NCAAF National Championship Props for Ohio State vs Notre Dame

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Spread/Totals: Ohio State -8.5 / O/U 46

Moneylines: Notre Dame +285 / Ohio State -370

Q&A: What are the top NCAAF National Championship Props?

You won’t find some of the same props available for the CFP championship that you find, say, for the Super Bowl each year. The coin flip to start the game, the length of the national anthem, and other off-the-field props simply aren’t available. However, there are still plenty of wagering opportunities on this game.

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We have some top player and game prop suggestions later in this article

Two of the top props, though, include the point spread and the point total. The Irish come in as heavy underdogs for this game, which could motivate a lot of action from the Irish faithful betting with their emotions rather than with their logic. Given the serious problems and injuries that Notre Dame has on that side of the ball, they will have an extremely tough time scoring a lot of points against the Buckeyes.

If the Irish pull off the upset – either just against the spread or also straight up and haul that trophy back to South Bend – it will have a lot to do with Ohio State penalties, turnovers, and big plays on special teams. The point total is somewhat low for a college football game, but these two teams both have stout defenses. The degree to which Notre Dame can slow down the rhythm of the contest will dictate whether this game beats the point total.

Anytime Touchdown

This is a wager that a particular player will score a touchdown at any point in the game. Some of the most popular choices here include the two tailbacks for Ohio State – Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson – and Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard and tailback Jeremiyah Love. Of the four, I view Love as the least likely to get into the end zone, primarily because I don’t think Notre Dame will try to use him to pound the ball close to the end zone.

His nagging knee injury had him wearing a fairly stout brace against Penn State, and he was supposed to avoid hurdling players to save the knee – but he ended up doing a couple of hurdles anyway, taking off and landing on his healthy leg. While Leonard does like to carry the ball, it will be interesting to see if there are designed runs for him in the red zone because of the possibility that he also might get injured by a quick, physical front seven for Ohio State.

Offensive Player

Another popular player prop sets a yardage total or a carry/reception total for an offensive player, and then you decide whether you think that player will go over that number or not. This can require a bit of research, depending on the player. Both teams like to run the ball, but the Irish lean more heavily on that part of their offense to move the ball down the field.

The Buckeyes have more offensive balance and have receivers like Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Emeka Egbuka to consider. Given the fact that Notre Dame’s defense will have to choose which weapons to take away, taking these player props requires some study of Notre Dame’s earlier defensive trends.

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NCAAF National Championship Props: Rundown of Game Props

The Buckeyes are valued as the nation’s best team, with a sizable line going into this matchup against Notre Dame. The Irish covered against both Georgia and Penn State despite serious limitations on the offensive side of the ball. Left tackle Andrew Knapp (ankle) is out, and the starting right guard is questionable. That makes Charles Jagusah, the preseason starter, the left tackle. He missed the whole regular season with a torn pectoral muscle but was available against Penn State. Can he shake off the rust in time to provide protection against one of the best D-lines in the nation?

The Defense

It’s true that Notre Dame was able to make inroads against Penn State’s defensive line, particularly in the second half. However, Ohio State’s metrics are even better than the top-shelf unit that Penn State trotted out. The Buckeyes are fifth in the nation in yards permitted per carry and EPA/Rush during the regular season. Notre Dame has to run the ball to succeed, which should play into the Buckeyes’ hands.

Notre Dame

On defense, the Irish will have to stop an elite passing game for the first time. Yes, Indiana also had a terrific pass attack, but Ohio State’s ceiling is even higher. In the win over Georgia, Notre Dame had the good fortune to face a backup quarterback, and Penn State’s quarterback did not complete a pass to a wide receiver all game long. Ohio State has a downfield passing game that can complete out routes and find targets down the field, softening up the Irish defense for their tailback duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.

Ohio State

The Buckeye’s offense had a difficult time against Texas, but on the game they still picked up over six yards per play and averaged over eight yards per dropback. The Buckeyes should be able to clamp down on the Irish offense – Notre Dame did not crack the top 40 in EPA per pass, and if the Buckeyes can get an early lead, the Irish will have a hard time digging out of that hole. Ohio State to win and cover.

Point Total

This is interesting (45.5). The Buckeyes almost hit that total by themselves against Indiana in the regular season (38) and against Tennessee (42) and Oregon (41) in the first two rounds of the CFP. They only managed 28 against Texas, though. Notre Dame did score 49 in each of their last two regular-season wins, a home takedown of then-#19 Army and then the finale at USC.

