Rose Bowl 2021: Latest Odds, Prediction for Notre Dame vs. Alabama Playoff

None of the 11 teams in the SEC that played Alabama this season could stem the Crimson Tide. Alabama won each of its first 10 games by at least 17 points, and then it defeated Florida 52-46 in the SEC Championship Game.

The Crimson Tide are the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, and there may not be a school in the field capable of stopping them.

Notre Dame will get an opportunity to try to upset Alabama when the two teams face off in the relocated Rose Bowl at AT&T Stadium in the Dallas metropolitan area on Jan. 1. It's the first time the Crimson Tide and Fighting Irish will meet since the BCS National Championship Game at the end of the 2012 season (which Alabama won 42-14).

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Crimson Tide are the overwhelming favorites to advance to the CFP National Championship. However, the Fighting Irish could give them one of their tougher tests of the season.

Here's everything you need to know as the 2021 Rose Bowl approaches.

Rose Bowl Information

Date: Friday, Jan. 1, 2021

Start Time: 4 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN online

Odds

Via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Alabama (-19.5)

Over/Under: 65.5 points

Money Line: Alabama -1250 (bet $1,250 to win $100); Notre Dame +600 (bet $100 to win $600)

Preview, Prediction

How, exactly, has Alabama rolled to 11 consecutive wins, an SEC title and the top seed in the College Football Playoff? It starts with its overpowering offense.

The Crimson Tide are averaging 543.9 total yards per game, which ranks fourth in the country among teams that have played more than four games. They have a talented quarterback in redshirt junior Mac Jones, and he is surrounded by numerous big-time playmakers, including running back Najee Harris and wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

Jones and Smith are among the front-runners for the Heisman Trophy, and there are numerous others on Alabama's offense who could be winning top awards at the end of the season. However, the Tide have much larger, more team-focused goals than that.

"All that stuff is great, but we've got to keep our eye on the main prize," Jones told the media following the SEC title game. "And I'm sure [Smith] would say the same thing."

Before the Tide can get to that prize, they have to beat the Fighting Irish, who won their first 10 games of the season before losing to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game. It wasn't Notre Dame's best showing, as the Tigers cruised to a 34-10 victory.

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said that he didn't feel his team play with the "same edge" in that matchup against Clemson as it had earlier in the season, and that he needs to get the Fighting Irish to play better on the grand stage.

"We've got to play with a higher level of urgency," Kelly said, per Brad Crawford of 247Sports. "Guys got to step up and make plays. We didn't make enough plays. We're certainly capable as a football team of going in and beating anybody on a given day. That probably wasn't the case a few years back, but we've got to play up to our level, and that'll be the case going against a great Alabama team."

It's going to be tough for the Fighting Irish, especially if their defense doesn't improve on its performance in the ACC Championship Game, when it allowed the Tigers to rack up 541 total yards of offense. Notre Dame's offense will also try to need to keep pace with Alabama's high-powered attack should the game turn into a shootout, much like the SEC Championship Game did.

Don't expect the Rose Bowl to be a rout, as Notre Dame should stay competitive early. Even if the Fighting Irish don't lead, they are unlikely to let the Crimson Tide pull too far away in the first half.

However, Alabama's depth and talent on both sides of the ball is likely to wear down Notre Dame, which hasn't quite reached that level despite its great improvements in recent years.

The Crimson Tide will pull away late and advance to the CFP National Championship, where it will look to win its first national title since the 2017 season.

Prediction: Alabama 45, Notre Dame 21

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