The Fighting Irish (14-1) reached the title game by defeating Indiana, Georgia and Penn State. They are led by quarterback Riley Leonard (66.4% completions, 2,606 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, 8 interceptions;

Jesse Temple: Ohio State has been a juggernaut during a three-game winning streak in the Playoff, embarrassing Tennessee and Oregon. Notre Dame has won 13 straight games and put together a fantastic season. But Ohio State’s balance and overall talent should emerge. … Ohio State 24, Notre Dame 14.

Fans couldn't help but make all kinds of jokes about Lou Holtz and Ryan Day after Ohio State football's win over Notre Dame.

Well, the the Buckeyes left a little bit of doubt in Monday night's College Football Playoff championship game. But for the first time in a decade, Ohio State are the kings of college football after holding on to beat Notre Dame 34-23 in front of 77,660 at Mercedes Benz Stadium.

Then, for the biggest play of the game, Notre Dame decided to leave Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith on an island. It was third and 12 and the Fighting Irish would get the ball back with a stop with a chance to tie the game. Smith completely burned his defender and he was wide open for a huge gain, and he iced the game.

Both the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish elevated their programs to championship caliber with big moves in the offseason

Valentina Martinez: The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish are set to face off in the College Football Playoff National Championship. This game is a tale of two defenses, but Ohio State will take home the glory. Ricardo Sandoval: The championship match is as highly profiled as one can be while also being one that no one expected.

The expanded College Football Playoff resulted in some increased ratings across the board, culminating in a huge number of fans tuning in to watch Ohio State wi

This has prompted questions about which team played best against Ohio State. On "The Paul Finebaum Show," SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum noted that while the Fighting Irish had the closest game in terms of the final score, he believes the No. 5 seed Texas Longhorns (13-3) had a genuine chance to defeat the Buckeyes.

The reporter detailed his experience in a post on his verified Reddit account and claimed “a few [Notre Dame] players said some pretty threatening and insulting things to me” as he

Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is getting set for Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship, but the Oregon Ducks are remain