No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Ohio State meet in the College Football Playoff championship game Monday in a classic blue-blood matchup.

1. The College Football Playoff is set and the betting odds say Alabama is the team to beat. The Tide opened as a massive 20.5-point favorite over No. 4 seed Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are the.
2. NCAA football championship odds will usually look like this: Alabama Crimson Tide +300 This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to win $300 if the Crimson Tide win the national title.
3. College Football Playoff College Football Playoff 2020-21: Updated Odds, Predictions Against the Spread Jake Rill Featured Columnist I December 21, 2020 Comments.
4. 2021 College Football Betting Odds & Breakdown. Spread: Ohio State. The country with their convincing 49-28 win over Trevor Lawrence and the Clemson Tigers in the Sugar Bowl Semifinal playoff.

The game is at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Cfb Playoff Odds

Here's everything to know about betting on Alabama vs. Ohio State, with updated odds, trends and our expert's prediction for the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Alabama (12-0) is in its fifth CFP championship game under Nick Saban after beating No. 4 Notre Dame 31-14 in the semifinals. The Crimson Tide are also looking for a sixth national championship under Saban, and the offense averages 48.2 points per game. DeVonta Smith, Mack Jones and Najee Harris lead that offense, which might get an extra lift with the potential return of Jaylen Waddle.

MORE: Alabama vs. Ohio State players in the NFL

Ohio State (7-0) answered any doubts about its playoff credentials with a 49-28 victory against No. 3 Clemson in the semifinals. Justin Fields is coming off a six-touchdown performance despite taking a nasty hit in the second quarter. Second-year coach Ryan Day expects Fields to play, and the running game has taken off with Oklahoma transfer Trey Sermon.

It’s trending toward a shootout and an instant classic.

Here's everything to know about betting on Alabama vs. Ohio State, with updated odds, trends and our prediction for the CFP semifinal.

Alabama vs. Ohio State odds

• Spread: Alabama –7.5
• Over/under: 75.5
• Moneyline: Alabama –110, Ohio State –110

Alabama Playoff history

The Crimson Tide are in the CFP for the sixth time, and they are in the championship game for the fifth time. Alabama is 2-2 in those previous title games.

Ohio State Playoff history

This is Ohio State’s fourth CFP appearance and second appearance in the championship game. The Buckeyes beat Oregon 42-20 on this stage in 2014.

Three trends to know

— Alabama has been favored in all four previous CFP championship appearances. The Crimson Tide is 2-2 straight-up in those games, but they are 0-4 ATS.

— The Crimson Tide is 8-4 ATS this season, and that includes a 2-1 ATS mark when the spread is fewer than 20 points.

— The Buckeyes played the underdog card to perfection against Clemson, but that has been the standard with Urban Meyer and now Day as head coach. The Buckeyes are 8-1 ATS as an underdog since 2012.

Three things to watch

— Justin Fields' encore. Fields was spectacular against Clemson, even after taking a brutal hit from Clemson linebacker James Skalski. Fields threw three TDs to his receivers — including two to Chris Olave — but it was the three TD passes to tight ends Jeremy Ruckert and Luke Farrell that kept the Tigers off balance. Garrett Wilson figures to be more involved in this game, too. Alabama's secondary features first-team All-American cornerback Patrick Surtain II, but that defense has been exploitable against high-powered passing attacks this season. The past three quarterbacks to beat Alabama who didn't play for Auburn were Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow. That is the level at which Fields must play, and he's capable of doing it.

— Alabama's receivers. Quarterback Mac Jones has a super-talented group to work with in the passing game. DeVonta Smith is on a two-game tear in which he torched Florida and Notre Dame. He had 22 catches for 314 yards and five TDs in those two games. Ohio State, which allows 271 passing yards per game, can't lose Smith in the middle of the field like the Irish did. John Metchie's 17.8 is another threat, and if Waddle — who averaged 22.3 yards per catch before suffering a leg injury against Tennessee on Oct. 24 — plays, then offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will have even more wrinkles to add to the playbook.

— Which big back goes large? Najee Harris and Trey Sermon are two big-time backs, and running the ball remains a priority for both teams. Will Sermon play the role of Ezekiel Elliott, who had 20 carries for 230 yards and two TDs in the last meeting between these teams? Sermon's late-season surge has opened the playbook for the Buckeyes, and he's up against an Alabama defense that allows 3.2 yards per carry. Ohio State also allows just 3.2 yards per carry, and Harris is a tough, physical runner. Which interior line wins on both sides? That will dictate the tempo of the game.

Stat that matters

Red-zone TDs

Ohio State's red-zone offense was phenomenal against Clemson, and the challenge is to stay that way against the Crimson Tide. The Buckeyes scored TDs on 25 of 39 red-zone trips this year, and Alabama allowed 17 TDs on 34 red-zone trips by its opponents.

On the other side, Alabama scored TDs on 48 of 62 red-zone visits, and the Buckeyes allowed 15 TDs in 23 trips by their opponents.

