The Ohio State Buckeyes are the kings of college football after taking down Notre Dame for the National Championship.
Notre Dame and Ohio State participated in the longest college football season of all time by reaching the National Championship. The 12-team playoff format brought teams into the mix that would’ve never got a shot in previous years. Every conference champion that received a first-round bye (4) lost in their first game. While these two teams suffered horrific losses during the regular season, they proved that they deserved to play for a National Championship.
College Football Playoff Round One
Ohio State and Notre Dame fought their way into the College Football Playoff (CFP), both receiving first-round home games. Notre Dame’s season lowlight was losing to Northern Illinois at home as huge favorites; Since then, they finished the regular season 9-0 and were considered one of the hottest teams in college football.
Ohio State finished their regular season with a grueling loss to their rival Michigan, kicking them out of the Big 10 Championship. The Buckeyes had a lot to prove, and what better time to do it than the CFP.
Notre Dame kicked off the 12-team playoff with a home game against 10-seeded Indiana. This matchup between in-state rivals created a lot of buzz and excitement for the development of the College Football Playoffs. From the start, Notre Dame dominated this game by keeping Indiana’s offense off the field. Notre Dame advanced to the quarterfinal round after a 27-17 win over the Indiana Hoosiers.
Ohio State hosted its first-round CFP matchup against the #9 seed Tennessee Volunteers. Fans wondered how Ohio State would respond after the last game of the season against Michigan. Luckily for the Buckeyes, they struck early and never looked back, going up 21-0 in the first quarter. The Buckeyes went on to win 42-17, propelling them to a quarterfinal rematch against Oregon.
CFP Quarterfinals
A tough challenge awaited the Fighting Irish as they made their way to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. The SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs sat high and mighty on their throne, thinking they could waltz into the Semifinals. Notre Dame had other ideas, as they smothered the Bulldogs’ backup Quarterback Gunnar Stockton. Georgia couldn’t move the ball and the Irish took advantage, winning 23-10.
During their week seven matchup in Eugene, The Oregon Ducks snuck away with a 32-31 win over the Buckeyes. Ohio State was out for blood in the Rose Bowl, setting up Jeremiah Smith for a 45-yard touchdown play on the second play. They never let their foot off the gas, taking a 31-0 lead just past midway through the second quarter. After that, the Buckeyes coasted to victory in Pasadena, taking home the Rose Bowl Trophy with a 41-21 win.
CFP Semifinals
Two teams reprimanded for being unable to win big games met in the Orange Bowl, Penn State and Notre Dame. Miami, Florida hosted what was widely considered a ‘battle for the ages’, with both teams trading punches. However, Notre Dame’s defense stepped up in a big way, intercepting Penn State QB Drew Allar twice. After putting away a field goal to go up three points, Notre Dame punched their ticket to the National Championship.
Ohio State was in for a battle, traveling to the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, which was enemy territory. The Texas Longhorns had won back-to-back games in the CFP against Clemson, and a thriller against Arizona State. Like the previous two CFP games, Ohio State found the endzone on their first drive.
Texas, however, held their own and kept up with the Ohio State offense with two touchdowns from their RB Jaydon Blue. With 2:30 left in the game, Ohio State DE Jack Sawyer returned an 83-yard fumble recovery to the endzone to advance.
CFP National Championship
Notre Dame and Ohio State can say that they completed the hardest road to a National Championship game ever. Three wins, all against AP top-10 opponents, no other team in college football history could fathom that.
Notre Dame kicked things off with a near 11-minute opening drive resulting in a touchdown. Ohio State answered back, tying it up at seven a piece from a touchdown caught by freshman Jeremiah Smith. The Buckeyes offense kicked into high gear in the second quarter, scoring two touchdowns by way of RB Quinshon Judkins.
After receiving the ball in the second half, Quinshon Judkins made it a 28-7 game with another rushing touchdown. Late in the third quarter, it seemed that all was lost for Notre Dame, but they were not going to lay down. Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard launched a deep ball into the endzone that was caught by WR Jaden Greathouse. The two-point conversion gave Notre Dame life, making it 31-15 going into the fourth quarter.
Not much action occurred until late in the fourth when Leonard found Greathouse in the endzone again for another touchdown. Another two-point conversion for the Irish made it a one-possession game with four minutes left.
Ohio State had the ball back in their own territory to begin possibly their final drive of the game. Then, with 2:40 left on the clock on 3rd and 11, Will Howard completed a deep shot to Jeremiah Smith to seal the game. The catch by the freshman receiver put the Buckeyes on Notre Dame’s 10-yard line, in perfect field goal range.
The Ohio State Buckeyes completed their long journey, winning the National Championship by a score of 34-23.
Reactions
The Ohio State Buckeyes quieted the haters by completing the most difficult playoff run in college football history. An emotional Ryan Day commented after the game: “I just can’t say enough about our guys and what they’ve overcome to get to this point. They now have something to show for it.”
Notre Dame turned their season around after their early loss to Northern Illinois at home. Since that week two loss, Marcus Freeman and the Irish went on a 13-0 run before the National Championship game. Postgame, Freeman spoke about the end of the Irish’s season: “There’s not many words to say when everyone’s hurting. I’m just proud of them, proud of what they’ve done.”
A common narrative surrounding the Buckeyes’ championship was the idea that this is one of the greatest National Championship run of all time. The 12-team CFP format introduced this year gave way to many great matchups, especially games we never thought we’d see. No National Champion has ever had to play four top-10 teams in a row to win a title. Ohio State’s season was tainted by two close regular season losses, but this championship will be remembered for years to come.

Jean Duffy
February 5, 2025 at 12:09 am
Great article DJ!