College Football Playoff Same Game Parlay Picks: Indiana vs. Notre Dame (Friday)

The committee did the right thing, pinning these programs together in the first round of the College Football Playoff (CFB). These two teams have not played each other since 1991. Being that they reside in the same state, that's shocking. Not only will they play for a chance at a National Championship, but also in-state bragging rights.

They get the evening to themselves in the first game of the extended College Football Playoff, so we’ll break it down and put together a same-game parlay (SGP).

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Top College Football Same Game Parlay: Indiana vs. Notre Dame

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

No. 10 Indiana vs. No. 7 Notre Dame

• Leg 1: Notre Dame -7 (-110)
• Leg 2: Riley Leonard 2+ Passing Touchdowns (+120)
• Leg 3: Notre Dame Over 28.5 Total Points (-160)

The Fighting Irish had one hiccup against Northern Illinois, but other than that, they have been fantastic. They also looked dominant throughout the season. Of their 11 wins, nine have come by more than one possession. In this situation against the best teams in the country, you hope they'll be ready if the game is tight.

Trying to bring in a good quarterback has been a problem under Marcus Freeman, but they might have found the right guy in Riley Leonard. The start of the season wasn’t great for the Duke transfer, throwing under 200 yards with no passing touchdowns in the first three games. It was great after that as he threw a touchdown in eight of his final nine games, including six with multiple touchdowns. 

They also have Jeremiyah Love, who has been dependable all season. He has found the end zone in each game. Love and Leonard’s rushing will keep the Hoosiers on their heels all day. The Irish also have one of the better defenses in the league. It is the third-best scoring defense and fourth in defensive expected points added (EPA). They have held down some potent offenses throughout the year.

Indiana looks great on paper, ranking second in points scored, sixth in points allowed and first in rushing yards allowed. However, when you peel back the curtain, they had the benefit of an easier schedule amongst the playoff teams. According to the ESPN College Football Power Index, they had the 67th-toughest schedule. The only Group of Five conference team behind them was Boise State.

If you want to see how Indiana might stack up against Notre Dame, you have to look at their lone regular season game versus a ranked opponent - Ohio State. That game started great with a 7-0 lead with 6:52 left in the first quarter, but they wouldn't score again until under two minutes left in the game. Meanwhile, Ohio State would score 31 straight points and finish with 316 total yards to Indiana's 153. 

Kurtis Rourke was excellent all year by throwing for at least 250 yards in seven of his first nine games, with a passing touchdown and a 65% completion percentage in each. In that Ohio State loss, he finished 8-of-18 (44%) for 68 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions.

The Irish are first in dropback EPA, so it could be a tough game. Rourke and, as a whole, Indiana could struggle to stop Notre Dame on offense.

Total: +583