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Jan. 16—SOUTH BEND — For the third time in the College Football Playoff-era and eighth time since 1999, the betting favorite to win the national championship is at least an 8.5-point favorite.
No. 8-seed Ohio State (13-2) opened up Friday, Jan. 10 as 9.5-point CFP title game favorites over No. 7-seed Notre Dame (14-1). That number has shrunk to 8.5 with just four days remaining before the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish play for the third time in as many seasons.
National Championship favorites are 17-9 since 1999 and have lost just thrice in the playoff-era. The favorite has covered the last five times, including the Georgia’s 65-7 rout of TCU in 2023. The Bulldogs were 14-point favorites over the Horned Frogs.
So, with sportsbooks and betting experts heavily on Ohio State, what can the Fighting Irish do on the field to not only close the gap, but pull off the upset?
CHEW CLOCK, MAINTAIN THIRD DOWN SUCCESS
Part of Notre Dame’s success this season has been the overwhelming number of long, back-breaking scoring drives. The Irish have put together 33 drives lasting nine or more plays. They’ve scored on 25 of them.
In terms of drives lasting over five minutes, Notre Dame has scored on 10-of-18.
That should be the gameplan against a high-flying Ohio State offense averaging over 37 points this postseason.
Limiting the Buckeyes’ possessions can be a double-edged sword, after all, it’s been Notre Dame’s defense that has largely led them to the championship, but if there is one thing a battered Irish defense can afford, it’s rest, and OSU freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith on the sideline.
One way Notre Dame can prolong these drives is continue their recent success on third down.
Entering the postseason, the Irish were a middling 49-of-129 on third down. That’s a success rate of just 38%. In the three-game playoff run, Notre Dame…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nd-notebook-where-irish-close-031600890.html
Author : Goshen News, Ind.
Publish date : 2025-01-17 03:16:00
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