The 2024-2025 season embarked its playoff journey when the College Football Playoffs Selection Committee announced the top 12 teams in the nation who will compete for the national championship title on Jan. 20.
Through a series of fierce competition on the field and major upsets unexpected by college football fans around the country during the preliminary rounds and the quarter finals, the remaining four teams – Penn State’s Nittany Lions, Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish, Texas Longhorns , and the Ohio State Buckeyes – were set for a shot at the national championship title.
Following a big win to upset No. 2 seed University of Georgia Bulldogs at the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 2, Notre Dame was set to take on head coach James Franklin’s Pennsylvania State’s Nittany Lions at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida for the Orange Bowl. The Fighting Irish’s head coach Marcus Freeman and his squad showcased a promising trajectory for its playoff campaign with everyone’s eyes on their highly acclaimed quarterback, Riley Leonard.
“We decide how we want to write our history. I am a firm believer in whether you think you can, or you can’t do something, you’re right. We believed that we could do it, and we went out there and did it.” Leonard said to Sports Illustrated after being named the game’s offensive MVP.
With 383-yards on the offense against the Nittany Lions, the game was up for grabs till the last minute. After four quarters of back and forth touchdown-making plays from both teams’, a field goal from the 41-yard line just 12 seconds before endgame by Fighting Irish kicker, Mitch Jeter, won the hard fought game for Notre Dame to settle the score at 27-24.
History was made for the team as they will play the national championship game for the first time since the 2012 season in which they were runner-ups [prior for all their wins for that season to be vacated due to having ineligible players].
The following day in Arlington, Texas at the AT&T stadium for the Cotton Bowl, a rather tough matchup between head coach Ryan Day’s No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes and home crowd favorites Steve Sarkisian’s No. 5 seed Texas Longhorns.
With both coaches seen as premier play-call makers for their teams, a fumble by quarterback Quinn Ewers ended hopes for the Longhorns as the ball was collected by the Buckeyes’ defensive end Jack Sawyer for a 83-yard run for a touchdown during the fourth quarter. A later interception by the Buckeyes settled their score to win the game at 28 – 14.
“This team is resilient. About a month ago, a lot of people counted us out. These guys went to work. This team, these leaders, these captains, this staff – everybody in the Woody believed. Because of that, I believe we won the game in the fourth quarter.” Day said during a post-game interview with Fox Sports.
Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish will take on the 2014 national champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes for a chance to make history on Jan. 20. Both teams will prepare for the duel at the Mercedes Benz stadium in Atlanta, Georgia from 6:30 p.m. central time.
