Just like that we have arrived at the College Football Playoff National Championship. Two of the biggest brands are set to face off as Ohio State and Notre Dame will take the field in Atlanta for a chance to go down in the history books of college football.
It’s been a very up and down year for us with my picks sitting currently at 81-91, but we have gone 7-4 in the playoff and will look to end the season on the right note Monday night.
Here are the best bets for the College Football Playoff National Championship:
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook | Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER | Season Record: (81-91)
Ohio State -8.5 (-106) vs Notre Dame
I have rode with Ohio State all throughout the playoff and I am not going to stop now. If you have been following along with my picks I am going to sound like a broken record but I’ll say it again: that loss to Michigan inspired this OSU team to get to this point and they are not going to fall just one game short.
Ohio State is simply the more talented team and I think that will show. The Buckeyes have learned to not get caught in a slow physical slugfest type of game which I think is what Notre Dame will try but fail to create in this one.
I see this game being a lot like the national championship game last year with OSU coming out hot, Notre making some plays to keep them somewhat in the game, and then Ohio State pulling away at the end to cover the spread and win a national title.
Notre Dame Team Total Under 17.5 (-118)
Ohio State’s defense has played at an extremely high level in the playoffs and really all year long. The Buckeyes have given up more than 17 points only twice this season and both of those occasions came against Oregon who had one of the top offenses in college football.
Notre Dame’s offense really lacks explosiveness and even if the Irish do find a way to win, it will have to be in a low scoring affair. I am also a fan of Notre Dame 1st Drive Result - Punt (-155).
Carnell Tate Over 3.5 Receptions (+122) and Over 38.5 Rec. Yards (-114)
With all the attention Jeremiah Smith will draw, you can basically take your pick between Tate or Emeka Egbuka (4.5, -164) over receptions and feel good about it.
I like Tate much more being at this number and with plus odds. This is a guy who really gets forgotten about with how stacked the OSU receiver room is, but he had an impressive game last time out against Texas with 7 seven catches and 84 yards.
If you like him to go over on receptions you might as well take his over receiving yards at 38.5 as well, as he is averaging 68.1 yards in games with 4+ receptions.
Hopefully this one is remembered as ‘the Carnell Tate game’ and look for the man to be fighting hard to get in the end zone (Anytime TD +240) after dropping an easy touchdown early in the semifinal against Texas.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change | Frank Sciarroni is 81-91 ATS in CFB.