Ohio State vs. Notre Dame: 2025 National Championship Picks & Predictions
The first 12-team College Football Playoff ends on Monday, January 20, as Ohio State takes on Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN in the 2025 College Football National Championship game. Below, we’ll give you the best CFB picks and predictions on PrizePicks for the Ohio State vs. Notre Dame National Championship game.
Ohio State (13-2) looked like the best team in this Playoffs, as they dominated the Buckeyes competition throughout this tournament, with double-digit wins in each game. Notre Dame has played closer games recently, barely edging out Penn State to get to the National Championship; but this is still one of the best defenses in the country, and the Fighting Irish have the talent to neutralize the Buckeyes.
There is no tomorrow because this game is for the National Championship. It’s been a decade since Ohio State has been on top, but for Notre Dame, it is now 44 years since they called themselves National Champions.
We’ll give you four 2025 College Football National Championship game picks below — two Ohio State picks, and two Notre Dame picks for PrizePicks. PrizePicks is the easiest way to get paid for your takes on the National Championship game.
With the Will Howard free pick, if Howard passes for one yard, you’ll cash his projection. That means you only need one more pick to cash in on the National Championship to get paid. Use one of the picks below to build your National Championship Lineup.
2025 National Championship: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame Picks, Predictions
Here are the best 2025 National Championship picks and predictions for Ohio State vs. Notre Dame on Monday, January 20, 2025, for CFB DFS on PrizePicks.
- Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson 69.5 Yards — More (Demon)
- Ohio State QB Will Howard 9.5 Rushing Yards — More
- Notre Dame TE Mitchell Evans 34.5 Receiving Yards — More
- Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love 10.5 Rush Attempts — More
- 2025 National Championship Prediction: Ohio State 27, Notre Dame 17
CFB National Championship 2025: Where to Watch Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
Below, find when the National Championship 2025 starts on January 20 and where to watch Ohio State vs. Notre Dame. Find a full game preview for both National Championship teams here.
Date: Monday, January 20, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta, GA
Where to Watch: ESPN
Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson 69.5 Yards — More (Demon)
Ohio State's offense has been great because it’s been effective with both the run and pass. The run game wasn’t as prominent as against Texas, but that’s likely because they weren’t blowing them out like they had been doing previously.
We might see a heavier run from the Buckeyes because that’s where Notre Dame is weaker. The run defense isn’t awful, as they are 35th in rush yards allowed per game (133.4), but they allowed 204 to Penn State.
RB TreVeyon Henderson has been a long-time anchor in this offense, and he’s had his best year since his freshman season, including averaging 7.3 yards per carry. What is difficult about stopping Henderson is he's strong enough to power through up the gut and quick enough to run out through the edges. He should be able to get significant gains no matter where he runs in this matchup.
Ohio State QB Will Howard 9.5 Rushing Yards — More
The ground game has a better chance of success for everyone at Ohio State, including Howard. The Fighting Irish are 131st in Defensive Rush Rate Over Expected (6.5%), meaning teams run the ball more against the ND than they would the average.
Do not expect much blitzing from Notre Dame, because the Irish will need to drop players back to guard this talented group of pass catchers. This means Howard won’t be running away from defenders, so there will be a low-risk of negative yardage.
There will be times when they will have defensive backs in coverage and linebackers in zone, and Howard will take off for positive yardage to top this rushing number.
FREE PICK: Ohio State QB Will Howard 0.5 Pass Yards — More
PrizePicks is offering a Will Howard free pick for the 2025 National Championship. If Howard passes for just one passing yard, you’ll cash his projection. That means you only need to combine Howard’s free pick with one other pick to cash in on the 2025 National Championship game on PrizePicks. Just go to the CFB board until the National Championship starts to lock it in.
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Notre Dame TE Mitchell Evans 33.5 Receiving Yards — More
Ohio State has one of the better pass defenses in the country; they were second in defensive dropback EPA (-0.175) and success rate (33.7%). While the Buckeyes have done very well at defending deep against wide receivers, they’ve been vulnerable to tight ends. They allowed 71 yards to Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson and 41 to Texas’ Gunnar Helm.
Evans has commanded 17% of targets in the last five weeks and 10.1 yards per patch this year. QB Riley Leonard might have found his easiest option, which could be Evans underneath.
Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love 10.5 Rush Attempts — More
We know Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love has been dealing with a knee issue through the Playoffs, but this extended time off might help. He saw a bigger snap share and more carries in the game against Penn State, and seemed to come out unscathed.
Although he only accumulated 46 rushing yards and 4.2 yards per carry, this was better than his 19 yards on 3.2 yards per carry in the last game.
He has 11 days off in a winner-take-all situation. It’s important to take the pressure off Leonard and the pass, so he should see more carries in this game, and he could give a boost to the Irish when he does.
2025 National Championship Prediction: Ohio State 27, Notre Dame 17
That loss to Michigan sparked something in the Buckeyes, and it didn’t matter who was in their way; they ran through everyone. It’s too difficult to defend everyone on that offense and they can beat you through the air or ground with several high draft prospects on that side of the ball.
You can’t rely on scoring off them because they allowed the fewest points per season (12.2). Notre Dame is a great team, and the Irish could make this a close game early on, but when it all clicks for Ohio State, the Buckeyes should pull away and win the National Championship.
Win Real Money on the National Championship with PrizePicks
The final College Football Playoff is down to its final game, and there’s one more chance to cash in on the 2025 college football season. PrizePicks is the best way to win real cash on the College Football Playoff National Championship.
There are plenty of player projections to cash in on for the Ohio State vs. Notre Dame in the National Championship on PrizePicks — the picks above and the Will Howard free pick are only a base that you can build on.
Use these matchups and predictions to help you build your CFB DFS Lineups on PrizePicks. When you combine these National Championship picks, you can build a lineup for 13.5x your money!
You can win real money on PrizePicks by choosing more or less on player stat projections. Pick more on Demon projections to win up to 1000x your money.
The more players you pick in one Lineup, the more you stand to win.
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