2021 College Football National Championship Odds and Picks

The final game of the 2020 college football season will be played on Monday, Jan. 11 with the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes taking on the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff Championship.


Best Sports Betting Sites 2021


Game time from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami is set for 8 p.m. (ET) with ESPN carrying the national broadcast.

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Ohio State vs. Alabama Betting Odds

The SEC’s Alabama Crimson Tide opened as a touchdown favorite with the early money driving the spread up to eight points a week from the game. The total line opened at 76½ points and it has dropped slightly to 75 based on the early betting for this matchup.

The Ohio State Buckeyes ended the regular season at 6-0 straight-up, including a 22-10 victory against Northwestern for the Big Ten Championship as a 16½-point favorite. Closing as a seven-point underdog, the Buckeyes stunned Clemson 49-28 in one of two semifinal playoff games.

They are now 4-3 against the spread with the total going OVER or ending as a PUSH in five of those seven games.

Ohio State has been able to cover in 13 of its last 20 games overall but it slips to 2-5 ATS in its last seven games against a team from the SEC. The Buckeyes are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games closing as underdogs.

Alabama has run the table at 12-0 SU to return to the College Football Playoff Championship Game. This includes a wild 52-46 victory over Florida in the SEC title game as a 16-point favorite.

The Tide went on to beat Notre Dame 31-14 in the other playoff semifinal as 18½-point favorites. They are 8-4 ATS with the total staying UNDER in five of their last eight games.

Alabama has failed to cover in its last two games after going a perfect 7-0 ATS in its previous seven outings. The Tide are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games against the Big Ten. They are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games closing as favorites. The total has gone OVER in five of their last six Monday games.


NCAA Football Odds


Ohio State vs. Alabama Game Preview

The Buckeyes played a limited schedule this season, but they won six of their seven games by double figures. Justin Fields took every snap at quarterback while completing 73.4 percent of his 192 passes for 1,906 yards. He threw for 21 touchdowns against zero interceptions.

The ground game was led by running back Trey Sermon. He rushed for a total of 868 yards on 115 attempts for an average of 7.5 yards a carry. The Buckeyes were ranked fifth in the nation running the ball with 272.6 yards a game. The offense was sixth in scoring with 43.4 points per game.

Alabama made its run to the championship game behind two Heisman Trophy finalists. Quarterback Mac Jones threw for 4,026 yards and 36 touchdowns while only getting picked off four times. He completed 77 percent of his 357 passing attempts.

His favorite target was wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who is also in the running to win this season’s Heisman. He hauled in 105 receptions for 1,641 yards and 20 touchdowns. The Crimson Tide also got a big effort from Najee Harris running the ball with 1,387 rushing yards and 24 scores on 229 carries.

Everything added up to 48.2 PPG which was the second-highest scoring total in the nation.


NCAA Football Predictions


Ohio State vs. Alabama Prediction

You have to give credit to Ohio State for its impressive victory against Clemson as an underdog. However, Alabama is in a class of its own this season. Lay the eight points and take the Tide to add another national title to their resume with Nick Saban as head coach. You can parlay that play with the OVER on the total line.