What is the projected spread for Notre Dame football in the national championship game?
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Sportsbooks released their betting lines on Friday for the national championship after the Notre Dame football team beat Penn State 27-24 in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl. The Irish would hypothetically open as a 7.5-point underdog against Ohio State and a 2.5-point underdog against Texas.
Notre Dame will face the winner of Friday night’s other College Football Playoff semifinal game between the Buckeyes and Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. That game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Ohio State is a 6.5-point favorite.
By beating the Nittany Lions (-1.5) outright, the Irish improved to 12-2-1 against the spread this season. Only Arizona State had a better record against Vegas. The only time Notre Dame didn’t cover the spread was in its 16-14 loss to NIU (+28) in Week 2 and in its 28-3 win over Miami (Ohio) in Week 4. The Irish were a 27.5-point favorite against the RedHawks.
Ohio State is 8-6 against the spread this season, while Texas is 8-7.
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Notre Dame has played the Buckeyes the last two seasons, coach Marcus Freeman’s first two as a head coach. The Irish lost both those outings. First, 21-10 in 2022 and then 17-13 in 2023. 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 a 4.5-point underdog when they faced Ohio State in the 2006 and 2016 Fiesta Bowls. They failed to cover both times since they lost 34-20 in 2006 and 44-28 in 2016.
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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.
It’s been eight years since Notre Dame faced Texas. The Irish had a home-and-home with the Longhorns in 2015 and 2016. Notre Dame covered a 9-point spread by beating Texas 38-3 in South Bend in 2015. However, they failed to cover a 3.5-point spread against Texas in a 50-47 outright loss to the Longhorns in Austin in 2016.
When Notre Dame played Alabama in the 2013 national championship, it was an 18.5-poiut underdog. The Irish did cover the spread in that game, even though they lost 31-14.
