The college football season is near its end, and the final battle is approaching. On Jan. 20, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will clash against the Ohio State Buckeyes for the national championship. The game will air live on ESPN at 4:30 p.m. pacific time.
On the surface, both teams look like prime candidates to hoist the coveted trophy. However, one team is heavily favored to win it all. The Ohio State Buckeyes are 9.5 favorites, according to ESPN.
This margin is the second largest in national championship history. Why is a team that got embarrassed by a 7-5 Michigan squad favored by so much? Let’s take a deep dive and find out.
The Buckeyes’ 2024-25 playoff run has been nothing short of magical. It started with the complete annihilation of the Tennessee Volunteers 42-17 at home. In that game, star receiver Jeremiah Smith proved his dominance, catching six passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
The freshman’s captivating performance continued in the next game against the Oregon Ducks. Smith caught seven passes for 187 yards and two scores. Performances like these allowed Ohio State to cruise past Oregon 41-21 and take down the Texas Longhorns 28-14 in the semifinal.
Their offense is driving down the field.
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If spectators haven’t noticed already, Ohio State’s offense shows no mercy towards its challengers. However, their defense is more stunning. The Buckeyes defense is ranked No. 1 in the nation according to Sports Reference. These stats paint a clear picture as to why Ohio State is a clear favorite.
The real question is why can’t Notre Dame win this game? Well, for starters, their quarterback Riley Leonard has had several pitiful performances. Leonard ended the 2024 season with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
That does not sound pitiful until you compare it to Ohio State’s quarterback Will Howard. Howard ended his campaign with 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. When compared side by side, the discrepancy between the two becomes clear.
Quarterbacks are the leaders of the team, and their reliability is key. Unfortunately for Irish fans, Riley Leonard is not just unreliable through the air. The senior quarterback has left games several times this year due to injury, including their last game against Penn State.
With a passing game dependent on a human liability and a rushing backfield banged up from their last game, Notre Dame is in for a rough outing. Among the injured players is star running back Jeremiah Love.
He knows he will be the X-factor.
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Love has been the bright spot for an offense that has recently struggled to move the ball. If he is absent on Monday night, Notre Dame will have no one to turn to.
Regardless of how impossible it seems, the Irish do have some things going for them. Just like the Buckeyes they have a top defensive unit that punishes opponents. According to Sports Reference, their defense is ranked number two in the nation.
After reviewing the stats, 9.5-point favorites might be generous toward the Irish. A top-tier defense can only hold for so long against a powerhouse like Ohio State. On top of that, how is an injury-plagued offense supposed to move the ball on the number-one-ranked defense?
Notre Dame needs a lot of things to go their way if they want to bring a championship back to campus. Who knows: can the team known for luck pull off an improbable upset, or are Buckeye fans going to call them overrated for years to come?
