1 of 5 | Defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka (C) and the Notre Dame defense will be tasked with slowing down Ohio State in the 2025 College Football Playoff finale Monday in Atlanta. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPIF | License Photo
ATLANTA, Jan. 20 (UPI) — Premier defenses led by the stingiest secondaries in the country most likely will determine the outcome of the College Football Playoff finale, with Notre Dame and Ohio State meeting Monday in Atlanta.
The midwestern melee concludes the inaugural 12-team playoff. Both teams also will play their 16th game, the most ever played in a single college football campaign.
“That’s what you come to Notre Dame for is to have the opportunity like this and the chance to compete for a national championship,” Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser told reporters.
“And to know that you’ve done everything you can up to this point to put us in a position to go out there and compete and know that’s going to be the last time you wear that gold helmet, it’s pretty special.”
More than 70,000 fans are expected to attend the title game. Ticket prices on the secondary market ranged from about $2,200 to more than $10,000 as of Monday morning.
The seventh-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-1) and No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (13-2) will kick off at 7: 30 p.m. EST from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game will air on ESPN.
The Buckeyes, who are 8 1/2-point favorites, boast many of the nation’s top players and premier prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft, backed by $20 million in name, image and likeness support. They are statistically superior to the Irish by several measures.
But the Irish, who have the country’s longest winning streak at 13 games, continue to grind out close wins, often leaning on forced turnovers to snatch momentum.
“This is an excellent team that has just found a way to win week in and week out,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said of the Irish. “I think they have over 140 points off of turnovers. They play great in all three phases.
“You talk about offense, defense and special teams, these guys are really good on special teams. They keep you on your heels all the time. They fake punts, they fake field goals, they find different creative ways to get guys in the game. They’ve done onside kicks. They’ve done reverses on kickoff return. They’re very, very good in all three phases.”
Blanketing Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith will be critical for the Irish. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound pass catcher is often lauded as one of the best playmakers in college football.
With the Irish’s lack of explosion on offense and team philosophy of establishing their running game while stopping their foes’ ground attack, winning the time of possession battle could determine who wins the trophy.
“We got to do what we do,” Irish coach Marcus Free