Indiana vs Notre Dame prediction & betting tips - Dec. 20 - College Football Playoff

The Indiana Hoosiers are on the road to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Friday, December 20 at 8 p.m. ET in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The game will air on ABC.

Indiana (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) ended its season with a 66-0 win over Purdue. Notre Dame (11-1) is coming off a 49-35 win over USC and ended the year on a 10-game winning streak.

Indiana vs Notre Dame: Preview

The Hoosiers are a 7.5-point underdog while the over/under is set at 51 points.

Indiana was a surprise team this college football season, but their strength of schedule was put into question. Indiana only played one ranked opponent, Ohio State and lost 38-15.

However, the Hoosiers' offense is legit as Indiana is led by Kurtis Rourke who's thrown for 2,827 yards, 27 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Justice Ellison has rushed for 811 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Elijah Sarratt has 890 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns.

“They play, as I often say, with the clarity that you look for,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said about Indiana on Sunday, via SI. “It's a team that plays fast, a team that understands what they're doing, why they're doing it, how they're doing it. You can tell they understand what's expected of them. They make quick and fast decisions.”

The Hoosiers' defense is also great at stopping the run, as its defensive line is legit. Freeman knows getting past the D-Line will be key for Notre Dame.

“A very disruptive, chaotic defense that is, I think, number one in the country at stopping the run,” Freeman said. "They do some unique things with their D line, with their second level defense in terms of pressure packages, but also some different stunts that you don't see every week."

Notre Dame, meanwhile, is led by Riley Leonard who threw for 2,092 yards, 16 touchdowns and 5 interceptions while rushing for 721 yards and 14 touchdowns. Jeremiyah Love has rushed for 949 yards and 15 touchdowns.

A key part of Notre Dame's offense is Leonard running, which Indiana coach Curt Cignetti says needs to be addressed closely, as he said on Monday.

"They run the quarterback quite a bit, and he’s an excellent player. I’ve been watching him for a couple years, studying Duke offense, when he was at Duke. He’s a competitor, and he throws the ball well. He’s got good movement skills, good size," Cignetti said, via On3.

"When you play Notre Dame offensively, it starts with the run game, and the quarterback is a big part of the run game, not only on the designed quarterback runs but when he drops back and he’s in the pocket and escapes the pocket and his ability to create plays with his arm and his legs."

Notre Dame vs Indiana should be a high-scoring game as both teams' offenses are clicking, while defensively, at times, there have been some lapses.

However, the Hoosiers still have question marks around them due to their strength of schedule. Notre Dame will have a raucous atmosphere which will help the Fighting Irish get a win here to advance to the second round.

Prediction: Notre Dame 31, Indiana 21

Indiana vs Notre Dame: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Notre Dame -7.5 (-108)

Tip 2: Over 51 points (-108)

Tip 3: Riley Leonard 50+ rushing yards (-135)

Tip 4: Kurtis Rourke 198+ passing yards (-120)