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Game Day Central: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame in the national championship game

Singer headshotby:Mike Singer•about 10 hours•

MikeTSinger

Marcus Freeman
USA Today Sports

It’s game day for all the marbles. The No. 7 seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-1) do battle with the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (13-2, 7-2 Big Ten) in Atlanta for the national championship game. Blue & Gold gets you ready with what you need to know before today’s tilt.

Join us live on YouTube after the game as we break down ND vs. Ohio State

GAME DAY INFORMATION

Date: Jan. 20, 2025
Site: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN
Radio: Notre Dame IMG affiliates and ESPN
Series facts: The Buckeyes lead the all-time series 6-2, and the Irish have not beaten them since 1936. Notre Dame lost to Ohio State in each of the past two seasons, most recently a 17-14 heartbreaker in South Bend. Buckeyes running back Chip Trayanum scored a 1-yard touchdown with one second left, while the Irish had 10 players on the field in their goal-line defense.
Head coaches: Ohio State — Ryan Day (69-10, sixth season at OSU and overall); Notre Dame
— Marcus Freeman (33-9, third season at ND and overall)
Noting Ohio State: The Buckeyes are the No. 1 team in the country, according to ESPN’s FPI … The following OSU players could have been selected in the 2024 NFL Draft but chose to return: wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, defensive linemen Jack Sawyer, Tyleik Williams and JT Tuimoloau, linebacker Cody Simon, cornerback Denzel Burke and nickel back Jordan Hancock … Injuries have hit the offensive line, most notably starting center Seth McLaughlin who suffered a torn Achilles in mid-November and was lost for the season … Ohio State has the No. 4 passing offense in the nation at 9.4 yards per attempt … Defensively, the Buckeyes — led by defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, a Broyles Award finalist — are No. 1 in the nation with 12.2 points allowed per game.

Blue & Gold subscribers: Click here for the full game day package with depth charts, rosters, stats and more.

GAME PREDICTIONS

Vegas line: Ohio State -8 …. Over/under 45.5
Oddshark prediction: Ohio State 41, Notre Dame 30

Tyler Horka: ND 28, Ohio State 24
Jack Soble: Ohio State 24, ND 20
Todd D. Burlage: Ohio State 28, ND 24
Steve Downey: Ohio State 27, ND 20
Kyle Kelly: ND 27, Ohio State 26
Mike Singer: ND 24, Ohio State 23
Tim Hyde: ND 20, Ohio State 19

Full staff predictions article

PREGAME READING

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