College football experts, talking heads, reporters predictions for Ohio State vs. Notre Dame

ATLANTA — Ohio State is set to face Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday evening (7:30 p.m., ESPN) inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Buckeyes are coming off a tough, physical win over Texas in the semifinal round of the bracket after beating Tennessee in the first round and Oregon in the quarterfinal Rose Bowl, while the Fighting Irish have beaten Indiana at home, SEC champion Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and Penn State in the Orange Bowl semifinal..

Experts and talking heads are torn on who will win in Atlanta on Monday. Lettermen Row has a full breakdown of every prediction we’ve seen from around the college football world and put them into one big list of picks.

On3 predictions for Ohio State vs. Notre Dame

On3 national college football reporter Andy Staples: Ohio State to win, Notre Dame to cover

On3 national college football reporter Ari Wasserman: Buckeyes 38-17

On3 national college football analyst JD PicKell: Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 26

Other predictions from around college football

The Sporting News’ Bill Bender: Ohio State 27, Notre Dame 17

The Solid Verbal podcast co-host Ty Hildenbrandt: Ohio State

The Solid Verbal podcast co-host Dan Rubenstein: Ohio State

CBS Sports’ college football analyst Josh Pate: Ohio State to win

CBS Sports’ national college football reporter Shehan Jeyarajah: Buckeyes

CBS Sports’ national college football reporter Richard Johnson: Buckeyes

Split Zone Duo podcast co-host Alex Kirshner: Buckeyes

CBS Sports’ national college football analyst Danny Kanell: Notre Dame +8.5

CBS Sports’ national college football reporter Tom Fornelli: Buckeyes

CBS Sports’ national college football reporter Chip Patterson: Ohio State

CBS Sports’ national college football reporter Dennis Dodd: Buckeyes

Kings of the North co-host Bill Landis: Ohio State

Kings of the North co-host Doug Lesmerises: Buckeyes

ESPN FPI: Ohio State has 55.6% win probability

ESPN personality Paul Finebaum: Ohio State

Analysis from Finebaum: “I cannot imagine Notre Dame winning the game,” Finebaum said. “Something tells me I’ll probably hear that statement again Tuesday if I’m wrong. I just can’t. I know it’s cliche to say, ‘Matt, Notre Dame is really good. And I see it coming down to a late —’ I don’t see it. To me, this looks like the first couple of games by Ohio State.

“I think the Texas game was the outlier. Texas was really good. They’re sneaky good. I think Notre Dame is solid but they’re missing a couple of key components. I think Jeremiyah Love being banged up is a problem. I think losing a lineman is a problem. Their special teams are fantastic, but Ohio State is fantastic across the board. It’s just a matter of — what level do they play to? And I think if [the Buckeyes] play to a high level, this game is not close.”

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy: Ohio State

ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel: Ohio State

Analysis from Thamel: “(Notre Dame’s) skill has played well in the Playoff and has gotten better as the year has gone on. They’re very good at tight end. I just really struggle seeing where they’re going to find yards,” Thamel said. “I think (Irish offensive coordinator) Mike Denbrock has called an unbelievable Playoff by the way, I want to give him a lot of credit for that. I think the sum has been greater than the parts in that Notre Dame offense, and that’s the ultimate compliment to a coordinator. Their halftime adjustments coming out against Penn State in figuring out ways to run the ball really changed that entire game. … They said, ‘Hey, we need to change how we’re doing things’ and they did some different things in the run scheme, it got them going, it got them momentum. I think that this is like a 30-13 type game and Ohio State wins,” Thamel concluded.

ESPN host Rece Davis: Ohio State

Analysis from Davis: “I think it goes one of two ways, it either goes 30-13, or [Irish defensive coordinator] Al Golden comes up with enough third-down stops, he fouls Will Howard enough into giving them the ball a couple of times, and Notre Dame runs it enough to keep it close and then it comes down to a kick. One way or the other, a low-scoring game and somebody gets into the low 20s and wins the game,” Davis said.

“But I think it’s going to be Ohio State. I just think, as much respect and admiration as I have for what Notre Dame has done and what they are as a team, there are just so many weapons on the other side. And I don’t know if Notre Dame has the outside receivers to really test the corners, who are good players but at times have been taken advantage of at different times this season. The [Ohio State] safeties are phenomenal, the linebackers are phenomenal, and I think [Jack] Sawyer having the big signature moment [in the Cotton Bowl)], [JT] Tuimoloau has gotten a little nicked here and there but he’s had a great Playoff run. Their interior guys have been sensational, most notably Tyliek Williams and Ty Hamilton have been sensational.”

The Athletic’s Chris Vannini: Buckeyes

The Athletic’s David Ubben: Notre Dame +8.5

FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt: Buckeyes 34, Texas 21

Analysis from Klatt: “Now when Notre Dame has the ball and Ohio State is defending — I already said this, I don’t have a ton of faith that Notre Dame is going to score a lot of points in this game,” Klatt stated. “Ohio State’s defense is the best defense that this team will have faced. They are good everywhere. They’ve been excellent at defensive tackle and defensive line. They’ve been excellent at defensive end creating pressure. They’ve been excellent at linebacker. … They are elite at the safety position. They’ve been very good at the corner position and have depth there. … They’ve got depth. So it’s like, what do you do against Ohio State There’s not a ton you can do.

“The first thing that Notre Dame is going to have to do is find a way — to be honest, I don’t understand or quite know how they’re going to do this, find a way to have first down success. I think that that has to be in two ways. Running your quarterback, which equates the numbers and maybe creates a physical matchup where you can gain four or five yards. Or throwing — the RPO pass-game, which looks just like the run for the quarterback. But then you can maybe get behind the safety with a little bit of a slant. You can get a flare on the outside and you can equate numbers with the read of the quarterback post-snap.”

College Football Covered and Smothered host Barrett Sallee: Notre Dame to win