“Georgia”

(Photo: The Ohio Podcast)

College Football Playoff- National Championship 

(8) Ohio State Buckeyes at (7) Notre Dame Fighting Irish 

Ohio State: I’ve mentioned since their regular season finale loss that they have played with a new rejuvenation. They handled Tennessee at home and got their revenge against the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl. Those performances were strong, don’t get me wrong, but how they played the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl was the best all-around football game I’ve seen from them. When their explosive plays were taken away down the field, they adjusted and implemented another game plan along with taking what the Texas defense gave them. That Semifinal game wasn’t easy by all means, and although they never trailed, they didn’t take control of the football game until late and then pulled away. What sealed the deal was the Jack Sawyer sack, strip, scoop and score on Quinn Ewers then took it to the house for 83 yards. Those are the plays that make you a legend on campus.  I still remember when fans and social media were calling for Ryan Day to be fired. I’d love to sit down with those people now and talk to them just to see if they’ve had a change of heart and since that loss to the Michigan Wolverines, the Ohio State Buckeyes have been clicking and steamrolling through the competition. The Offensive Line has been holding its own up front and Will Howard has had all the time in the world to throw the football from the pocket, they have a two-headed monster at Running Back in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins along with the best trio of Wide Receivers in the country in Carnell Tate, Emeka Egbuka and of course, Jeremiah Smith. On the other side, this was my favorite defense to watch this year and everyone can bring up the money they may have spent on their added players, but I see a group of veterans that came together and play so well collectively as a unit if you ask me. They are back in the National Title game for the first time since the 2020 season and will look to win their first natty since the 2014 season tonight in Atlanta.

Notre Dame: What a season it has been for them. No matter where they may be ranked, they will always be discussed in our sport. They should be thankful that the College Football Playoff was extended to 12 teams and I say this because after they lost to Northern Illinois on September 7th, I believe the odds would’ve been stacked against them if the format were still the four-team bracket. Yes, they did win out and won their remaining games to finish out the regular season, but I have a strong feeling the committee would’ve hung the “they didn’t play in a conference title game” over their heads as they don’t play in a conference and are independent. But, we don’t have to worry about that. They were extremely business like against the Indiana Hoosiers and when they played the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl, they gave the team who’s been a bully to so many since 2021 a taste of their own medicine making them think they had a shot when they moved the football down the field, but shut them down each time they made it to the red zone. Let’s talk about the Orange Bowl! That’s one of the best games I’ve been fortunate to watch all season long (NFL or College) and just as many of you, I was expecting a lower scoring game, but the contest ended up being the game I knew it would be which was a physical showdown. When the Fighting Irish needed a big play, they got one from the Quarterback, Riley Leonard who isn’t known as a threat with his arm, but more so with his legs. This is a football team that won’t beat you with the explosives, but depend on a strong running game, Riley manages things and a defense that’s one of the best in the country under Marcus Freeman. Even against Penn State last round, the Nittany Lions were controlling the line of scrimmage and appeared to be the better team, then came the second half and adjustments were made. The last time they were in a National Title game was in 2013 and the last time they won it all was in 1988. Tonight, they will battle to bring a title back to South Bend.

Ohio State X-Factor: Carnell Tate-He’s the number three receiver on the depth chart behind Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith. Against the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl, Carnell was the leading receiver for the Buckeyes and despite dropping a wide open touchdown, he still had 87 yards receiving on seven receptions. On many other teams in the nation, Carnell would be a number one or second option, but not here in Columbus. Because he is a third option, he doesn’t receive as much attention from defenses which makes him key tonight and his ability to gain yards over the middle of the field will be crucial in this game. Carnell may not be their best receiver, but he’s still a nice option for Howard.

Notre Dame X-Factor: Jaden Greathouse– In this sport, you must be able to answer the call when your number is called upon and this kid did just that in the Orange Bowl last week, Jaden has been the leading Wide Receiver for the Fighting Irish this year and I understand the numbers may not be eye-popping, but that should show you how committed they are to running the football. Against Penn State, he caught seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown that tied the game at 24. Jaden enters this title game coming off the best game of his career and will need to duplicate that effort tonight if the Fighting Irish want to win this game and leave Atlanta as National Champions.

Final Thoughts: The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff will conclude tonight! Here, we have two blue bloods playing for the ultimate prize which is a championship. These two legendary programs opened up the regular season against each other in Columbus in 2022 and Ohio State escaped with a victory and in 2023, they met on a Saturday night in South Bend and Ohio State beat the Irish under the lights by three points. Both of these teams suffered tough losses during the regular season and have been on tears since. We have contrasting styles of football as Ohio State can play balanced, but they want to air the ball down the field in the passing game while Notre Dame wants to run, run and run the football some more. The key matchup to watch in this game is the secondary of Notre Dame against these Wide Receivers of Ohio State. One thing Notre Dame will do will play man coverage and I still remember the quote from Jeremiah Smith daring teams to play man, so it will be interesting to see how Notre Dame elects to defend number four. I’d come out and play man with zone disguised over the top. The keys for Ohio State to establish their own running game early, get Jeremiah going early on and most importantly, take care of the ball as this is a Notre Dame defense that will make you pay for mistakes. On the Irish side, they need long and sustained drives on offense, cash in on turnovers if they force any and get pressure on Will Howard. Which Quarterback can avoid making that mistake? That could be a crucial in this game tonight. Ohio State won the title during the inaugural season of the four-team College Football Playoff, and they will do the same in the first year of the 12-team bracket. I like the Buckeyes.

Prediction: Ohio State 28, Notre Dame 20

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *