Jumping on early lines before the profit fizzles out or a spread jumps or shortens can sometimes be the key to hitting or not hitting a bet. For the upcoming College Football Playoff national championship, there's four hypothetical matchups to get a sneak peek at. Luckily, FanDuel has us covered by already releasing lookahead odds for the national championship game; and it seems Texas & Ohio State are dominating the board.
National championship lookahead odds
| Matchup | Favored Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame vs Texas | TEX -3.0 (-110) | O/U 48.5 (-110) |
| Notre Dame vs Ohio State | OSU -9.5 (-120) | O/U 48.5 (-110) |
Odds as of January 10 from FanDuel
Based on these hypothetical odds, whoever advances in the Cotton Bowl battle between Texas and Ohio State will enter the title game as the favorite.
Ahead of the semi-finals, the Buckeyes are -120 favorites to win the national championship. Ryan Day's bench already topped the oddsboard for consecutive weeks but watching them easily defeat an undefeated Oregon program awarded them significant credit from sportsbooks.
Despite a trickier path, Ohio State has dominated in its first two postseason outings, posting at least 41-points in each matchup. Will Howard has evolved as a leader, eclipsing 600 passing yards and five touchdowns in his CFP journey. But, don't mess with Texas. Steve Sarkisian has ice in his veins, pulling out the tense overtime win over Arizona State.
It's no wonder the Longhorns and Buckeyes open as the favorites, one is gritty while staying disciplined and the other is the most explosive offense of the remaining four teams.
However, it's worth noting that Notre Dame has been discounted. The Irish have covered 10-straight spreads, including it's two favored lines in the first-round and Fiesta Bowl. Oddsmakers only labled Marcus Freeman a 1-point favourite against Georgia, which was without its starting quarterback. Even without Jeremiyah Love, their star running back, the Irish got the job done swiftly.
According to our bowl betting trends, in the CFP era, the favorites heading into the championship game carry an 7-3 SU record and have won outright in five-straight seasons.
