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The Ohio State football team won the national championship on Monday as they took down Notre Dame 34-23. Coming into this season, we all knew that the Buckeyes were going to be one of the best teams in the country as they had an incredibly loaded roster. The regular season didn't end up going to plan for Ohio State as they lost to Oregon and Michigan, but because of the 12-team College Football Playoff, they got a chance to compete for a national title when in past year's, the season would've been over after losing to the Wolverines. Ohio State took advantage of the opportunity.
After the first drive of the national championship game, it really looked like the Notre Dame football team might have a shot in this one. The Fighting Irish chewed up over nine minutes of game clock and they scored a touchdown to go up 7-0. However, Ohio State started to dominate after that drive.
The Buckeyes quickly responded with an impressive drive of their own to make it 7-7 early in the second quarter, and Notre Dame wasn't able to get anything going offensively in the first half after that first drive. Ohio State got stops, and then they went down and got scores. By the time the second quarter ended, the seven-point lead that the Fighting Irish entered with turned into a 14-point deficit.
Ohio State started the second half strong as well as they scored a touchdown on their first drive, and then they kicked a field goal after Notre Dame failed to convert a fake punt. It was 31-7, and the Fighting Irish were showing no signs of life. Then, everything changed.
Notre Dame scored a touchdown and got the two-point conversion to make it a two-score game, but they were still in a big hole. Then, with just under five minutes to go in the game, they did the same thing. All of a sudden, it was a one-score game, and Notre Dame just needed one stop to get the ball back with a chance to tie it.
The Fighting Irish found a way to get Ohio State into a third and 12 situation, but a deep ball to Jeremiah Smith crushed the comeback effort. Ohio State kicked a late field goal and won the game 34-23.
When one season ends, everyone immediately starts to look forward to next season, and betting odds drop for who is going to be crowned the national champion in the 2025 season. The Buckeyes are favored to win it again, but they are losing a ton of talent from this year's team. Here are the three biggest stars that they will have to replace.
1. Quinshon Judkins
Quinson Judkins proved that he was worth every penny in the national championship game as he had a monster game for the Buckeyes. Judkins ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, and he also had two receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown. It was a huge performance.
Ohio State is always going to have their talented wide receivers, but losing their star running backs will be tough next year. You saw what happened when Michigan completely shut down the run game. It allowed them to stop the passing game too. Judkins will be missed next year.
2. TreVeyon Henderson
The other star running back is going to be missed as well. TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins were both top RBs in college football next year, and they will both be gone next season. Henderson was quiet during the national title game, but he made a big impact throughout the season. The Buckeyes won't have the same talent at the RB position next season.
3. Emeka Egbuka
Emeka Egbuka was overshadowed a bit by Jeremiah Smith this year, but Ohio State football fans know how important he is to this team. Egbuka is going to be a star at the next level, and he will be missed next year. The Buckeyes will likely reload once again at the position, but a duo of Egbuka and Smith is one that doesn't come around often, and it will definitely be hard to replace next year.
Ohio State isn't going to be as talented next year as they were this year, but they should still be one of the best teams in college football, and it would be shocking if they didn't make the College Football Playoff.
College Football Playoff recap
Now, the college football season is over, and the Ohio State football team is the last one still standing. It was a year unlike anything we ever seen in college football, and a big reason for that is the new College Football Playoff format. Let's recap what went down in the final month of the season.
It feels like forever ago that we watched this Notre Dame football team kick off the College Football Playoff with a win over Indiana at home in the first round. The Fighting Irish were joined by Ohio State, Penn State and Texas as winners of first round games.
All four of those first round winners went on to advance to the semifinals as well. What we learned this year as that the first-round bye might not have been a good thing as all four teams that got one lost. Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas all advanced.
The semifinal round was definitely the most entertaining of the four rounds in this year's College Football Playoff. Ohio State took on Texas, and Notre Dame played Penn State. Both were fantastic games that came down to the wire. The Buckeyes beat Texas on a late scoop n' scoop touchdown as the Longhorns were threatening to the tie the game, and the Fighting Irish won on a field goal in the final seconds.
Those wins in the semis set the stage for Monday night's national championship game, and it ended up being a better game than a lot of people thought. Outside of Columbus, everyone was hoping for Notre Dame to get the ball with a chance to tie it as the people wanted chaos, but the Buckeyes didn't let that happen. They are on top of the college football world until a new champion is crowned.
