The 2024 College Football season will officially be over when the confetti rains down in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday night.
After a long season that included the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff, we've got a massive matchup on our hands as the Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish do battle in Atlanta just one win away from a national title.
As we get ready for the battle, here's all the info you need to know about the matchup.
How to watch Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
For the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship, ESPN is offering multiple viewing options. The main broadcast on ESPN will feature Chris Fowler (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), with Holly Rowe reporting from the Ohio State sideline and Molly McGrath covering Notre Dame.
Fans can also choose from several alternate broadcasts:
- ESPN2 – Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show, providing a unique, personality-driven perspective.
- ESPNU – Command Center, featuring live stats and split-screen views.
- ESPNEWS – SkyCast, offering an aerial view of the action.
- ESPN Deportes, delivering a full Spanish-language broadcast.
How Ohio State beats Notre Dame
Ohio State is playing like a team on a mission in the College Football Playoff. That Michigan loss is a thing of the past and there's a reason why the Buckeyes are favored — pretty heavily we might add — coming into this one.
To win, Ohio State is going to have to refrain from turning the ball over and rely on its playmakers — particularly Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson out of the backfield — to get some offense going. Defensively, Ohio State just needs to keep everything in front of them. The tackles for loss and stops will come, as long as they don't let Notre Dame stretch the field on them.
How Notre Dame beats Ohio State
For Notre Dame to beat Ohio State, Riley Leonard is going to need to play the best game of his career. Leonard is a dual-threat and he needs to hurt the Buckeyes with both his legs and arm to keep the Irish in the game. Notre Dame needs some explosive plays, but we'd actually argue that it may be more important for the Irish to control the time of possession and keep Ohio State's offense off the field.
Defensively, Notre Dame is every bit physical enough to get stop, but they'll need to keep Ohio State's playmakers in check, because this is the best offense that Notre Dame will have faced this season, without question.
What will happen?
Here's a look at some of the picks from our Saturday Blitz team:
- Andrew: Ohio State 27-20
- Carter: Ohio State 28-13
- Samuel: Ohio State 34-24
- Christopher: Notre Dame 17-16
- Greg: Ohio State 28-17
- Brandon: Ohio State 37-27
- Sam: Ohio State 35-20