There are no doubts left about Notre Dame's authenticity. Thanks to an inexplicable early season loss to Northern Illinois, and the fact that their independent status precludes them from competing for a conference title,

As a result, Ohio’s best sportsbooks now favor the Buckeyes to win the national championship. Oddsmakers were high on Ohio State after the regular season, giving OSU the third-best odds to win the title. No CFP team has been more impressive than the Buckeyes, and sportsbooks responded accordingly.

While Notre Dame’s win against Georgia was the first win in a big bowl game in more than 30 years, Penn State is still searching for that level of win under James Franklin. The Nittany Lions had the so-called easy path to the semifinals and took advantage with a dominant win against SMU and a comfortable win against Boise State.