Notre Dame didn’t have the luck of the Irish on their side Monday.
With 26 seconds left and the Fighting Irish knocking on the door down 31-23, the Buckeyes had a fourth-down decision when they sent Jayden Fielding to kick a 33-yard field goal through the uprights to put Ohio State up 11, covering the 8.5-point spread and securing a 34-23 victory.
The little gift for Ohio State bettors just before time expired in Monday night’s national championship game wasn’t ideal for the bookmakers, but it was still a strong playoff showing for sportsbooks.
The late points were a boon for the betting public with 55 percent of bets and 64 percent of the handle at BetMGM Sportsbook on Ohio State to cover.
“Ohio State covering was a good result for bettors,” BetMGM’s Christian Cipollini told the Associated Press. “BetMGM was happy with either team winning from a futures perspective. The 12-team playoff was a success, with each game ranking among the most bet of the year.”
About halfway through the third quarter, it appeared the Buckeyes were easily going to cash their backers’ bets before the Fighting Irish made a late run.
Notre Dame would score two touchdowns and successfully convert two 2-point conversions to cut the score to eight and very nearly got the ball back with a chance to tie.
But on third-and-11, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard connected with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith on a 56-yard pass, setting them up for the field goal and essentially ending the game.
Betting on College Football?
Ohio State had consistently been one of the public’s favorite teams to win this year’s national championship title.
Before the 12-team playoff started in early December, the Buckeyes had 12.6 percent of tickets and 15.9 percent of the handle to win it all at BetMGM – both of which were higher than every other team.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
