It's finally here. The Ohio State football team will play for a national championship tonight in Atlanta against Notre Dame. Winning this game would cap one of the great runs in program history for the Buckeyes. They now have just one game to finish it off.
To go from having fans wanting Ryan Day fired after a fourth straight loss to Michigan to playing for a national championship in the span of a month is wild. Yet, that's exactly where the Buckeyes sit. Blowout victories over Tennessee and Oregon led them to have a close win over Texas.
Notre Dame is a really good team. They are not going to roll over in this one. They opened up as big underdogs and have used that as motivation in the last week during their preparation for this game. As kickoff gets closer, what are the final odds for this game?
Ohio State football vs. Notre Dame final odds and prediction
Right now, the Buckeyes are 8.5-point favorites. They opened up as 9.5 favorites, so the spread has gone down. The total has also gone down a full point, dipping from 46.5 to 45.5, all according to DraftKings. No one is giving the Irish much of a chance.
Final prediction: Ohio State 27 Notre Dame 10
I believe that the Buckeyes will be able to win this game without too much stress. They are by far the more talented team. That will show in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame will try to control the clock with the run game and limit Ohio State's possessions.
Notre Dame has a really good ground game, with both Jeremiyah Love and Riley Leonard able to make big plays with their legs. I do think the Irish will be able to slow things down in the first half. After that, the Buckeyes take total and firm control thanks to their passing game.
Playing a lot of man-to-man is not what's going to help stop Jeremiah Smith. That will be the difference in the game, and the Buckeyes will win the national championship.