Monday's National Championship between Notre Dame and Ohio State will conclude what has been a fantastic college football season. So, it's only right to get in on the action with some anytime touchdown props.
With no Monday Night Football in the NFL this week, Action Network's Gilles Gallant pivoted to the college football side to see where the touchdown value lies in the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship.
He came through with two anytime touchdown picks for Notre Dame vs. Ohio State, including a best bet for both sides. It just so happens that his picks are on both quarterbacks: Notre Dame's Riley Leonard and Ohio State's Will Howard.
So, be sure to check out both of Gallant's anytime touchdown bets for the Notre Dame vs. Ohio State National Championship below.
Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Anytime Touchdown Scorer Props
- Ohio State QB Will Howard (+375)
- Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard (+115)
Ohio State QB Will Howard
+375 at bet365
I know all eyes will be on super freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who’s been nearly unstoppable all season. But the Texas Longhorns may have shown the blueprint for how to limit him offensively.
Smith was held in check for most of the game, while the Buckeyes leaned heavily on the run game and forced some key turnovers, one being a fumble for a score when the Longhorns were inside the 5-yard-line.
I do expect Smith to have a bounce-back game, but at -135 to score, those odds are pretty steamed.
Another factor with the Irish secondary is they’ve been pretty good at limiting opponents in the red zone with only eight passing touchdowns allowed inside 20 yards all season, so I expect the Buckeyes to rely more heavily on their run game when they get into scoring range.
Notre Dame may have been stout defending the pass, but it still allowed 14 rushing touchdowns and is coming off a game against Penn State in which the Nittany Lions scored three times on the ground.
The problem is choosing between running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. However, I say skip both and take quarterback Will Howard instead at +375.
Howard finished the season with seven rushing TDs this season, which is the most for an Ohio State QB since 2019 when Justin Fields had 10. Howard isn’t a flash in the pan either because he had nine rushing TDs last season with Kansas State.
With the top of the TD odds so steamed for the Buckeyes, I’d rather place a bet on a player in his final college game who I know will touch the ball on every snap regardless of game script.
Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard
+115 at DraftKings
I’m a bit worried Notre Dame will be held under 20 points in this one.
QB Riley Leonard can be hit or miss, and while we’ve seen him have some big games during the regular season, his passing ability drops off a cliff when he starts to match up with the top defenses (Penn State, Georgia, Texas A&M).
Now, Notre Dame is matching up with Ohio State, which led the nation in scoring defense (12.2 PPG) and ranks as one of the best teams in limiting opponent first downs through the air.
My first instinct was to look at star RB Jeremiyah Love (+135) since he’s been on a tear and has scored a TD in every game this season except for the quarterfinal against Georgia.
But if the Irish get down by a couple of scores, will they still rely on Love as much down the stretch? I’m not convinced and think Leonard will need to carry the team more to extend drives while being involved in the RPO game.
With the Buckeyes ranking in the top five in rushing TDs allowed, yards per carry and rushing yards per game, the only player I want running the ball is Leonard.
On paper, he’s been nearly as effective as Love running the ball. Leonard finished the season with 16 rushing TDs and had 35 rushing scores in his college career. Against the Buckeyes, he’s the only player you can trust to be involved.
