After starting almost five months ago, the 2024 college football season will conclude on Monday night with the crowning of a champion.
In the national championship game of the first 12-team College Football Playoff, Ohio State and Notre Dame will square off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. One of these esteemed programs is poised to add another trophy to its already impressive collection.
For the most part, the Ohio State Buckeyes have played like the top team in the nation, despite being seeded eighth. After cruising through their first three postseason games, Coach Ryan Day’s club cruised past Tennessee, Oregon, and Texas by a cumulative score of 59 points. The Cotton Bowl triumph over the Longhorns on January 10 (28-14) was the most arduous of the four; an 83-yard scoop-and-score touchdown by Jack Sawyer off a fumble recovery with 2:13 left was the game-winner.
The Fighting Irish, who had also been outstanding over the previous month, stand between Ohio State and its third national championship this century. Following a shocking 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois on September 7, No. 7 seed Notre Dame has won 13 in a row, with their most recent three victories coming in playoff games against Penn State, Georgia, and Indiana. Mitch Jeter kicked a 41-yard field goal with seven seconds left in the Orange Bowl on January 9th, giving the Irish the victory over the Nittany Lions (27-24).
The game will be a showdown between the Fighting Irish and Ohio State, the school where third-year coach Marcus Freeman played linebacker from 2004 to 2008. With a victory for Notre Dame, Freeman will become the first Black coach to win a national championship in FBS history.
Refreshed scoreboards for CFP championship games
TEAMS 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q F
Ohio State 0 14 — — —
Notre Dame 7 0 — — —
