Orange Bowl Preview: Point Spread Shifts for Notre Dame vs. Penn State

Just two days before the Orange Bowl kicks off between Notre Dame and Penn State, the point spread has grown

Jan 2, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman looks on from the sidelines against the Georgia Bulldogs during the first half at Caesars Superdome. / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

As kickoff for the 2025 Orange Bowl between Notre Dame and Penn State approaches, the point spread has grown.

At Fan Duel, Notre Dame opened as a 1.5-point favorite over the Nittany Lions immediately following the Fighting Irish victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Now just 48 hours before kickoff in Miami, that number has increased.

Current Notre Dame vs. Penn State Orange Bowl Betting Odds

Jan 4, 2012; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Orange Bowl mascot Obie performs prior to the 2012 Orange Bowl game between the Clemson Tigers and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Sun Life Stadium. / Joshua S. Kelly-Imagn Images

Latest Sugar Bowl betting odds courtesy of FanDuel:

Point spread: Notre Dame -2.5

Total: 45.5

MoneyLine: Notre Dame -137, Penn State +114

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Take:

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard (13) participates in a drill during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

I'm by no means an expert gambler but I tend to go the opposite of public money.

To those who don't pay much attention to such matters, the point spread going up means more money is coming in on Notre Dame. I have a theory that remains that casinos keep getting bigger so in the long haul, betting against the public is usually a good bet.

However, the same could have been said in last week's Sugar Bowl as Notre Dame money flipped that line from Georgia being favored by 1.5-points to the Irish being favored by the same by kickoff.

The other good news for Notre Dame fans is that regardless of being a favorite or underdog, the Irish have covered each of their last 10 contests with the 28-3 win over Miami University being the last time they failed to.

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