CFP Semifinals Opening Odds: Notre Dame, Ohio State Favored to Advance

Notre Dame opens as 2.0-point favorites against Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
On the other side of the bracket, Ohio State opens as 6.0-point favorites against Texas.
National Championship odds favor Ohio State at +110, but the best value is on Notre Dame at +325 odds to win the College Football Playoff championship.

MIAMI – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish opened as a 2.0-point favorite against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first of two College Football Playoff semifinal matchups. Despite their impressive quarterfinals victory against No. 2 Georgia, Notre Dame’s already fallen to a 1.5-point legal sports betting favorite shortly after lines released.

Notre Dame Vs Penn State Opening Lines

Team	Spread	Moneyline	Total
Notre Dame	-2.0 (-105)	-130	O46.0 (-110)
Penn State	+2.0 (-115)	+110	U46.0 (-110)

There are now -110 odds for Penn State to cover a 1.5-point spread as the underdog in the Orange Bowl. The 46.0-point total at legal college football betting sites indicates another hard-fought, defensive battle between two physical teams will make points hard to come by.

As for the other College Football Playoff semifinals matchup, the 53.5-point total is a touchdown difference from Thursday’s game. Ohio State opened as a 6.0-point favorite at College Football Playoff betting sites after dominating No. 1 seed Oregon at the Rose Bowl.

Ohio State vs Texas Opening Lines

Team	Spread	Moneyline	Total
Ohio State	-6.0 (-115)	-230	O53.5 (-105)
Texas	+6.0 (-105)	+190	U53.5 (-115)

Meanwhile, Texas went to needed two overtimes to defeat Arizona State in the Peach Bowl despite being a 14.0-point favorite. There are +190 odds at legal Texas sports betting apps for the Longhorns to pull the upset in the Cotton Bowl.

CFP Futures Odds For National Championship Favor Ohio State

After crushing the last undefeated team in college football 41-21, Ohio State emerged as the betting favorite to win the National Championship at +110 odds. Opening National Championship odds had the Buckeyes as long as +550 at BetOnline Sportsbook.

College Football National Championship Odds

Ohio State +110
Notre Dame +325
Texas +375
Penn State +450

The best value on the board is on Notre Dame after breezing through Indiana and Georgia in their first two College Football Playoff games. The Irish have +325 odds at Indiana sportsbook apps to win it all in 2025.

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Zachary Kelley

Zach graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Writing, Editing, and Media. Zach is interested in the legalization aspect of sports betting and enjoys participating in DFS. He has a passion for sports writing and most enjoys writing about football and baseball both professional and collegiate.