Scouting Ohio State-Notre Dame: Biggest matchups, X-factors and keys to victory
We spoke to seven coaches who have faced the Buckeyes or Irish to get a better feel for Monday's national championship game.
It’s Notre Dame and Ohio State for the third year in a row.
This time, it’s different.
A national championship is on the line, with Marcus Freeman or Ryan Day set to join the two-man club of active title-winning coaches.
There are plenty of personnel differences this time around, too, as both teams are on their third different starting quarterback in as many years.
The Irish and Buckeyes took similar paths to this point, overcoming seemingly devastating home losses to play their best ball when it matters most.
Ohio State opened as a 9.5-point favorite, a number that has since dropped to between 8 and 8.5.
No one has played better than these Buckeyes during this College Football Playoff.
No one can figure out why it took them so long to hit their stride, either.
“Ryan Day is a hell of a football coach, and he’s smart,” said a coach familiar with both programs. “I think sometimes everybody questions his toughness, which is bulls—, but I think sometimes he gets in his own way, like, ‘I’m gonna show you,’ rather than just do what you do.”
The Irish have also hit their stride, winning 13 straight games, knocking off three straight top-10 opponents and notching their first two major bowl wins in 31 years, conjuring up memories of previous memorable Notre Dame runs.
“They just kept getting better and better and better, and that’s a sign of good leadership,” said a second coach familiar with both programs. “They were calm. I see a lot of Lou Holtz in (Freeman). Obviously he’s much younger, but I think he gets what Notre Dame is and needs to be while also pushing the boundaries of what they have been the last 25 years. He’s found a really good sweet spot. He recruits well in high school and uses the transfer portal just enough, and he’s got these guys to believe.
“I think he loves that they’re nine-point underdogs, like in the ’88 Miami or ’93 FSU games. Now, both of those were home games and not the national championship, but it’s a similar type of situation where historically Notre Dame has thrived in that role.”
The Inside Zone spoke to seven different college coaches or scouts — most of whom faced Notre Dame, Ohio State or both this season — to go under the hood and break this matchup down on a more granular level.
Let’s dive in.