Ohio State won the national championship after beating Notre Dame on January 20th. The game was held in Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. 

Notre Dame started the game opening drive by marching down the field on an 18 play touchdown drive capped off by a 1 yard TD run by Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard. Then, Ohio State struck back quickly. Their QB Will Howard found 5 star, true freshman, Jeremiah Smith for an 8 yard touchdown matching the score 7-7. Ohio State took command thanks to RB Quinshon Judkins rushing and receiving a touchdown giving them a 21-7 lead at halftime.

The Buckeyes added on to their lead with a 70 yard run by RB Quinshon Judkins which then led to him having a 1 yard rushing touchdown which extended their lead making it 28-7. Despite their score deficit, the Fighting Irish weren’t done fighting and Jayden Greathouse received 2 touchdowns thrown by Riley Leonard making it 31-23. Despite the effort to come back, a 56 yard pass to Jeremiah Smith from Will Howard and a field goal from kicker Jayden Fielding, Notre Dame’s chances of a comeback, clinching Ohio State’s championship.

Will Howard, 5th year senior transferred from Kansas State, had a great performance, putting up 231 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Quinshon Judkins, sophomore transfer from Ole Miss, had 3 touchdowns with 1 receiving touchdowns and 2 rushing touchdowns. The buckeyes defense was immovable, only allowing 308 yards to Notre Dame’s offense and making important stops.

This was Ohio State’s 9th national championship. Head Coach Ryan Day, who faced lots of criticism after losing to long time hated rival Michigan in the last regular season game, has won his first national championship, securing his job spot and showing his leadership and resilience.