The reality that Notre Dame and Ohio State will compete for the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship hasn’t really set in for me, but it’s here.
Monday will mark the trilogy three years in the making between the Fighting Irish and Buckeyes. Ohio State won the first two rounds: 21-10 in Columbus in 2022, and 17-14 in South Bend, Indiana, in 2023.
But this one is different. This one will be for a national championship.
I will share content all weekend leading up to kickoff Monday night and throughout the game. Stories, statistics and quotes are what I’m thinking right now. Of course there will be more as the game plays out, and you’ll find the best links for the national title game here at JacobBenge.com.
Link to Live Stats — statbroadcast.com
Postgame
Second quarter
OSU 14 | 7 ND 1:25: Ohio State quarterback Will Howard’s 12 straight completions are a national championship game record, according to ESPN.
OSU 14 | 7 ND 6:15: Pretty strong second drive for the Buckeyes. Especially after forcing Notre Dame to a three-and-out. Great effort by Quinshon Judkins.
OSU 7 | 7 ND 14:20: Jeremiah Smith Jr. catches his first touchdown in the national championship, an 8-yarder. It capped a long drive from Ohio State which lasted more than six minutes.
First Quarter
OSU 0 | 7 ND 5:15: Eighteen plays might be the longest I’ve seen in a drive. Notre Dame converted two fourth downs. Ohio State is trailing for the first time this Playoff. EDITED 4:15 IN SECOND QUARTER: According to ESPN’s Chris Fowler, this was the longest drive in Playoff history. It lasted 9:45.
OSU 0 | 0 ND 15:00: This is going to be a fistfight.
Pregame
List of links
- College Football Playoff game preview
- Notre Dame game notes
- Ohio State game notes
- Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame head coach profile
- Ryan Day’s Ohio State head coach profile
Sunday’s press conference
My players to watch
| Notre Dame | Ohio State |
| Riley Leonard | Jack Sawyer |
| Jeremiyah Love | Will Howard |
| Jadarian Price | Jeremiah Smith |
Records to keep an eye on
- Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is within:
- 3 catches to surpass K.J. Hill’s record of 201 receptions and become the program’s all-time leader. BROKEN IN SECOND QUARTER.
- 95 receiving yards to surpass Michael Jenkins’ record of 2,898 yards and become the program’s all-time leader.
Posts from X
Travis Scott is in the building
Key matchups from the CFP
Ohio State’s game trailer is narrated by LeBron James
Notre Dame’s national championship pregame video
Ohio State posts a pregame look at the field
Storylines
Marcus Freeman is from Dayton
Notre Dame named Huber Heights native for Marcus Freeman its head coach on Dec. 3, 2021. Freeman was defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Cincinnati from 2017-21 before joining the Fighting Irish in the same roles.
Freeman’s football career traces back to Wayne High School. He spent his college career at Ohio State.
Freeman led Notre Dame to a national championship appearance in his third season as head coach. He joined five other Fighting Irish head coaches who did similarly, including: Frank Leahy in 1943; Ara Pareseghian in 1966; Dan Devine in 1977; Lou Holtz in 1988; and Brian Kelly in 2012.
Will Lou Holtz appear at the national championship?
OK, so Holtz wasn’t actually in Pat McAfee’s interview during ESPN’s College GameDay on Monday night.
Ryan Day’s unforgettable postgame interview in South Bend after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame at the final second of the fourth quarter struck me immediately after the game in 2023. It was different for Day, but after thinking some about that, maybe it wasn’t. He’s always stood up for his players. He’s always stood up for his team in moments of adversity. Day’s point after the second matchup was that the Buckeyes could compete with any other team, go on the road and be tough.
Day and the Buckeyes face the ultimate challenge Monday night. It’s a night that many seniors returned to Ohio State dreaming for. And it could end with college football’s ultimate prize: the national championship.
How to watch and listen
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: ESPN Radio
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