On Jan. 20, 2025, the Ohio State (OSU) Buckeyes won their ninth national championship by defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34–23 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game was back and forth, but Ohio State’s dynamic running back Quinshon Judkins carved out the win for the team, scoring three total touchdowns in the victory.
Notre Dame started the game with a long 18-play drive that ended with a touchdown pass from quarterback Riley Leonard. This drive took up almost ten minutes of the first quarter. However, Ohio State quickly answered back, scoring touchdowns on their next three drives. OSU Quarterback Will Howard threw two touchdown passes—one to wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and another to Judkins. As previously mentioned, Judkins also ran for a touchdown, giving the Buckeyes a 21–7 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Judkins made another huge play with a 70-yard run, which led to another Ohio State touchdown. An OSU field goal soon after pushed their lead to 31–7. Notre Dame fought back with two touchdown catches by Jaden Greathouse, closing the gap to 31–23. However, a late field goal by Ohio State put the game out of reach, securing their victory.
After the game, Will Howard was named the offensive MVP, throwing for 231 yards and two touchdowns. On the defensive side, linebacker Cody Simon was named defensive MVP, finishing with eight tackles. Ohio State’s defense played a big role in slowing down Notre Dame’s offense for most of the game.
This victory marks Ohio State’s first National championship since 2014. The team finished the season with a 14–2 record, while Notre Dame also finished 14–2, the college’s best season since 1993.
This year was also special because it was the first season with the new 12-team College Football Playoff format. The championship game had 22.1 million viewers, showing how excited people were about the new system.
After the game, star Quinshon Judkins announced he would be entering the NFL Draft. He had an impressive season, rushing for 1,060 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns.
Weeks after the loss, Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator, Al Golden, is leaving to coach for the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL. Under his leadership, Notre Dame’s defense gave up only 15.5 points per game this season. Along with that, Chip Kelly, the Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator, is also leaving to coach the Las Vegas Raiders. Kelly ended the 2024 season with his first National Championship title with the Ohio State buckeyes.
This championship game was a great example of why college football is so exciting. With Las Vegas set to host the 2027 championship, fans can look forward to more thrilling games in the future.
