The NCAA college football title game of Ohio State v Notre Dame kicks off after midnight tonight if you’re looking for even more gridiron action after an epic weekend in the NFL playoffs.
Our playoff punt picker Peter Sharland has made his calls for the big game.
Ohio State v Notre Dame National Championship game tips
Total Points: Under 45.5
Will Howard Over 225 Total Passing Yards
Emeka Egbuka Over 59.5 Receiving Yards
Jaden Greathouse Over 22.5 Receiving Yards
- A Bet Builder with these selections pays at approximately 13/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK OR TAP HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP
Tuesday 12:30am: Ohio State @ Notre Dame
NCAA National Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
TV: Sky Sports NFL
Total Points: Under 45.5
And then there were two. After what has been a thrilling first edition of the new College Football Playoff system we are left with two teams. No. 7 Notre Dame against No. 8 Ohio State, two of the most storied programs in the history of college football.
It promises to be a tense and thrilling affair as Marcus Freeman and Ryan Day bid to win their first National Championships, for the former a vindication of his hiring after previously being under pressure and for the latter a potentially perfect swansong, if rumours of a possible departure prove true.
By most metrics these are two of the best defenses in the country and have shown that in the CFP so far. There’s a chance OSU could totally blow the game wide open as they did against Oregon but it doesn’t seem likely that Freeman will allow that to happen.
As we said for the semi-finals the key when playing Ohio State is to limit the big plays early to stop them getting away from you. Despite their injuries Freeman and his defense should be able to do that and keep the score relatively low.
Will Howard Over 225 Total Passing Yards
However despite that we still do like OSU quarterback Will Howard to hit go well over 200 yards passing. ND’s defense is why we have marginally lowered his figure to 225 yards rather than the 241.5 that his over/under is set at and if we’re being honest we wouldn’t hate it if you went for 200 rather than 225. With the weapons at his disposal and the way Day’s offense plays we like Howard in most scenarios, we’re just being a little more cautious as it’s a final against a good opponent.
Emeka Egbuka Over 59.5 Receiving Yards
Speaking of weapons, one of the big questions coming into the game is how will Notre Dame approach star freshman Jeremiah Smith? Against Texas Smith was effectively taken out of the game, recording just one catch for three yards as at some stages he had as many as three defenders trying to box him out.
The result was that Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate had big games in single coverage and with the former’s over/under set at 59.5 yards we like him to go big again even if Smith has more involvement than he did in the semi-final. Remember against Tennessee and Oregon (where Smith went over 100 yards both times) Egbuka had 81 and 72 yards respectively. Yes those defenses aren’t as good as Notre Dame, but Egbuka has shown he can be a nice safety valve for Howard.
Jaden Greathouse Over 22.5 Receiving Yards
On the other side of the ball the big question is pretty simple, how will Notre Dame move the ball down the field consistently? Star running back Jeremiyah Love is still banged up and Riley Leonard is obviously inconsistent as a passer. One option might well be Jaden Greathouse in had a huge game in the semi-final against Penn State. With his over/under at 22.5 he only needs a couple of big plays to hit that figure. Don’t forget if OSU do go into the lead Notre Dame might be forced to throw more, that could open the door for Greathouse.
Ohio State v Notre Dame Bet Builder tips
Total Points: Under 45.5
Will Howard Over 225 Total Passing Yards
Emeka Egbuka Over 59.5 Receiving Yards
Jaden Greathouse Over 22.5 Receiving Yards
- A Bet Builder with these selections pays at approximately 13/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK OR TAP HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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