The bowl page is updated. And for one last time this season:

All times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Monday, January 20

7:30: Ohio State (#8) vs. Notre Dame (#7) (College Football Playoff Championship @ Atlanta, GA; ESPN): And finally, we’re here. I don’t really have a problem with this matchup. We have the best team in college football since Week 2 in Notre Dame and probably the most talented (on paper) team in Ohio State. Both suffered bizarre losses this season, but there can really be no doubt that both teams belong here.
So what to make of the actual game? Suffice it to say, I think the Buckeyes will win handily. The question is when it’s going to happen. Will Notre Dame’s lack of a downfield passing game mean they sink if they get behind early, a la Oregon? Or will this be tight until late, with the Buckeye defense making another big play to cement the game, a la Texas? The path for the Irish is very narrow: I’d have to think they need to keep it a tight game, get pressure on Will Howard, and hope for a titled turnover margin. I think the Irish will be able to move the ball a bit, but I just think it will take too long when Ohio State is more than capable for scoring in batches.
SP+ line: Ohio State by 5.9
Vegas line: Buckeyes by 8.5
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: These teams have met eight times. The first was an 18-13 Notre Dame win in 1935. They played again in 1936 (a surely thrilling 7-2 Notre Dame win) and then didn’t meet again for 60 years. In 1995, the Buckeyes dominated 45-26, and did the same when they returned to South Bend the next season. They then met in the 2005-06 Fiesta Bowl, another Ohio State win. A decade later they met again in Arizona. Finally, in 2022 and 2023 they played another home-and-home, with the Buckeyes again prevailing in both. The result is a 6-2 Ohio State lead all-time.
Last bowl game: In the Orange Bowl, Notre Dame and Penn State fought it out, with the Irish prevailing via a last-minute field goal 27-24. In the Cotton Bowl, the final score was 28-14 for Ohio State over Texas, but the ‘Horns certainly gave the Buckeyes the most fight of any of their playoff opponents so far.
Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, and Laura Rutledge