National Championship Preview: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
On Monday, January 20th, the College Football Playoff National Championship will be played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. In the first ever 12-team playoff, No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 8 Ohio State will face off in a historic matchup. The two blue-blood programs have yet to win a title this decade despite several playoff appearances. The Irish are currently in a 37-year drought, having not won a title since the 1988 season. The Buckeyes have experienced more post season heartbreak in recent years than most.
WCAC Connections
Both teams will have WCAC alumni on their rosters, with Defensive Lineman Jason Moore (DeMatha) and Linebacker Mitchell Melton (Good Counsel) on Ohio State, and Tight End Davis Sherwood (Good Counsel) on Notre Dame. St. John’s has also had many players and students go on to attend both universities.
Recent New Year’s 6 Postseason Results (Prior to 2024 Season)
A New Year’s Six Bowl is one the six premier bowl games in college football: The Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, and the Rose Bowl. Prior to the creation of the College Football Playoff (and even the BCS system), these games would help determine the sport’s national champion. The number 1 team in the polls at the end of the season would be crowned champions, and it often came from the winner of these various games. Winning any of these games is considered a major program milestone. Nowadays, they are directly associated with the College Football Playoff. Four games are used for the second round, and the remaining two games are used in the semifinal.
Ohio State
2023 Cotton Bowl: #9 Missouri 14 - #7 Ohio State 3
2022 Peach Bowl (Semifinal): #1 Georgia 42 - #4 Ohio State 41
2021 Rose Bowl: #10 Utah 45 - #7 Ohio State 48
2020 CFP National Championship: #3 Ohio State 24 - #1 Alabama 52
2020 Sugar Bowl (Semifinal): #3 Ohio State 49 - #2 Clemson 28
2019 Fiesta Bowl (Semifinal): #3 Clemson 29 - #2 Ohio State 23
Total Record: 2-4
Notre Dame
2022 Fiesta Bowl: #9 Oklahoma State 37 - #5 Notre Dame 35
2020 Rose Bowl: #1 Alabama 31 - #4 Notre Dame 17
2019: Cotton Bowl: #2 Clemson 30 - #3 Notre Dame 3
2016 Fiesta Bowl: #7 Ohio State 44 - #8 Notre Dame - 28
2013 BCS National Championship: #2 Alabama 42 - #1 Notre Dame #14
2007 Sugar Bowl: #4 LSU 41 - #11 Notre Dame 14
Total Record: 0-6
Program Matchups
In their combined histories, Notre Dame and Ohio State have met a total of eight times, with Ohio State owning a 6-2 overall record over the Irish. Notre Dame hasn’t won a matchup since 1936. The most recent matchups took place in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and were the most competitive games between the two programs since their first home and home series in 1935 and 1936. The Buckeyes hosted the Irish in the season opener of 2022. and won the game 21-10. The 2023 matchup was considered an “instant classic,” with the game coming down to the very last play. Quarterback Kyle McCord lead the Buckeyes on a game winning drive in a fourth quarter, and scored from the goal line on a play where the Irish only had 10 men on the field. This Monday will be their third consecutive matchup with both teams in the top 10 nationally, with Notre Dame looking to beat Ohio state for the first time in 89 years.
12 Team Playoff gives new Opportunity
Both teams have faced bad losses at different points this season. Notre Dame walked out of Kyle Field with a double digit win on the road against a top 15 Texas A&M. The following week, the Irish hosted Northern Illinois as 27.5 point favorites for their first game of the season. Notre Dame lost 16-14. IThe Irish fell from #5 all the way to No. 18 in the AP Poll the following week, and many considered their season to be over.
Ohio State was not immune to bad losses either, as the Buckeyes lost as 19.5 point favorites at home to their arch-rivals: the 6-5 Michigan Wolverines. With the loss, OSU was eliminated from Big 10 Championship contention and extended their losing streak to 4 against Michigan. Head Coach Ryan Day moved to 1-4 overall against the Wolverines, and the Buckeyes dropped from No. 2 in the AP Poll to No. 7.
With the expansion to the 12-team playoff, both of these teams still had an opportunity. An 11-1 independent Notre Dame with a loss to a 7-5 MAC team at home and a 10-2 Ohio State with losses at No. 1 Oregon and at home vs. an unranked Michigan would have been eliminated from both BCS Championship and the 4 team College Football Playoff consideration. Now, they’re playing for a national title.
Keys for game:
The game will come down to a few key points for both teams: establishing the run, limiting explosive plays, number of turnovers, program culture, and big time players making big time plays.
Keys for the Irish
Notre Dame will need to force Ohio State to play Notre Dame's brand of football. Limited passing, running the ball, being dominant in the trenches and on defense, and using special teams to their advantage. Notre Dame isn’t going to blow them out of the water, but they can win if they force Ohio State out of their comfort zone. Michigan and Texas have given the Notre Dame defense the blue print it needs to win, and it’s hard to imagine the Irish being blown out while following it. In addition to that, Notre Dame will need to keep doing what they have done all season: show more heart and fight than the team on the other sideline. Every single player on the roster would run through a wall for Marcus Freeman, and they need to use that to their advantage.
Keys for the Buckeyes
Ohio State will need to challenge all of Notre Dame’s weaknesses consistently throughout the game. The Irish will be down 6 starters for the National Championship, with several additional players being out or questionable for the game. In response, Notre Dame has fielded a number of freshman at several positions. The most notable exploitation will be in the secondary, as True Freshman Cornerback Leonard Moore replaced first round prospect Benjamin Morrison after he suffered a season ending hip injury. The Buckeyes will need to challenge him, as well as the entire ND secondary, who are known for playing over 56% of snaps in man-coverage. Running the ball will also be key, with Notre Dame being down 3 defensive line starters. Additionally, the defense will need to play lights out in the run game, as Notre Dame’s new four horsemen of Riley Leonard, Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, and Aneyas Williams comprise the majority of Notre Dame’s offensive game plan. Ohio State will need to make Riley Leonard beat them with his arm, but also realize that they cannot stack the box as much as Penn State did. The Nittany lions gave up a late passing TD to Notre Dame in the fourth quarter to tie the game after Penn State went into the half being up 10-3. Ryan Day just needs to make sure everyone does their job, coaching staff included, and he may just win his first National Championship as a head coach.
The Coaches
Marcus Freeman and Ryan Day have both led their programs on historic runs under their tenures, with Freeman going 33-9 in three seasons (and a bowl game) and Day going 69-10 in six seasons (including 3 games in the 2018 season when then OSU coach Urban Meyer was placed on administrative leave.)
Where to Watch
The game will be broadcasted nationally by ESPN on Monday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
