ATLANTA, Jan. 20 (UPI) — Premier defenses led by the stingiest secondaries in the country most likely will determine the outcome of the College Football Playoff finale, with Notre Dame and Ohio State meeting Monday in Atlanta.
The midwestern melee concludes the inaugural 12-team playoff. Both teams also will play their 16th game, the most ever played in a single college football campaign.
“That’s what you come to Notre Dame for is to have the opportunity like this and the chance to compete for a national championship,” Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser told reporters.
“And to know that you’ve done everything you can up to this point to put us in a position to go out there and compete and know that’s going to be the last time you wear that gold helmet, it’s pretty special.”
More than 70,000 fans are expected to attend the title game. Ticket prices on the secondary market ranged from about $2,200 to more than $10,000 as of Monday morning.
The seventh-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-1) and No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (13-2) will kick off at 7:30 p.m. EST from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game will air on ESPN.
The Buckeyes, who are 8 1/2-point favorites, boast many of the nation’s top players and premier prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft, backed by $20 million in name, image and likeness support. They are statistically superior to the Irish by several measures.
But the Irish, who have the country’s longest winning streak at 13 games, continue to grind out close wins, often leaning on forced turnovers to snatch momentum.
“This is an excellent team that has just found a way to win week in and week out,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said of the Irish. “I think they have over 140 points off of turnovers. They play great in all three phases.
“You talk about offense, defense and special teams, these guys are really good on special teams. They keep you on your heels all the time. They fake punts, they fake field goals, they find different creative ways to get guys in the game. They’ve done onside kicks. They’ve done reverses on kickoff return. They’re very, very good in all three phases.”
Blanketing Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith will be critical for the Irish. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound pass catcher is often lauded as one of the best playmakers in college football.
With the Irish’s lack of explosion on offense and team philosophy of establishing their running game while stopping their foes’ ground attack, winning the time of possession battle could determine who wins the trophy.
“We got to do what we do,” Irish coach Marcus Freeman said. “And we’re going to trust our guys to get the job done no matter what we call defensively.
“I still believe strongly we have to stop the run. We’ve got to do some things defensively to make sure we can stop the run, and we’ve got to be really good in the red zone. That’s going to be something we have to be, is really good in red zone. And then we’ve just got to do some things to make the quarterback try to think and not keep him in rhythm.
“It’ll be a difficult challenge, but we’re looking forward to it.”
The Buckeyes are 6-2 all-time against the Irish, winning the last six meetings. They are looking to win their ninth title, with their last coming in 2015. The Irish, who own 11 titles, will try to win their first crown since 1988. Their last win over the Buckeyes occurred in 1936.
Dual threat quarterback Riley Leonard and running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price pace an Irish offense that scored the sixth-most points per game (37) this season. They totaled the 14th-most rushing yards (210.8) per bout.
On defense, the Irish forced a national-best 32 turnovers, contributing to a turnover margin of plus17 — compared to the Buckeyes’ plus 4 clip. The Irish also scored a national-best six defensive touchdowns.
They allowed the second fewest passing yards per game and own the fifth-best third-down defense. Their 14.2 points allowed per game rank second-best in the country, trailing only the Buckeyes’ 12.2.
Xavier Watts and fellow safety Adon Shuler join Kiser among the top Irish defenders. They’ll be tasked with smothering Smith and fellow Buckeyes star pass catcher Emeka Egbuka when they are targeted by quarterback Will Howard. They’ll also attempt to corral TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins and the Buckeyes’ rushing attack.
Led by Smith and Howard, the Buckeyes boast one of the nation’s most efficient passing offenses. Their offensive line allowed the 10th-fewest sacks. The Buckeyes and Irish each totaled just 15 turnovers lost this season.
“My mindset is just go out there and dominate the person that’s in front of me, just do what I’ve been doing for the last two to three weeks, I should say,” Smith said. “But they play man on man, so I’m just ready for the challenge.”
Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and defensive ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer are among the Buckeyes defenders to watch. A secondary that includes Caleb Downs, Denzel Burke, Lathan Ransom, Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock, which allowed a national-best 161.1 passing yards per game this season, will attempt to eliminate aerial success for the Irish.
The Buckeyes’ pass rush, which totaled the third-most sacks (3.4) per game this season, will test the Irish offensive line. Their interior defensive line, which allowed the third-fewest rushing yards (89.9) per game will key on the legs of Love and Leonard.
“Obviously it would mean the world to me,” Leonard said of bringing a championship to Notre Dame. “It’s kind of something I’ve dreamed of my whole life. To be at a school like this and be able to represent a school like this and lead them to a national championship so far, it’s truly an honor and something I don’t take for granted.
“I take a lot of pride in wearing the blue and gold. I know our fans for a very long time have been very loyal to this program, through the ups and downs since 1988. It would be an honor to deliver them another one.”
