Notre Dame proves popular as 9 1/2-point underdog

An element of mystery exists with Notre Dame, which went from unranked in the preseason to No. 1 after a perfect regular season, thanks to some coaching magic by Brian Kelly.

It can be argued Chip Kelly and Oregon are more deserving of being in today's Bowl Championship Series title game opposite Alabama. But that argument is moot, and the Fighting Irish will get the chance to prove their point.

Oddsmakers are not sold on Notre Dame, a 9½-point underdog to the Crimson Tide, but the betting public is convinced, or at least hopeful of seeing a competitive game. The total has dropped from 42 to 40.

While the so-called sharp money is a little heavier on the Alabama side, LVH sports book director Jay Kornegay said the underdog is drawing tickets at a 3-1 ratio.

"What I'm finding out is there appear to be a lot of different opinions on this game. It's not a landslide. The public is certainly supporting Notre Dame," Kornegay said. "The big money that has come in has been split."

Alabama has been a favorite in 41 straight games, and this is projected to be the biggest-bet college football game in history, with an estimated $2 billion wagered worldwide, according to RJ Bell of Pregame.com

When it comes to Nick Saban, there are few doubters. Saban has coached the Tide to the brink of their third national title in four years. VegasInsider.com handicapper Brian Edwards, 47-19-1 against the spread in his college picks for the Las Vegas Review-Journal this season, said he wavered for weeks before recently deciding to back Alabama to cover.

The Saban factor, in addition to a powerful running game led by Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon, should help the Tide (12-1, 6-7 ATS) wear down the Irish defense and pull away in the second half, Edwards said.

In an era of high-flying offenses, the face of the Irish (12-0, 7-5 ATS) is linebacker Manti Te'o. Notre Dame allows only 10.3 points per game.

"I would say 95 percent of the money-line bets have been on the underdog (at plus-290), so we certainly don't need Notre Dame to win the game outright," Kornegay said.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.