On Monday January 20th in the Mercedes Benz Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, the 6th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will face the 5th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the College Football National Championship. Ohio State is a 8.5-point favorite in this game. The Buckeyes last game was a 28-14 win over the Texas Longhorns last Friday in the Cotton Bowl. Notre Dame’s last game was a 27-24 win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl last Thursday. Since the November 30th ,2024, loss to Michigan the Ohio State Buckeyes have been on roll in the College Football Playoffs.

The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the 7th ranked Tennessee Volunteers, the top ranked Oregon Ducks, and the 3rd ranked Texas Longhorns by double digit points. Big plays in all three games made the big difference for the Ohio State victories. Notre Dame is aware of that and has to game plan the same way Texas game planned the Buckeyes. They are going to take freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith out of the game. In the Cotton Bowl against Texas, Smith had one catch for 3 yards in the game. Will Howard’s only interception in the Cotton Bowl was when he tried to force the ball to Smith. The problem with that game plan for the Fighting Irish is that Ohio State has many other ways to beat you.

In the Cotton Bowl Will Howard threw a screen pass to TreVeyon Henderson that went for a 75-yard touchdown with 13 seconds left in the half. Ohio State has playmakers on offense and defense. Buckeyes’ linebacker Jack Sawyer 83-yard strip sack recovery for a touchdown with 2:13 to go in the game was the dagger that ended Texas’s hopes in the Cotton Bowl.  Ohio State’s safety Caleb Downs interception after that iced the game for Ohio State. Don’t forget Caleb Downs also has punt return for touchdown against Indiana. With all of these weapons and different ways to win for the Buckeyes, it looks like it is going to be a long night for the Fighting Irish.