The Clemson Tigers will be looking to punch their ticket to college football’s national championship game for the fifth time in six years when they battle the Ohio State Buckeyes as 7.5-point favourites on the Sugar Bowl odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Straight-up winners in 10 of 11 outings, Clemson is listed at No. 2 on the CFP rankings and will face an opponent that has seen limited action this season when they hit the gridiron for the New Year’s Day matchup at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Clemson atoned for its only SU loss of the season last time out, defeating Notre Dame 34-10 as 10.5-point chalk at sports betting sites in last weekend’s ACC Championship Game. The Tigers dropped a 47-40 road decision to the Fighting Irish in early November, but have outscored opponents by a 131-37 margin during a subsequent 3-0 SU and ATS run.
The Buckeyes look to return to the national championship game for the first time since 2015 after being limited to just six total games this season by schedule disruptions stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. No. 3 OSU has made the best of its abbreviated schedule, racking up an unblemished 6-0 SU record, capped by last weekend’s 22-10 over Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game.
However, the Buckeyes have struggled to pay out, going 1-3 ATS in their past four outings, all as double-digit chalk. OSU has also fallen to defeat in four all-time meetings with the Tigers, a run that includes CFP semi-final losses both last season and in December 2016.
Earlier on New Year’s Day, the No. 4 Fighting Irish look to earn their first-ever trip to the CFP national championship game as they battle No. 1 Alabama as 19.5-point underdogs on the Rose Bowl odds. Notre Dame saw a 16-game SU win streak come to an end with last week’s loss to Clemson. The Fighting Irish fell flat in their only previous CFP appearance, a 30-3 semi-final loss to Clemson two years ago. In addition, they suffered a crushing 42-14 loss in their last meeting with Alabama in the 2013 BCS national championship game.
The Crimson Tide return to the College Football Playoff after marching undefeated through the regular season while racking up a second-ranked 49.5 points per game. Set as a -175 favourite to claim its first national championship title in three years, Alabama is unbeaten SU in 12 outings, and has held opponents to 17 or fewer points on six occasions during a 7-1 ATS run. However, the team sports a 4-6-1 ATS record in its past 11 post-season contests.
[relatedlinks]