Rose Bowl Betting Preview: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Alabama Crimson Tide 

The first of two College Football Playoff semifinal games on Friday will feature the Alabama Crimson Tide against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. These two teams have a history of meeting in the College Football Playoff, and it has been Alabama that has dominated the series.

Notre Dame brings a 10-1 record into this game, and its lone loss was in the ACC Championship Game. The Fighting Irish suffered a 34-10 setback in that one, and they will need to regroup in a hurry.

Alabama is a perfect 11-0 this season, and it has made it look easy most of the time. The Crimson Tide are the No. 1-ranked team in the country and are chasing perfection.

Alabama is a 19.5-point favorite over Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl Game on New Years Day. 

Notre Dame Better Score

If the Fighting Irish are going to keep this game close, then they better find some more offense. Notre Dame managed just 10 points in the ACC Championship Game, and they will be facing another great defense in this game. 

Running back Kyren Williams has run for over 1,000 yards this season, and he will need to be a focal point on offense in this game. The Fighting Irish have to find a way to chew up some clock and keep that vaunted Alabama offense off of the field. 

The Notre Dame defense has played well for most of the season, but it looked a step slow in the loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game. The Fighting Irish will have to find a way to get pressure on Mac Jones in this game. 

Alabama Can’t Be Stopped

The Crimson Tide are averaging 49.7 points per game this season, and few teams have been able to even slow them down. This offense is loaded with future NFL stars, and they are capable of scoring points on every play.

Quarterback Mac Jones has thrown for nearly 3,800 yards this season and also has 32 touchdown passes. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith has racked up over 1,500 receiving yards and has 19 total touchdowns. 

While the passing attack gets most of the publicity, running back Najee Harris has rushed for 1,262 yards and has also scored 24 touchdowns. 

Oh, and the Alabama defense is also solid, allowing just 19.5 points per game. There just aren’t many holes on this Alabama roster this season. 

Crimson Tide Blow Out Fighting Irish

The Fighting Irish just don’t have the talent to keep up with Alabama in this matchup. To be fair, there are very few teams in the country that do, which is why Alabama is undefeated this season.

The Crimson Tide will put up points in a hurry in this game, and Notre Dame won’t be able to find any answers on defense. Notre Dame will keep this close for a while, but the second half will belong to Nick Saban and his team.

Bet the Crimson Tide -19.5 over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Rose Bowl Game on New Years Day.

For more Dunkel Index picks, check out our college football picks page.