NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks on in the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the All-State Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)With only minutes to go before the end of the Sugar Bowl, Ohio State owns a commanding 49-28 lead. But the sports books aren’t willing to wait for the clock to hit zero to start taking money on the national title game.
According to Dave Briggs of the Toledo Blade, the BetOnline sportsbook has set the line for a Ohio State vs. Alabama national title game. Alabama will be seven-point favorites over the Crimson Tide. The over/under will be set at 75.5 points.
Clearly the bettors are expecting a ton of points in that matchup. Given that the two just combined for 80 points in their College Football Playoff wins today, it’s not a bad bet.
As for the decision to make Alabama the favorite, that likely comes from their stronger resume. While Ohio State boasts the best win out of either of them with a dominating win over Clemson, Alabama has five wins over ranked teams – almost as many total wins for the Buckeyes.
Not to put the championship ahead of the horse, but Alabama opens as a 7-point favorite over Ohio State, per @betonline_ag. Over/under: 75.5.
— Dave Briggs (@DBriggsBlade) January 2, 2021
The national title game will be a rematch of the 2014 Sugar Bowl, a game which saw the underdog Buckeyes beat No. 1 Alabama en route to beating Oregon in the first College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
But while Alabama recovered from that loss to win two national titles in the years that followed, Ohio State had a hard enough time just getting into the playoff. Between 2015 and 2019, they made the College Football Playoff only twice, losing both times.
The stakes don’t get any higher than this. Everything will be on the line in just a few days.
