Meyer. Coach Ryan Day lost the 2021 national championship, 52-24, to Nick Saban and Alabama. Notre Dame has won 11 national championships, while Ohio State has six.
