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Ohio State vs Notre Dame Betting Splits: Sharp Money Comes in on Irish

Brady Trettenero

by Brady Trettenero in College Football

Updated Sep 3, 2022 · 10:44 AM PDT

Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Michael Mayer (87) celebrates a touchdown catch
Jan 1, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Michael Mayer (87) celebrates a touchdown catch against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the first half of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
  • Ohio State vs Notre Dame headlines Week 1 of college football on Saturday, September 3rd
  • Sharp money has come in on the Fighting Irish, moving the spread in their direction
  • Read below for Notre Dame vs Ohio State betting splits and money percentages

Money is coming in on the biggest college football game of Week 1. No. 2 Ohio State hosts No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday, September 3rd in primetime on ABC.

DraftKings Sportsbook has released data showing bet and money percentages for this top-five matchup. After the spread initially ticked up in OSU’s favor, some heavy money has come in on the underdog.

Let’s break down and analyze the betting splits for Ohio State vs Notre Dame.

Ohio State vs Notre Dame Betting Splits

Team % of ATS Bets / % of ATS Money % of ML Bets / % of ML Money % of Totals Bets / % of Totals Money
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 50% / 56% 32% / 51% Ov 84% / 83%
Ohio State Buckeyes 50% / 44% 68% / 49% Un 16% / 17%

All data provided Sept 2 by DraftKings Sportsbook

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Ohio State vs Notre Dame Betting Line Movement

Ohio State opened as -14 favorites over Notre Dame in the college football odds back in August. The Buckeyes were slammed by bettors and the line rose to -17.5 by game week.

Ohio State is a top contender in the National championship odds and one of the most beloved teams in college football, so it isn’t surprising to see the public all over the Buckeyes in Week 1.

While the spread has been moving in favor of Ohio State, an interesting turn of events transpired the Friday before the game. The line moved in favor of Notre Dame, going down to -16 and -15.5 at sportsbooks.

Irish Getting Love as Underdogs

The public betting splits from DraftKings show that 50% of the bets and 56% of the money is on Notre Dame to cover the spread. Ohio State is receiving 50% of the bets but only 40% of the money.

While DraftKings is only one sportsbook, it isn’t hard to tell that sharp money has likely come in on NDSU. When a line moves this late in the week towards the underdog, it’s a sign of money coming in from respected bettors.

Sportsbooks only made Ohio State a two-touchdown favorite based on their initial calculations, so certain sharps likely knew this line would eventually climb high enough where the value would be on the underdog.

The moneyline bet and money percentages are also interesting, as Notre Dame (+540) is getting 32% of bets and 51% of the money. Sure, there isn’t much value on the Ohio State ML, but the data suggest the wagers placed on the Irish are significant.

Ohio State could very well still win this game in convincing fashion, but being on the right side of the closing line is key in sports betting. This line move indicates the spread for Ohio State was too inflated and the value was on Notre Dame.

Notre Dame vs Ohio State Game Total

While there may be some disagreement between the public and sharps on the spread, there’s mostly unity for the game total side. Data shows 84% of bets and 83% of the money is on over 59 points being scored in Notre Dame vs Ohio State.

You’ll often see indications of sharp money on unders in college football because the generic bettor loves rooting for points and taking the over on inflated game totals.

What we can read into here based on the spread money percentages is that Notre Dame’s offense might not be getting enough credit. OSU has a promising new defensive coordinator in Jim Knowles, but this is his debut Saturday, and there could be some hiccups.

The Irish have three strong running backs in Chris Tyree, Logan Diggs and Audric Estime, plus one of the best tight ends in college football in Michael Mayer. New quarterback, Tyler Buchner, meanwhile, is the x-factor.

Given the offensive weapons on both teams, plus OSU’s defensive question marks, it’s not surpising to see agreement on which side of the total is the right play. If you want to follow the money without picking a side, betting over 59 points is the way to go.

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