Rose Bowl: No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide

What better way to kick off the New Year than with a pair of College Football Playoff games? The first of the two games will pit the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-1) against the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0). Kickoff for this one is scheduled for 4:00 pm ET from AT&T Stadium.
After running the regular season undefeated, Notre Dame lost in the ACC title game to No. 2 Clemson, 34-10. This was the second time they played the Tigers after beating them 47-40 in overtime back at the beginning of November.
While Clemson was without Trevor Lawrence for the November game, they did show they have the talent to compete with most teams. That notion will be tested as they face off with the juggernaut that is Alabama.
Speaking of Alabama, they were dominant throughout the regular season before winning a close one against No. 7 Florida in the SEC Championship, 52-46. In that game, Mac Jones threw for 418 yards and five touchdowns.
Despite the high score of that game, Alabama’s defense has been tough on opponents. There were only two games where an opponent scored over 24 points against them this season and only four where an opponent broke 20.
Alabama comes in as the overwhelming favorites to win. They are -1600 to win while Notre Dame’s moneyline sits at +820. The spread features Notre Dame +19.5 while the over/under for total points is 65.5.
By The Numbers
Offensively, Alabama has been one of the best teams in the nation. They rank 2nd in college football in scoring, averaging 49.7 points per game, and have averaged 53 over their last three games. For Notre Dame, they rank 20th, averaging 35.2 points.
Defensively, it is Notre Dame that holds a slight edge. In terms of scoring defense, they are allowing opponents just 18.6 points per game. The Crimson Tide have allowed 19.5 points per game this season.
Notre Dame Looking For Huge Upset
Notre Dame certainly has a tough road ahead of them as they have to bounce back from their loss against No. 2 Clemson by facing No. 1 Alabama. Still, they will look for a major upset over Alabama to possibly get a rubber match against the Tigers.
To do so, they are going to need their offense to dominate the time of possession. With Alabama’s explosive offense, quarterback Ian Book and running back Kyren Williams have to get it going.
This season, Book put up 2,601 yards, 15 touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also rushed for 430 yards and eight scores.
For Williams, he rushed for 1,061 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also had 27 receptions for 282 yards and another score.
Unfortunately for the Irish, both of these guys did not produce in the ACC Championship. Book threw for 219 yards and no touchdowns while Williams was held to just 50 yards. If that happens against Alabama, it could be a long day.
Defensively, the Irish are led by Kyle Hamilton (56 tackles), Adetokunbo Ogundeji (6.5 sacks), and seven players with one interception each.
Alabama Out To Prove They Are The Best
The Crimson Tide have been labeled as the best team in the country for most of the season. Now they are out to prove it is true against a solid Notre Dame team.
This season, Alabama ranked 5th in the nation in passing yards per game with 354.1. That is in large part to star quarterback Mac Jones. On the year, Jones threw for 3,739 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just four interceptions.
By far, his best receiver this season was DeVonta Smith. He had 98 receptions for 1,511 yards and a whopping 17 touchdowns. Other notables include John Metchie III (782 yards, six touchdowns) and Jaylen Waddle (557 yards, four touchdowns).
On the ground, it was Najee Harris leading the way. He had 214 carries for 1,262 yards and 24 touchdowns. With elite ground and passing games, Notre Dame will have their hands full.
Alabama Wins, But Can They Cover?
At 19.5 points, I really want to be able to take Notre Dame and the points in this one, but I have a hard time betting against Alabama. The Crimson Tide went 8-3 against the spread this season, and their average margin of victory was a little over 30 points.
Throw on top of that the fact that Clemson just beat the Irish by 24, and I think Alabama will be able to do it too. For my money, I am taking Alabama to win and to cover the 19.5 point spread.
I would also consider taking the over. Given that the two teams collectively averaged about 85 points, a game covering the 65.5 seems very doable.