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Buckeyes 0-0 Ireland 11:39 1st Q.
The Irish are on the move against this good Buckeyes defense. Mitchell makes a first down catch. Later, Love holds a reception at her apartment. They’re on the other side of midfield!
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Buckeyes 0-0 Ireland 13:13 1st Q
With Leonard on 3rd-and-3, the QB sneaked for the second time on the drive, this time going up the middle for a first down.
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Updated at 7:52 PM ET
We’re leaving!
Riley Leonard is the captain and quarterback of the Irish national team. On the first play from scrimmage, Love had the ball, but was wrapped for a short loss! Ball at Irish 19.
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Toin costume
OSU calls the tails and it’s the tails, but they’re different. Notre Dame gets the ball and begins this national championship game!
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I’m here
Notre Dame walks through a door with a traditional sign that reads, “Let’s play like champions today.” They will then be surrounded by lasers. The same goes for Osu. Finally, both teams are released and run onto the field through a path of more sparkling fireworks. A band plays and cheerleaders cheer. Such is the glitz and circumstance of college football, once an amateur endeavor, now a paid job. It should feel big, but let’s be honest, it actually isn’t.
It’s probably me, not you.
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Updated at 7:48 PM ET
national anthem
Coco Jones is a seven-time Grammy-nominated R&B singer.
There’s a really big flag, which is standard, but it kind of waves. Of course, since it’s indoors, there will be some spectacular fireworks.
But this is amazing! What a great job! It was the best I’ve heard in a while! I give it 9/10. As expected of Coco!
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in slow motion
For those who didn’t see this, Jeremiah Love’s candidacy at Notre Dame vs. Penn State seemed to ignore physics.
In honor of tonight’s Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Championship, we present you with the greatest 2-yard run in college football history.
In super slow motion. I can’t seem to watch it even for the 10th time.
Jeremiah Love shows what pure will can do to an army. ☘️ pic.twitter.com/EBThZSPOpj
— Rick Golfs (@Top100Rick) January 20, 2025
Notre Dame’s offense is all about the running game. Love has to have a big night if Notre Dame is going to steal this Natty.
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big beef
Is it strange that there’s a war of words between 88-year-old former Notre Dame head coach and OSU assistant Lou Holtz and current Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day? Yeah, but it’s also weird that this OSU team has a payroll of $20 million.
Anyway, Lou Holtz, who was thoroughly hated by everyone but Notre Dame fans while he was South Bend’s coach, once said something about the Buckeyes’ lack of physicality. Then, in September of last season, OSU defeated Notre Dame. On the field after the game, Ryan Day brought up Holtz’s comments, rambling, “I want to know where Lou Holtz is now.” The answer is that he was almost 90 years old, so he was probably at home. Now, the rift has resurfaced, with Holtz set to travel to Atlanta to watch the Irish try to upset OSU. Perhaps Holtz will be the lucky charm the Irish need? Yes, I wrote that.
Ohio State has the talent, but Notre Dame has the heart, culture and defense to win this game.
Be patient, run the football and trust the process.
Notre Dame narrowly won by three.
Remember, we are Notre Dame and they are not. pic.twitter.com/uDKng78jNe
— Lou Holtz (@CoachLouHoltz88) January 15, 2025
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Who needs tickets?
I hope you have deep pockets. Just getting into a big house in Atlanta costs $4,000 in a big house, and that’s the price of one upstairs seat. That equates to about $1 for every mile the jet-flying college students drive as they fly across the country in this tournament. Oh, I hope they had time to study!
In fact, OSU’s team grade point average is 3.3, so this seems to be an anomaly considering the lives of student-athletes. This is good news for OSU head coach Ryan Day. He will receive an impressive $500,000 if his team’s GPA exceeds 3.0.
As a side note, if you want the best seats, it will cost you close to $12,000. This is expensive. If you have a dash, you still have time! Or you can have the grand total be 0 USD. it’s up to you!
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Updated on 19.14 ET
It’s live!
