Welp, here we are. The 2025 CFP National Championship is officially set; the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ohio State Buckeyes have both punched their tickets, and have left little doubt throughout their paths to the big stage.
But, just because both teams have earned their spots doesn’t mean they’re on the same competitive level, and while I don’t wish to discourage the objective viewers out there, I can’t help but feel that the Buckeyes will portray that point in merciless fashion next week. Why do I say this? Easy: Penn State would have almost certainly given them a tougher fight than Notre Dame.
Don’t get me wrong, the Bucks stood out as adequate contenders for the national title quite early into their playoff journey, and after beating top-ranked Oregon beyond recognition in the quarterfinals, they looked considerably favorable next to everyone else in the hunt—that includes Penn State.
However, if we’re just looking at who could make for the trickiest opponents possible, and we’re left with the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish, the nod obviously goes to the former, and for two reasons: 1) OSU and PSU have already faced once this season, and 2) the programs have a well-rooted rivalry.
If you’re Ohio State, you should know better than anyone how tricky rematches can be for the original winner. After all, we haven’t forgotten how that Oregon team you disemboweled narrowly beat you in the regular season.
Speaking of narrow wins, we have that first meeting with Penn State, where the Buckeyes went into Happy Valley and squeaked past the Nittany Lions, 20-13. For a team that has been rather offensively inclined throughout the majority of these playoffs, it should be noted that the 20 points PSU held the Bucks to was their second-lowest amount scored in a game all year. Especially with your offense just now leaving some to be desired against Texas, that information seems all the more important.
And that 20-13 final is merely the tip of the iceberg when looking at just how close of games these two have given us in recent memory. To OSU’s credit, the Buckeyes have won nine of the last ten meetings in this rivalry, but I’d also like to point out how in that same span, six of the results have been decided by single-digit margins—and half of those have been decided by three points or less.
In other words, their rivalry hasn’t only boosted their familiarity, but it’s established just how well they line up against one another, and just how often they do so. I’d take a team with half of that reputation to give the Buckeyes grief before any team without it.
The Fighting Irish are a heck of a bunch, and regardless of all I’ve said about PSU, they have hardly looked worse throughout this postseason, and won the semifinal fair and square. When it comes to how the two parties line up against Ohio State in particular, though? The additional implications that come with revisiting a notoriously difficult rival stand just a bit too tall.