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CFP championship game prediction: Ohio State will take home the title

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CFP championship game prediction: Ohio State will take home the title
News

News

CFP championship game prediction: Ohio State will take home the title

2025-01-16 05:13 Last Updated At:05:21

Ohio State plays Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday night. BetMGM Sportsbook listed Ohio State as an 8.5-point favorite on Wednesday, down a point from the opening line.

The eighth-seeded Buckeyes (13-2) have beaten Tennessee, Oregon and Texas on their way to the title game, where they will play for their sixth national championship since the poll era began in 1936. Their most recent title came in 2014.

The seventh-seeded Irish (14-1) have beaten Indiana, Georgia and Penn State and will be playing for their 12th championship, and first since 1988.

The Buckeyes are more talented and the healthier team right now, and that's a good place to start.

The offensive lull in the 28-14 semifinal win over Texas probably caused some heartburn for Ohio State fans. Credit the Longhorns, who have one of the best defenses in the country and neutralized star receiver Jeremiah Smith. Ohio State has shown it has plenty of other weapons, though.

The Buckeyes' top-ranked defense already has won CFP games against three offenses that, on paper, are superior to Notre Dame's.

The Irish have a championship-caliber defense that forces turnovers at one of the highest rates in the nation. If the Irish are going to win, they almost certainly will need a couple takeaways.

Offensively, the Irish must excel on third down. They've converted 22 of 44 over three CFP games, including 11 of 17 in the 27-24 semifinal win over Penn State. They also must continue showing progress in the downfield pass game. Jaden Greathouse had his first 100-yard receiving game in the semifinal and Riley Leonard, who has been mediocre on throws longer than 10 yards, had pass plays of 32, 36 and 54 yards.

OHIO STATE 27-13.

CFP semifinals — Straight-up — 1-1; Against spread — 1-1.

Season: Straight-up — 226-62; Against spread — 145-141.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer, left, and quarterback Will Howard celebrate after the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game against Texas, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer, left, and quarterback Will Howard celebrate after the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game against Texas, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

BERLIN (AP) — Tens of thousands of Germans on Saturday protested in Berlin and other cities against the rise of the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of the Feb. 23 general election.

At Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, a huge crowd blew whistles, sang anti-fascist songs and carried banners denouncing AfD. Activists said they hoped the rally also would draw attention to other far-right parties in Europe and the new administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Those who fuel racism and attack climate protection are not just campaigning, they are endangering lives,” Luisa Neubauer with the Fridays for Future climate group told the crowd, which police estimated at 35,000. Police estimated the crowd at the Cologne rally at 40,000.

Europe's largest economy has been shaken after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition collapsed late last year in a dispute over how to revitalize amid stagnation.

Saturday's protests took place while AfD opened its election campaign in the central city of Halle, where party leader Alice Weidel, AfD’s candidate for chancellor, spoke to about 4,500 people.

Weidel has the backing of Elon Musk, who addressed the rally remotely. His open support has caused an uproar in Germany.

Mainstream parties have declared they will not work with the AfD. The opposition center-right Union bloc and its candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz, top pre-election polls, followed by the far-right party.

Merz said Friday his party next week will bring motions to Parliament to toughen migration policy, one of the main election issues. That potentially leaves Merz open to accusations of breaking longstanding pledges not to work directly or indirectly with the AfD, if the motions go to a vote and pass with the party's help.

Merz earlier vowed to bar people from entering the country without proper papers, and to step up deportations if he is elected chancellor. His comments came after a knife attack in Aschaffenburg by a rejected asylum-seeker left a man and a 2-year-old boy dead.

People gather to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People gather to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People gather to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People gather to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People gather to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People gather to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People gather to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People gather to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People gather to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People gather to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People hold up their cell phones as they protest the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People hold up their cell phones as they protest the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People hold up their cell phones as they protest the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People hold up their cell phones as they protest the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People gather to protest against the Far Right, in Cologne, Germany, Saturday Jan. 25, 2025. Banner reads: "Immediate lessons for Merz in democracy and decency". (Christoph Driessen/dpa via AP)

People gather to protest against the Far Right, in Cologne, Germany, Saturday Jan. 25, 2025. Banner reads: "Immediate lessons for Merz in democracy and decency". (Christoph Driessen/dpa via AP)

People gather to take part in the "5 before 12 - Loud for Democracy" protest in Cologne, Germany, Saturday Jan. 25, 2025. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)

People gather to take part in the "5 before 12 - Loud for Democracy" protest in Cologne, Germany, Saturday Jan. 25, 2025. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)

Participants hold lights, and a banner reading 'human rights instead of right people' during a rally, in front of the Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (Christophe Gateau/dpa via AP)

Participants hold lights, and a banner reading 'human rights instead of right people' during a rally, in front of the Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (Christophe Gateau/dpa via AP)

People hold up their cell phones as they protest the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People hold up their cell phones as they protest the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People hold up their cell phones as they protest the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

People hold up their cell phones as they protest the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, and right-wing extremism in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

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