Ohio State football is on the verge of winning its ninth national title in school history. The Buckeyes will face a resilient Notre Dame team in a matchup between two of the most iconic programs in the sport. Ryan Day's team enters the National Championship game as a heavy favorite over the higher-ranked Fighting Irish after steamrolling three straight opponents in the College Football Playoff.

Still, head coach Marcus Freeman's team cannot be underestimated. Like its opponent, Notre Dame has rebounded from a crushing loss earlier in the season in the best way possible. In the Fighting Irish's case, this embarrassing defeat came against unranked Northern Illinois. Notre Dame has won out since this setback and racked up three impressive wins over top ten teams.

While the No. 5 Fighting Irish's home victory over No. 8 Indiana was expected, the wins over No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Penn State shut a lot of doubters up. Heading into the Sugar Bowl, this historic program had not won a New Year's Six caliber bowl game since 1994. Now, Marcus Freeman's team has claimed two and is looking to win its first national title since 1988. Both programs are looking for redemption in college football's last game, having lost handily the previous time they were here.

Overall, Notre Dame goes into this with clear strengths designed to cover its weaknesses. The Fighting Irish, for the most part, have successfully concealed their flaws against inferior or short-handed opponents. The team closest to trapping Marcus Freeman's team in non-ideal situations recently was in the 2025 Orange Bowl against Penn State. Ohio State can ultimately follow a similar blueprint to the Nittany Lions and, with its superior talent, capture a national title in what would be a remarkable turnaround for the program.

Notre Dame has a clearcut gameplan 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) hands the ball to Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) during the first quarter at Caesars Superdome.
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Fighting Irish's biggest strength is their defense. Marcus Freeman's team has developed one of the top units in the country, adept at stopping both the pass and the run. The secondary is the less susceptible of these two units to getting exposed, as it ranks second in the nation in yards allowed per game.

It is important to note that the Fighting Irish have only faced one elite passing attack in Indiana this season. And the Hoosiers do not have the weapons on the outside that the Buckeyes do. In addition, the Fighting Irish haven't had their best corner, Benjamin Morrison, for most of the year. The junior captain would have been the guy who matched up with superstar Jeremiah Smith in this game.

Still, Notre Dame having an elite secondary does not mean Chip Kelly and the offense should take on a balanced approach in this game. The Buckeyes need to be as aggressive as possible in the passing attack. But it might take a few more cracks at this defense than most opponents for Ohio State football to put up points. And that possibility aligns with the key of this game: time of possession.

Marcus Freeman's team wants to run the ball down opponents' throats and wear them down by the fourth quarter. While they can get away with splitting possession time in the regular season, in the College Football Playoff, the Fighting Irish have won the possession battle on all three occasions. And Notre Dame needs to do the same against Ohio State.

If Chip Kelly doesn't implement a game plan similar to the one against Michigan, the Buckeyes will eventually put up points. But they have to be on the field to do so. Quarterback Riley Leonard and running back Jeremiyah Love pose an elite combination in the ground game that will necessitate extra attention from the Buckeyes' defense. The two must be contained on January 20 in the running attack. If they are, Ohio State can exploit its opponent's primary weakness.

Notre Dame's main weakness is its receiving core

Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs (2) celebrates after tackling Michigan State Spartans running back Nate Carter (5) in the first half at Spartan Stadium on Saturday.
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Credit to the Fighting Irish for showing another side to its offense against Penn State. Notre Dame was down by two possessions in the 2025 Orange Bowl and fell into some obvious passing situations. And they responded. Even though he had two interceptions, Riley Leonard threw for his highest yard total since October 12. That included an electric 54-yard touchdown to Jaden Greathouse to tie the game at 24-24 with less than five minutes left.

Despite Notre Dame's passing attack rising to the occasion against Penn State, the Fighting Irish wideout core and the Buckeyes' secondary should be a mismatch. Greathouse is Notre Dame's leading receiver, with 464 yards this season and two touchdowns. The sophomore showed he can be dynamic in certain instances, but some of these plays came on total busts from Penn State's secondary.

Ohio State's secondary is letting up the lowest amount of passing yards in the country. While the defense is also very good at stopping the run, it should stack the box against the Fighting Irish. This secondary, led by Unanimous All-American safety Caleb Downs, is talented enough to be comfortable in single coverage against Notre Dame's receivers. The Buckeyes took on a similar strategy against Penn State and let up just 13 points against the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley. The expectations for this unit regarding point total should be the same heading into this clash with the Fighting Irish.

What's at stake for Ohio State football

It felt like Ryan Day's seat was on fire a little over a month ago after a brutal home loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes have responded to this adversity in the best way possible and now look destined to hoist the national championship trophy in Atlanta. But the job is not done yet.

There are still fans and doubters who cannot let go of the Michigan loss. And no matter what Ryan Day does, those people won't forgive him for what happened on November 30. But if the Buckeyes win this game, it's clear that they have the right man in charge of their program. A loss, however, and the questions about whether Ryan Day should have a long-term future in Columbus will begin to emerge again. This team's legacy will ultimately be determined on January 20.