Fiesta Bowl Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
Two historic college football programs will meet in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day when Ohio State takes on Notre Dame at 1:00PM ET.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Mybookie.ag, the Buckeyes opened as a 6.5-point favorite but the number has been bet up to a touchdown. As for the total, it opened at 54 but has been bet up a full 3.5 points to 57.5.
The Fighting Irish enter play with a 10-2 overall record and went 8-4 against the spread in the regular season, while the Buckeyes went 11-1 straight up and just 5-7 at the betting window in 2015. Public bettors like Ohio State in this matchup, with 65% of wagers currently placed on the Buckeyes to cover the 7 points.
The Pick
Motivation is difficult to determine during bowl season but it's an important factor when it comes to Ohio State today. After winning last season's title, how motivated with Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes be today? Yes, Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott and Cardale Jones will want to end their OSU careers with a victory. But after all three players already declared for the NFL draft, will focus be an issue for the Buckeyes?
Even if OSU comes out ready to play, Notre Dame has been a great bet all season. The Irish covered as a 3-point underdog at Clemson in early October. They covered as a 6-point home favorite in a 10-point win over USC in mid-October. And they wrapped up their regular season with a cover as a 4-point dog in a back-and-forth slugfest with Stanford before ultimately falling 38-36 on a last-second field goal. Assuming running back C.J. Prosise plays (and he's on track to), take the points with a Notre Dame team that has covered in big games all season.
FIESTA BOWL FREE PICK: NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH +7