They’re two of the more legendary programs in college football history, but they sure didn’t appear on equal footing the last time they met on the field. Alabama hammered Notre Dame 42-14 in the 2013 title game of the old Bowl Championship Series, the only meeting between the Tide and Irish in the last three decades.

They face off again Friday in a College Football Playoff semifinal moved from the Rose Bowl to Arlington, Texas, due to COVID-19 concerns in Southern California. The expectation in college football betting circles is another beatdown, with the Crimson Tide favored by nearly three touchdowns.

Can the Fighting Irish make a game of it this time, or will they be embarrassed yet again on the national stage? Here are your best bets for the first of two semifinals that will determine the participants in the Jan. 11 national title game.

RELATED: Clemson vs Ohio State Sugar Bowl Betting Preview

Alabama vs Notre Dame Odds To Back

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Alabama vs Notre Dame Spread Pick

Alabama has been a darling of spread bettors, covering in seven straight contests before letting Florida hang around in the SEC Championship Game. Notre Dame meanwhile has covered just four of its last nine, even failing to beat the spread even against ACC bottom-feeders Syracuse and Georgia Tech.

More concerning, though, was the Irish performance in the ACC Championship Game, where they were utterly exposed by Clemson. Had the Domers not managed a touchdown with 8:09 left to keep it from getting completely out of hand, we might be talking about Texas A&M.

True, Alabama didn’t cover against Florida—but also true, Notre Dame doesn’t have the Gators’ offense. The trends here are clear, and there’s no reason to bet against them. We’ve got Alabama at -20 with DraftKings.

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Alabama vs Notre Dame Moneyline Pick

Indeed, there’s no value here, but also no reason to bet on the Irish unless you have a Notre Dame diploma on your office wall. The Domers’ Nov. 7 victory over Clemson, when the Tigers were without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Notre Dame Stadium had far too many people in it, proved a completely inaccurate barometer of what this team is capable of against an elite, full-strength opponent on a neutral field.

Notre Dame has a very good quarterback in Ian Book, a very good defense and very good backs and tight ends. Alabama’s talent level, especially on offense, is simply unmatched. It may not be 42-14 – it might be worse. We grabbed Alabama at -1099 with William Hill.

Alabama vs Notre Dame Totals Betting

Although Alabama has gone over the total seven times this season, the Florida game marked just the third over in the Tide’s last seven outings. Much of that has to do with Alabama’s stretch-run schedule, and the fact that they were dispatching a lot of teams by scores like 56-3.

They’ve scored 52 or more in four of their last five outings, so we know this team can put up points. But it’s still tough to take the over here, given that Notre Dame is the best scoring defense the Tide will have faced this season. Seeing the Irish struggle to score points against Clemson in the ACC title game doesn’t help.

Both teams have gone under more often here recently, another trend to follow in this relocated Rose Bowl. We took the under at 65.5 with BetMGM.

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