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Cam Newton Reveals Prediction for Ohio State-Notre Dame CFP National Championship

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Austin Boyd | Last updated Jan 20, 2025 12:56 PM ET

Picks are starting to roll in for the College Football Playoff national championship game between No. 7 seed Notre Dame and No. 8 Ohio State. The betting odds are favoring the Buckeyes ahead of the matchup but the Fighting Irish beat very good Georgia and Penn State teams to get this far.

Notre Dame is one of college football's most iconic programs but they haven't won a national championship since 1988. If they beat Ohio State, they would break a championship drought that has lasted nearly four decades.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton knows a thing or two about winning national championships as he earned two in his college career. He believes Notre Dame has enough to beat Ohio State.

"I've already said it, I'm going with Notre Dame," Newton said on Monday's episode of ESPN's "First Take." "We know Notre Dame is the underdog. My biggest question is how does Ohio State manage being the top dog?"

Ohio State is typically the favorite in most games they play so being the "top dog" shouldn't be something new for them. However, there's a lot of pressure on head coach Ryan Day to finally win his first national championship. This is only Marcus Freeman's third season as the full-time head coach for Notre Dame so there's far less pressure on him and his team to bring home the trophy.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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