Notre Dame odds vs. Ohio State, Texas revealed for national title game

What the bookmakers are saying about how they view Notre Dame against both Ohio State and Texas in the early hypothetical odds for the national championship game.

Notre Dame is an underdog against both Ohio State and Texas in the national championship game, the hypothetical game lines show. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming off a gutsy performance in the semifinal round, Notre Dame is just one game away from what would be its first national championship since the 1988 season.

Notre Dame and Penn State played it close all night at the Orange Bowl, a game that featured three ties, three lead changes, and 31 combined points in the final quarter.

But it was defense and special teams that sealed the deal for the Fighting Irish, as defensive back Christian Gray intercepted Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, and Mitch Jeter kicked a 41-yard field goal to get past the Nittany Lions in a 27-24 victory.

Now, the Fighting Irish await their opponent in a historic national championship game.

It comes to either Ohio State or Texas, two blue-blood programs among college football’s winningest schools all-time, who will meet in the Cotton Bowl semifinal game on Friday night.

But it’s never too early to get a line on where the money is going.

And judging by the early betting lines coming out of Vegas, it appears that Notre Dame will have plenty of bulletin board material to justify their underdog mentality.

FanDuel Sportsbook revealed their hypothetical game lines for the national championship game on Jan. 20, giving us a sneak preview of how the bookies view the matchup.

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Notre Dame vs. Ohio State

Should the Buckeyes be the team to face the Fighting Irish, it would mark the third time these schools have met on the same field in just Marcus Freeman’s tenure as head coach.

Likewise for Ryan Day, whose Buckeyes won both those games, in 2022 and 2023, and they would be a surprisingly dominant favorite in a third meeting.

Ohio State is a 9.5 point favorite against Notre Dame in a prospective game, according to the opening lines posted to FanDuel Sportsbook.

FanDuel lists the total at 48.5 points for the game.

And it set the moneyline odds for Ohio State at -350 and for Notre Dame at +275 to win outright.

Ohio State: -9.5 (-105)
Notre Dame: +9.5 (-115)

Over 48.5 points: -110
Under 48.5 points: -110

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Notre Dame vs. Texas

While the Fighting Irish already got past the reigning SEC champion in Georgia in this College Football Playoff, they could face the team that lost to the Bulldogs in that game.

SEC runner-up Texas would also be a favorite against Notre Dame, but by a more manageable margin than the Buckeyes would be.

Texas is a 2.5 point favorite against Notre Dame in this prospective matchup, according to the opening lines posted to FanDuel Sportsbook on Thursday.

FanDuel lists the total at 48.5 points for the would-be game.

And it set the moneyline odds for Texas at -142 and for Notre Dame at +118 to win outright.

Texas: -2.5 (-122)
Notre Dame: +2.5 (+100)

Over 48.5 points: -110
Under 48.5 points: -110

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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