This is a game in which TDs, not field goals, will win. Alabama has a small advantage here, but that can change in a game like this.

Alabama vs. Ohio State prediction

In that last meeting, Alabama was just 2-of-13 on third down. Jones will be more efficient than that, and the Crimson Tide will take a double-digit lead in the second quarter after Smith's second TD. Ohio State won't go away, however, and a Sermon TD before halftime will set up a thrilling second half. Both teams will trade TDs in a frantic fourth quarter. Which teams gets that crucial score (or stop) in crunch time? That's the ultimate toss-up.

Final score: Alabama 37, Ohio State 34

The College Football Playoff began in 2014 and is a four-team postseason tournament for NCAA FBS schools. A playoff committee selects four schools to compete in semifinals with the winners meeting in the title game. All three of the games are played on neutral fields and the venues are rotated on an annual basis.

The 2020 College Football season was filled with uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet we still managed to produce a College Football Playoff with four schools.

Those four teams selected by the committee were the same teams at the end, just in different order.

• Alabama
• Clemson
• Ohio State
• Notre Dame

2020-21 College Playoff Matchups

Semifinals

Rose Bowl at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

• 1 Alabama 31
• 4 Notre Dame 14

Sugar Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

• 2 Clemson 28
• 3 Ohio State 49

National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

• 1 Alabama 52
• 3 Ohio State 24

College Football Playoff History Results & Notes

College Football Playoff Historical Notes

Ohio State, the No. 4 seed, won the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship by defeating Alabama in the semifinals and Oregon in the title game.

Cfb Playoff Odds 538

The Buckeyes were listed as underdogs in both games, cashing money-line odds as high as 7/2 and 2/1 in the postseason affairs. The ‘over’ went 2-1 in the 2014 College Football Playoff.

Alabama bounced back in 2015 by knocking off Michigan State and Clemson to claim its fourth national championship in the last seven seasons. The Crimson Tide failed to cover in the National Championship against the Tigers in a 45-40 victory as 6.5-point favorites.

In 2016, it was Clemson blowing past Ohio State and edging Alabama in a thrilling victory in Tampa, claiming its first title since 1981, and just the second in school history.

The 2017 national semifinals were stark on contrast.

Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma battled Georgia in the Rose Bowl, combining for 102 total points, most in the game's history. It was also the first overtime game in the Rose Bowl, as Georgia survived to move on. In New Orleans, Alabama used their suffocating defense to exact revenge on Clemson by a 24-6 score, setting up an all-SEC national title game.

Alabama rallied past Georgia in the title game in Atlanta, 26-23 in overtime as Nick Saban captured his fifth championship as head coach of the Crimson Tide. The Bulldogs picked up the cover as underdogs improved to 4-0 ATS in college football playoff championship games.

The 2018 national semifinals were a pair of blowouts, as Clemson hammered Notre Dame 30-3 and Alabama routed Oklahoma 45-34 in a game which wasn't as close as the score might indicate. Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray was no match for the runner-up, Tua Tagavailoa, who led his team back to the title game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Alabama and Clemson exchanged early haymakers in a high-scoring first quarter, with the Tigers leading 14-13 after the first 15 minutes thanks to a missed extra point. However, the Tigers defense showed up when it mattered most and the Tigers started to some separation. They came out in the second half and capped off a 30-3 run for their second national championship in three seasons, becoming the first team in college football history to go 15-0. The underdogs moved to 5-0 ATS in college football playoff championship games, as the Tigers didn't need the 5 1/2-point spread.

Cfb Playoff Odds Nfl

Clemson got off to a quick start against LSU in the title game Jan. 13, 2020 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. However, a 17-7 lead by Clemson, the largest deficit of the season for LSU, served as a wake-up call. Heisman Trophy winning QB Joe Burrow and the LSU Tigers outscored the Clemson Tigers by a 35-8 count the rest of the way, and it was party time on Bourbon Street for the hometown side.

The national title marks the first for Louisiana native head coach Ed Orgeron, and the fourth in school history for LSU, including the second in school history in this building.

Alabama picked up its first title since 2017 in a 52-24 drubbing of Ohio State to claim the 2020 National Championship in Miami. The Crimson Tide covered for the first time in five tries in the title game since the format moved to the College Football Playoff.

Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith ripped through the Buckeyes' defense as the Crimson Tide wide receiver hauled in 12 receptions for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Underdogs covered in the first five CFP championship games, but the favorites have cashed easily in the last two opportunities.

College Football Playoff Betting Results

2020-21 College Football Playoff

2019-20 College Football Playoff

2018-19 College Football Playoff

Cfb Playoff Odds Rankings

2017-18 College Football Playoff

2016-17 College Football Playoff

Cfb Playoff Odds Vegas

2015-16 College Football Playoff

2014-15 College Football Playoff

Cfb Playoff Odds Football

College Football Playoff Odds 2019