Hello. Welcome to live coverage of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, the national championship game, Notre Dame vs. Ohio State. I said so, right? The branding is a bit complicated, but that doesn’t stop millions of soccer-devouring Americans from watching these games in droves. The tournament features some of the nation’s largest college programs and has been a complete commercial success, with those invested enjoying ratings and rewards. The Finals also move further and further away from college football’s traditional New Year’s fun, with both teams gearing up for the 16th game in what should be the longest college football season ever.
But don’t worry about that. We have a ballgame, and it doesn’t get any bigger for Notre Dame. One of the most respected and storied football programs in the United States, the Fighting Irish were the first program to be nicknamed “America’s Team,” a nickname that annoyed almost everyone except Notre Dame fans. I set it. For all the charm attached to the program, they haven’t won a national title since 1988. Being in the finals is kind of a surprise, especially considering the loss to Northern Illinois earlier in the season. In the past, losing to a 28-point underdog that Notre Dame paid $1.4 million just to come to South Bend and play would have been a death sentence for anyone aiming for a national title. There are now 12 teams invited to the playoffs instead of four, so there is more room for error. So the Irish’s subsequent 13-game winning streak earned them an invite, and a stunning victory over Penn State in the semifinals earned them a spot to challenge for all the marbles in Atlanta.
As is often the case in college sports, players are coming and going more than ever before, and the main character is the head coach. Marcus Freeman is just 39 years old and one of only 16 Black head coaches on 134 teams in what is known as the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. If he wins against Ohio State, he will become the first black head coach to win a national title. This is an important milestone, and so is Martin Luther King Day in the United States. And if Notre Dame wins, it will be the defense that will make the difference. The Irish have the No. 2 “D” in the country.
Ohio State? Well, their defense is arguably even better than Notre Dame’s, which poses a problem for the Irish’s strong offensive line. That’s one reason the Buckeyes are favorites to win this game by 8.5 points and claim their first national championship since 2014. Like Notre Dame, OSU had its share of regular season pitfalls, including a shocking loss to kryptonite Michigan in league play. The last regular season weekend of the season. A 21-point upset at home led to a players-only meeting, and the Buckeyes were emboldened, posting blowout wins over Oregon State and Texas on the way to the finals in Atlanta.
The best players on the field tonight will wear red and white. Proud 19-year-old wide receiver Jeremiah Smith tore up defenses this season, gaining nearly 190 yards and scoring two touchdowns against the then-No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinals. Whether Notre Dame can put the brakes on this future top-five NFL pick will have a lot to do with the Irish’s ability to close out this game.
So a big matchup? Of course, it’s comparable in size to the inauguration of a U.S. president. Get your pom poms ready for the national championship game. If you’re bored, mark us with an X or send us an email. Then I’ll make you famous!
Stay tuned for more coverage: We’d love to hear from you!
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David will be here soon. Here’s a message from the Associated Press about the importance of today’s game:
Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman felt more comfortable talking about the national championship his players have a chance to win on Monday night than the history that comes with success.
Still, Freeman’s fate, his bid to become the first African-American coach to win the highest level college title in America’s most popular sport, and what’s happening in America on the big game day. We cannot ignore the connection. .
Monday, January 20th is National Title Day, as well as the day the United States celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. and the inauguration of Donald Trump’s second term as president. Dr. King dedicated his life to fighting for inclusivity and equality. Diversity efforts are under increasing scrutiny on college campuses today.
“The timing of Marcus Freeman and Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a powerful symbol that should be viewed with caution and optimism,” said Joseph Cooper, director of the Institute for Innovative Leadership in Sports at the University of Massachusetts. “And the incoming administration and their public commitments to roll back DEI policies reflect not only the breaking down of barriers to first movers, but the perils and long journey we still have to travel.”
Freeman’s potential breakthrough comes more than 40 years after the first Black basketball coach to do the same, and a mediocre minority recruiting record that has shadowed college sports for decades. This backdrop shows how much progress these sports still have to make. Take it home.
“The black coaches of today are the black quarterbacks of the ’70s,” said Rod Broadway, who coached at historically black schools Grambling State University and North Carolina A&T. He talked about the once-unusual sight of playing.
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