The stage is set for the 2025 College Football National Championship. Under the bright lights of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, two storied programs will collide in a battle for ultimate glory. Notre Dame, fueled by a season of grit and resilience, aims to reclaim its place atop college football’s pantheon for the first time in 36 years. Ohio State, armed with a high-powered offense and an unrelenting defense, seeks to add another championship to its illustrious history. Check out our final college football preview and prediction of the season.

Ohio State

The Buckeyes entered the season with arguably the most talented roster in college football but weren’t playing their best football early in the year. The Buckeyes fell just short to Oregon in Eugene before suffering a shocking defeat at the hands of arch-rival Michigan at home in Columbus in the regular season finale. At that point, I had also written Ohio State off as a team with any real shot at winning the title. With Ryan Day seemingly coaching for his job, his team discarded Tennessee, Oregon and Texas with an average margin of victory of 20 points. Ohio State is back in the national championship game for the first time since the COVID 2020 season and is searching for its first national title since the College Football Playoff’s inception in 2014.

Let’s talk about Ohio State’s pass rush. Protecting Leonard is priority No. 1 for Notre Dame’s aerial attack, as he struggles mightily under pressure and will be prone to throwing interceptions. Meanwhile, Ohio State’s defense has been pretty content to sit back with just a four-man rush, sending a blitz at the 86th-highest rate in the country (32.9%), according to PFF. That’s because Buckeye edge defenders Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau are so good at creating pressure themselves. This Buckeye defense is also one of the very best against the run, which can be a huge advantage since Notre Dame has struggled on the ground. Aside from Jeremiyah Love’s 98-yard touchdown against Indiana, it has struggled to get that aspect of its offense rolling in the postseason. If you remove that one big run, Notre Dame running backs are averaging just 3.3 yards per carry in the playoffs.

Ohio State probably has the best wide receiver room in the country this season. A lot of attention is put on Jeremiah Smith for obvious reasons, but Emeka Egbuka has been a great sidekick who will be a day one or two pick in the draft. And Carnell Tate, the team’s leading receiver against Texas, has also emerged as a legitimate third threat. Running back TreVeyon Henderson has also made several big plays in the passing game down the stretch, including a 75-yard touchdown against the Longhorns. Behind him is one of the biggest transfers of the offseason Quinshon Judkins.

Notre Dame

Many, including me, left the Fighting Irish for dead after their Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois. Another defeat would all but kill Notre Dame’s hopes of even making the 12-team field. Marcus Freeman’s squad responded with 13 straight victories to clinch a spot in a national championship game for the first time since 2012.

The biggest reason Notre Dame has been able to make this national championship run has been its ability to shut down opposing wide receivers in man coverage while creating turnovers in the process. If the Fighting Irish can shut down Ohio State in a similar manner, they stand a chance to win a defensive game that is suited to their style of success. One thing they need to take advantage of is Ohio State’s makeshift offensive line, which lost left tackle Josh Simmons and center Seth McLaughlin. Notre Dame doesn’t have a very formidable pass rush, but they’ll need someone to step up today.

If protecting Leonard is the top priority, the second order of business should be trying to attack the Buckeyes down the sidelines. If there’s one weakness in Ohio State’s defense, it’s cornerbacks Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun. An emerging star like sophomore wide receiver Jaden Greathouse could be critical in this game for Notre Dame to have a second dimension offensively.

Prediction

On paper, it’s frankly pretty hard to give the Irish a good shot at winning this game. My biggest worry for them is their reliance on man coverage. They have a talented secondary, no doubt. But Texas did about as well as one could hope in slowing down Ohio State’s explosive aerial attack. Using a zone-heavy approach that limited Jeremiah Smith to just three yards, the Longhorns forced Will Howard to target other options and work methodically. That approach kept the Longhorns in the game, but Notre Dame’s coverage tendencies are the polar opposite, and their pass rush is not as good as Texas.

The Buckeyes are finally looking like the best team in the country, as their roster indicated they would be. Ohio State’s defense once again shines as it slows down the Fighting Irish’s rushing attack enough and forces a turnover on Riley Leonard. Their running backs will be a huge factor and force the Irish to crowd the box, opening up the passing game for Will Howard and these great receivers.

Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 17