College Football Playoff final preview: Can Ohio State meet the moment?
After suffering two of the most stunning losses of the NCAA football season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ohio State Buckeyes are one win away from a national title. Here’s a look at Monday’s matchup.
After suffering two of the most stunning losses of the NCAA football season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ohio State Buckeyes are one win away from a national title.
Two of the biggest brands in the sport square off Monday in the College Football Playoff final in Atlanta in the aftermath of seasons which easily could have gone in very different directions.
In September, Notre Dame somehow lost to visiting Northern Illinois. What’s more, the unheralded Mid-American Conference school walked away with $1.4 million just for showing up to help Notre Dame fill out its schedule.
Then, in the final week of the regular season, Ohio State managed to lose at home to bitter rival Michigan for a fourth time in a row. The latest loss was the worst of the four, considering Michigan was in a down year after winning the national title last season.
To the credit of Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, Ohio State counterpart Ryan Day, and their respective players, both teams shook off those shocking setbacks and have made impressive runs through the inaugural 12-team CFP.
Ohio State is a significant favourite, but we’ve learned this year that (big) underdogs can have their day.
Here’s a look at Monday’s matchup:
Road to the final
No. 7 seed Notre Dame (14-1) beat No. 10 Indiana 27-17 at home in the first round, beat No. 2 Georgia 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans (delayed a day because of a terrorist attack) and then edged No. 6 Penn State 27-24 in the Orange Bowl in South Florida. Notre Dame is an independent and thus was ineligible for a top-four seed — reserved for conference champions.
No. 8 seed Ohio State (13-2) crushed No. 9 Tennessee 42-17 at home in the first round, hammered top-ranked Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., and then doubled up No. 5 Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas. The Buckeyes’ loss to Michigan kept them out of the Big Ten final, where Oregon beat Penn State.
Head to head
Ohio State leads the all-time series 6-2. The Buckeyes have won six in a row with their last loss against Notre Dame coming way back in 1936.
The coaches
The heat on Day was cranked way up after yet another setback in ‘The Game’ against Michigan. Thousands of Tennessee fans bought up tickets at Ohio Stadium for the first round as Buckeye Nation seemed to lose a bit of its normal enthusiasm. But what a difference a few weeks makes. Day, 45, can write a huge redemption story with one more win. Ohio State is in the playoff for the fourth time under Day since he took over as coach in 2019, but he hasn’t lifted the championship title yet. A Joey Bosa-led Buckeyes squad captured Ohio State’s last national title in 2014.
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Freeman, 39, played his college football at Ohio State and got his coaching career started there in 2010. He’s in his third year as head coach at Notre Dame, with the Fighting Irish winning non-CFP bowl games the last two years. Notre Dame made playoff appearances in 2018 and ’20 but lost in the semifinals both times. The school’s last national title was in 1988 when Rocket Ismail was a freshman.
History 101
Notre Dame has won 13 national titles, while Ohio State has eight. Ohio State’s last Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Troy Smith (2006), ended his playing career with the Montreal Alouettes in 2014.
The quarterbacks
A couple of transfer quarterbacks square off.
Ohio State’s Will Howard transferred from Kansas State after four seasons. He threw for 289 yards, one touchdown and one interception against Texas.
Notre Dame dual-threat senior Riley Leonard transferred from Duke. He threw for 223 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against Penn State while rushing for 35 yards and a TD.
On offence
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is as dangerous a player as there is in the NCAA ranks. However, Texas held him to just one catch for six yards. With the Longhorns keying on Smith, the Buckeyes showed their depth. Running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins combined for three touchdowns, while receivers Carnell Tate and Emeka Egbuka combined for 12 catches.
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Notre Dame loves to rush the ball with Leonard and running back Jeremiyah Love, though the latter has been slowed by a knee injury. The passing game did more damage than usual against Penn State with Jaden Greathouse leading the way with seven catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.
On defence
A battle of the top two defences in the country in terms of average points allowed — Ohio State is first at 12.2 with Notre Dame just behind at 14.3.
Ohio State’s top-ranked pass defence gets a big boost with fierce rushes from the edge. JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer can make life miserable for QBs. Sawyer made the play of the year for the Buckeyes last time out with his strip-sack and fumble recovery for a long touchdown putting away Texas. At the back of the defence, Caleb Downs is a star safety, along with being a big special-teams threat.
Notre Dame also is stingy against the pass, ranking second in the country. Safety Xavier Watts is a two-time All-American and the leader of an impressive unit that has been on the right side of the turnover battle all season.
Prediction
Ohio State is loaded with potential first-round picks and seems to have the ability to win in many different ways. Although Notre Dame won’t be an easy out, Ohio State feels just a bit too good.
Ohio State 24, Notre Dame 17
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