Against Indiana, though, they only scored 27, and against Georgia, they managed 23 – seven coming on a kickoff return to the house to open the second half. They managed 27 against Penn State, thanks to a short field on a late pick by Drew Allar that helped the Irish avoid overtime. If you think Ohio State can run all over Notre Dame, then this should be a fairly easy total to eclipse. I’m not sure the game will break as wide open as some think, but I do think the offense will get going. Take the over.

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NCAAF National Championship Props: Rundown of Player Props

Riley Leonard OVER 13.5 carries

When Notre Dame’s offense is humming, it’s due to Riley Leonard gashing through defenses with the ball. When the Irish have faced short yardage situations, they have used Leonard with a blend of quarterback power to keep the chains moving. Against Penn State, he ran the ball 18 times. Against Georgia, he got it 14 times. That number was only 11 against Indiana, but the Irish had that game in hand fairly early.

Also, it’s important to remember that, in college football, sacks are considered rushing attempts. The Buckeyes were 15th in sacks during the regular season, and Notre Dame is already down one starting tackle on the O-line. So while sacks might not help the Irish cause, it could definitely help sports bettors hit this prop.

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Aneyas Williams OVER 21.5 receiving yards

The knee injury to Jeremiyah Love won’t keep the spectacular back out, but it will limit his touches. That makes room for Williams, who doesn’t get many carries, but does excel in pass protection and get big gains catching balls as a checkdown target. Against Penn State, he has five catches for 66 yards, including a 36-yard catch-and-run. Against Indiana, he was targeted four times and caught all four passes – but just picked up 15 yards.

He caught two passes on three targets for just five yards against Georgia. However, the fact that Love keeps putting more wear on that knee – and keeps getting attention from opposing defenses – should free up Williams to hit this number.

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Emeka Egbuka OVER 55.5 receiving yards

In Ohio State’s first two playoff games, Egbuka picked up a combined 153 receiving yards. Against Texas, he caught three passes on the first drive alone, ending up with five on the night – for just 51 yards. However, this total is still a bit low. He has 19 catches overall in the three playoff games coming mostly out of the slot. The Irish usually use Jordan Clark as the slot corner, and as a result the slot is a point of weakness in that Irish D.

Emeka Egbuka is the PERFECT slot WR for the modern NFL.

He is a cerebral, technical route runner with reliable hands and savvy ball tracking in traffic.

He has a chance to solidify himself as a first round pick in the National Championship vs. Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/SuF73xwwf9

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) January 14, 2025

Against USC, Clark got burned by Makhii Lemon for three catches for 37 yards. In that same game, Duce Robinson and Kyle Ford both ran out of the slot and caught passes for at least 20 yards. It would make sense for Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden to try and take Jeremiah Smith away, which should leave room for Egbuka to get yardage.

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TreVeyon Henderson Anytime Touchdown

The Ohio State tailback’s numbers have been terrific in three playoff games so far. Against the Volunteers, he picked up 134 scrimmage yards on 10 carries and four receptions, scoring a pair of touchdowns. Against Oregon, he had 114 scrimmage yards on eight carries and three catches, scoring two more times. The Longhorns held him to one touchdown, but he still had 117 yards on six carries and a 75-yard catch-and-run to the house.

That makes five trips into the end zone over the last three games, given gup 11 on the season. He won’t get the ball as often as Quinshon Judkins, but if you buy the Buckeyes as a big favorite, you see them getting to the end zone on multiple occasions. You can find Judkins on this same prop, but Henderson offers slightly better value. Both of them are likely to score, so you might as well get a slightly higher profit for your money.

If this were a more traditional rivalry game, it would make more sense to make picks for a closer game. While Notre Dame and Ohio State are both storied programs in college football – they have both fielded teams for almost 130 years – they’ve only met eight times. Ohio State has won the last six six – including both of the meetings in bowl games. They did meet in both 2022 and 2023, and Ohio State won both times. The last time the Irish beat Ohio State came back in 1936, a 7-2 slog of a game. Can the Irish end that long drought? We will see, but the odds are not in their favor.

Lived up to the hype and now the stage is set.

Irish vs. Buckeyes#CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/I1sJYrvVJs

— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) January 14, 2025

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NCAAF National Championship Props

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