Pick: Over 65.5 points
Odds: -110
$100 Could Win You…$190.91
On January 1st, 2021, the first half of the College Football Playoffs gets underway as the #1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide takes on the #4 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 107th edition of the Rose Bowl.
This year, the Rose Bowl game has been moved from its traditional venue of Pasadena, California, to the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, due to the pandemic and to allow players’ families to attend the game.
Will Alabama crush the Fighting Irish like the College Football betting sites predict or will Notre Dame pull off one of the biggest bowl game upsets in recent history? Kickoff inside the AT&T Stadium is at 4PM ET on ESPN.
Rose Bowl Live Odds and Betting History
The following odds are courtesy of BetOnline:
| Teams | Spread | Money Lines | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | +19.5 (-105) | +750 | Over 65.5 (-110) |
| Alabama Crimson Tide | -19.5 (-115) | -1200 | Under 65.5 (-110) |
| Betting Data | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Alabama Crimson Tide |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 Record | 10-1 | 11-0 |
| 2020 Home | 6-0 | 5-0 |
| 2020 Away | 4-0 | 5-0 |
| 2020 Neutral Site | 0-1 | 1-0 |
| 2020 ATS | 5-6 | 8-3 |
| 2020 ATS Home | 2-4 | 5-0 |
| 2020 ATS Away | 3-1 | 3-2 |
| 2020 ATS Neutral Site | 0-1 | 0-1 |
| 2020 O/U | 6-5 | 7-4 |
| 2020 O/U Home | 4-2 | 3-2 |
| 2020 O/U Away | 2-2 | 3-2 |
| 2020 O/U Neutral Site | 0-1 | 1-0 |
Rose Bowl Game Preview
Notre Dame and Alabama have played against each other seven times and it’s the Fighting Irish that leads the head to head series with a record of 5-2.
These two schools first played against each other in 1973 with Notre Dame winning in the Sugar Bowl. They would go 3-0 against Alabama in the 1970s. The Fighting Irish also went 2-1 against the Crimson Tide in the 1980s.
The last time these two teams played was in 2013 at the BCS National Championship game for the 2012 season. The Crimson Tide crushed Notre Dame 42 to 14. However, Notre Dame still leads the Crimson Tide 2-1 in postseason games.
The Fighting Irish Preview
Notre Dame (10-1) was last seen getting crushed by Clemson 34 to 10 in the ACC title game on December 19th. It was the first loss of the season for the Fighting Irish as they had run the table up to that point. Now, they will have a little under two weeks to bounce back and prepare for the Crimson Tide.
The Fighting Irish have played in 38 bowl games and are 19-19 in those contests. This will be just their second trip to the Rose Bowl. They played in the 1925 Rose Bowl and beat Stanford 27 to 10.
This will also be Notre Dame’s second trip to the CFP. Their first trip came at the conclusion of the 2018 season where they lost to Clemson in the Cotton Bowl.
The Crimson Tide Preview
Alabama (11-0) ran the table in the SEC and were last seen winning a thrilling battle against the Florida Gators by the score of 52-46.
The Crimson Tide were clearly one of the best teams all season long. They crushed opponents on a weekly basis and are a massive favorite over the Fighting Irish.
For Alabama, this will be their 6th trip to the CFP where they’ve won two National Titles. Alabama has played 71 bowl games and have a remarkable record of 42-26-3. Last year, they beat Michigan in the Camping World Bowl as they didn’t make it to the CFP.
This will be their 7th appearance in the Rose Bowl. They’re 4-2 all-time in this prestigious bowl game and last appeared in 1945 when they defeated USC 34 to 14.
Head to Head Betting Trends
- Alabama is 1-0 SU
- Alabama is 1-0 ATS
- Over is 1-0
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Trends
- 16-1 SU in last 17 games
- 1-8 SU in last nine January games
- 13-3 SU when playing against winning teams
- 24-2 SU in turf games
- 1-2 ATS as an underdog of 10.5 to 21pts
- 10-5 ATS when playing against winning teams
- Under is 4-1 in last five SEC games
Alabama Crimson Tide Betting Trends
- 11-0 SU this season
- 9-2 SU in last 11 ACC games
- 8-0 SU as a favorite of 10.5 to 21pts
- 6-1 SU in neutral site games
- 13-3 SU against winning teams
- 8-3 ATS this season
- 7-1 ATS in last eight games
- 7-1 ATS in last eight games as the favorite
- 1-2 ATS in last three Bowl Games
- Over is 7-2 in last nine January games
The spread opened with Alabama favored by 20 points at most College Football betting sites. Since then, the spread has come down to 19.5 points in favor of the Crimson Tide at most online betting sites. The Over/Under opened at 65 points and has gone up slightly to an O/U of 65.5 total points.
Free Rose Bowl Bet and Game Prediction: Over 65.5 points (-110)
Despite both teams having solid defenses, I believe you can throw those stats out the window for this game. It’s going to be an offensive explosion and mostly by the Alabama Crimson Tide. In fact, I expect this O/U to go up before we reach the New Year. So get in on it now.
On the season, Alabama led the nation in scoring with an average of 49.8ppg. The lowest total they scored this season was 38 points in the opening week. Since then, they never scored lower than 41 points.
In their last five games, they scored 42 or more points five times, over 52 points four times, and over 60 points once.
Alabama put up massive numbers against ranked teams as well. They averaged 46.7ppg against ranked teams. Perhaps, the most impressive was scoring 41 points against a tough Georgia defense.
Alabama vs. Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl.
The last time these two met 👀 pic.twitter.com/ylf2RcHwNP
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 20, 2020
The Fighting Irish are ranked 22nd in the nation for scoring at 35.2ppg. However, they averaged only 29.3ppg against ranked teams this season.
For this Rose Bowl, I believe these two teams will easily surpass the 65 point Over/Under. With a combined average of 76ppg, this should be an easy wager to win.
Alabama’s trio of playmakers on offense will be the difference in this game. QB Mac Jones has thrown for over 3,700 yards on the season, but also has a stellar 32TD to 4 INT mark.
Running back Najee Harris will pound the Irish defense as he’s rushed for 1,262 yards and 24 TDs on the season. Lastly, Devonta Smith is the best receiver in college as he’s tallied 1,511 yards and 17 TDs this season.
Notre Dame will be led by QB Ian Book, but it will be hard for the Fighting Irish offense to keep up the scoring pace with this explosive Alabama team.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Alabama wins by more than three touchdowns. However, I also wouldn’t be surprised if Notre Dame can make it a close game for nearly four quarters.
So, I feel the Over/Under is the best play for the Rose Bowl as Alabama saw the Over go 7-4 this year. Additionally, the Over is 7-2 in Alabama’s last nine January games.
Notre Dame vs Alabama Betting Recap:
- Oddsmaker: BetOnline
- Moneylines: Notre Dame (+750) vs Alabama (-1200)
- Spread: Alabama -19.5 (-115)
- Over/Under: 65.5 total points (-110)
- Prediction: Alabama 48 – Notre Dame 27
Notre Dame vs Alabama Pick
Over 65.5 points (-110)
Rick Rockwell
As a longtime freelance writer, avid sports fan, former athlete, and experienced sports bettor, Rick Rockwell has risen up the ranks at GamblingSites.org to become the self-professed “King of the Blog” in his first year with the site. …
