The Ohio State Buckeyes are in the college football national championship game for the first time since the 2020 season and third time in the College Football Playoff era. Quarterback Will Howard, head coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20, marking their ninth meeting overall and first since September 2023.
In an AMA on the college football Reddit, Columbus Dispatch Ohio State beat writer Joey Kaufman, South Bend Tribune Notre Dame beat writer Mike Berardino and USA TODAY Sports Network senior writer Matt Hayes answered questions about who will win the College Football Playoff final and how, parity in the sport, the futures of Day and Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and much more. Here is a recap of the AMA, edited for length and clarity.
Who will win the national championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame and why?
Kaufman: It’s hard not to take Ohio State. I like the Buckeyes by two scores. Too many weapons on offense, especially at wide receiver. The defense isn’t yielding much at all. Feels like the team is on a mission. But the Irish held them to 17 and 21 points in their last two meetings, so it won’t be easy to move the ball.
Berardino: I’m picking Notre Dame 33-27 in double overtime. As Riley Leonard says, culture wins.
Hayes: Ohio State, but after what Notre Dame has produced in the playoff — winning games with a stout defense and smart football — I wouldn’t be shocked in the least if the Irish won.
What should Notre Dame’s strategy be for victory against Ohio State?
Kaufman: Pull Ohio State into a rock fight or slog in the same way that Michigan did. The conditions are more favorable to Notre Dame if they force the Buckeyes to play between the hashmarks.
Berardino: Use the play clock on offense, shorten the game and use Riley Leonard on designed runs to keep the chains moving. Be smart with the ball, work quick slants and crossers underneath and don’t ask too much of a banged-up offensive line. Do that, and the defense and special teams will have a chance to make a difference.
What is the most intriguing position group matchup you are looking forward to in Notre Dame vs. Ohio State?
Kaufman: Fascinated to see ND’s secondary versus Ohio State’s receivers. The Irish have the No. 1 pass efficiency defense in the FBS. Texas, which is No. 2, was better able to limit the Buckeyes’ vertical pass game than either Oregon or Tennessee. But the Irish won’t use the same formula as the Longhorns as they lean on more man coverage than zone. Will that be effective against superstar freshman Jeremiah Smith? Notre Dame did hold Marvin Harrison Jr. to just three catches last season, so worth monitoring.
Berardino: OSU wideouts vs. the sport’s top pass efficiency defense two years running. A year ago in South Bend, Marvin Harrison Jr. was held to three catches for 32 yards, but Emeka Egbuka and tight end Cade Stover (7 catches each) were problems. Some of the personnel has changed (Egbuka and Irish safety Xavier Watts aside), but I’d expect the Irish to stay true to their identity. “Deny My Man” is a Mike Mickens mantra, and his Notre Dame secondary does it better than any other at this level.
Hayes: The lines of scrimmage, where every game is won. ND is undersized in the front seven on defense, but held its own against Georgia and Penn State and often created havoc. Ohio State dominated the lines of scrimmage against Tennessee and Oregon, but had problems against Texas. I expect Notre Dame to be closer to the production Texas showed. You can’t play man on both Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. You have to bracket at least one. My guess is ND will roll coverage toward Smith, and take chances with Egbuka.
Between Marcus Freeman and Ryan Day, which would be more likely to move to an NFL job?
Kaufman: I’d give the edge to Day, because he has experience in the league, coaching with Chip Kelly in Philadelphia in 2015 and San Francisco in 2016, and there is also a life span to these jobs. They age you in dog years. Next year will mark his seventh season at Ohio State, a tenure at least as long as Urban Meyer’s. But winning a national title could reset things.
Berardino: Probably Day, who coached QBs for Chip Kelly in 2015-16 in the NFL. Freeman bounced around for two years as a player but has never coached in the pros. Then again, Freeman’s leadership chops and ability to connect will keep him on the NFL’s radar for as long as he keeps winning big at Notre Dame.
Hayes: A month ago, I’d say Ryan Day. Even if Ohio State wins the national title, there’s still a good portion of the fan base that isn’t happy with four consecutive losses to Michigan. Could it be enough to make him look for sane pastures in the NFL? Maybe. But the NFL isn’t any less stressful or demanding. All coaches know the business is hired to be fired. It’s only a matter of how long you can win enough to keep the wolf away. I’d be shocked if Marcus Freeman left Notre Dame in the near future for any job, college or NFL. And that includes his alma mater Ohio State, should Day leave.
What are some of the eccentricities of the Ohio State fan base that are truly unique to just us? And what is your favorite snack food during a game?
Kaufman: The intensity of the OSU fan base is different. The average Buckeye fan sitting in C deck has a deep familiarity with the roster. There are casuals, but I’m always struck by the depth of awareness. And I’m more of a beverage guy during games. Coffee and water keep me going. (The coffee maker at Jerry Wold was A-plus).
How much of the parity we’ve seen in the CFP in recent years is because of NIL and the transfer portal?
Kaufman: The transfer portal makes it harder for top teams to horde talent in the same way. Players don’t need to sit down on the depth chart for two or three years, but can look for opportunities elsewhere. I think that results in talent spreading out a little bit more.
Hayes: Great question. NIL is the rising tide that lifts all boats. It levels the playing field for some. The idea that NIL would further separate the haves from the have-nots was an unfounded myth. There will still be advantages to blueblood schools with huge collective budgets, but now there are options for the four- and five-star backups who don’t play as much as they want in Year 1. Now they can leave and make similar money elsewhere, and play right away. Coaches don’t care about players earning off their name, image and likeness. Coaches care about free player movement, and the lack of control.
The FCS playoff is 24 teams. How long do you reckon it will take for the FBS playoff to reach that size?
Kaufman: It took 10 years for the field to go from four teams to 12. Maybe another decade to expand closer to 24? So many decisions have been made in order to maximize revenue, and it’s hard not seeing a larger bracket with more games (i.e. TV inventory) doing just that.
Berardino: Let’s give the 12-team bracket a couple years to settle in before we start trying to double it! In the interim, the idea of turning conference championship weekend into a sort of play-in tournament expands the access and solves the CFP committee’s dilemma of how to treat conference championship game losers/non-winners.
How do you expect non-conference scheduling to be in the future? Would hypothetical matchups like Oregon vs. Alabama still be discussed and scheduled?
Hayes: Non-conference scheduling will change in the future, but not because of the CFP — because of the need to generate revenue.
Kaufman: The Buckeyes have some upcoming nonconference series with Texas, Alabama and Georgia, and those shouldn’t change. These sorts of regular-season games are important for athletic departments selling season-tickets, and with teams being able to withstand losses in the 12-team CFP era, they’re worth the risk, in my opinion.
Berardino: That all depends on the power conferences eventually getting to a uniform number of league games. That’s one aspect of James Franklin’s stump speech that makes sense to me. Some of his other ideas, not so much.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who will win Ohio State vs Notre Dame in CFP final? Expert predictions
