The college football season will conclude next Monday night with Ohio State going up against Notre Dame in the National Championship. This year’s introduction of the twelve-team playoff format has brought unprecedented excitement to the postseason, featuring two lower-seeded teams in the championship match. Notre Dame comes in as the seventh seed while Ohio State is ranked eighth after a surprising loss to Michigan at the end of the regular season. This loss not only kept the Buckeyes out of the conference championship but also dropped them to an eighth seed, barely securing a spot to host a playoff game.
That slim opportunity was all they needed. Since that defeat, Ohio State has dominated its opponents, entering the national championship game as betting favorites at -140 odds. They are currently favored by over eight points against the Irish. Notre Dame has had an impressive playoff journey, defeating renowned teams like Georgia and Penn State, and they are poised to potentially win their first championship in 37 years.
Now, let’s consider a hypothetical scenario where the Wisconsin Badgers are in the College Football National Championship. While their season has concluded and they’re busy with player transfers and new staff recruitment, it’s interesting to imagine how they would perform in such a match-up. Would they be significant underdogs? While it would be great to envision them defeating both teams and claiming the title, the odds suggest otherwise. If the Badgers faced Ohio State at a neutral site, they would be 14-point underdogs. Although that’s a daunting prospect, Wisconsin has shown competitiveness against top teams like Oregon this season, so a strong performance is still possible, though a two-touchdown spread is considerable in a championship setting.
In contrast, against the Irish, Wisconsin’s odds are slightly more favorable, with Notre Dame only being given a six-point edge. This matchup is projected to be a low-scoring game, which could benefit the Badgers. If Wisconsin’s defense performs well, the offense avoids turnovers, and they establish a strong running game, they could not only cover the spread but also potentially win.
Ultimately, this is all hypothetical; we would prefer to see Wisconsin competing on Monday instead of discussing imagined matchups. However, with the expanded playoff format allowing for two lower-seeded teams to reach the championship, it reinforces the idea that all the Badgers need to do is make it in, and then anything is possible.
