12:58 am, January 21, 2025
A run-heavy first possession, the Fighting Irish set the tone with a rushing touchdown by quarterback Riley Leonard. The one-yard run capped off an 18-play, 75-yard drive that neared 10 minutes.
Talk about an emphatic way to start a title game.
The touchdown marks the first time this postseason that Ohio State hasn’t led.
12:48 am, January 21, 2025
Ohio State has won the coin toss and will defer to the second half. They will kick off to Notre Dame to start the contest.
12:33 am, January 21, 2025
The moment college football fans have all been waiting for is almost here.
No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 6 Ohio State are minutes away from taking the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a national championship hanging in the balance — and each program has a lot on the line.
Two of the most historic programs in college football history, the Buckeyes seek their first title since the inaugural CFP in 2014, while the Fighting Irish hunt for their first since 1988. The two teams enter the matchup with the top two point-preventing defenses in the nation.
And in celebration of the first-ever 12-team CFP, the winners will receive hardware no past champions have ever gotten.
BIG GAMES CALL FOR A BIG RING 💍
ESPN and @CFBPlayoff joined together to create BIG rings for the champions and to celebrate the first-ever 12-team CFP 🤩 pic.twitter.com/sS4NbgOeTf
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 19, 2025
12:20 am, January 21, 2025
Several big names made the trip down to Atlanta for the national title game. This includes famous pro athletes in Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James and Philadelphia Phillies Bryce Harper, and rapper Travis Scott.
James, an Akron, Ohio native, has been a well-known super fan of the Buckeyes.
LeBron and Bryce Harper in the house for the Natty 😎 pic.twitter.com/NN30ftz0NY
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) January 21, 2025
.@trvisXX in the 🏠 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/WmeNstbvHi
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 20, 2025
11:18 pm, January 20, 2025
The CFP’s national championship game tickets have skyrocketed in the last few hours — so much so that it’s closing in on Super Bowl LIX’s ticket prices.
The title game’s cheapest ticket prices are just $114 less than the Super Bowl that’s less than three weeks away.
Insane pop today for the CFP National Championship
$5,786: Cheapest ticket to CFP National Championship on @TickPick
$5,900: Cheapest ticket to Super Bowl LIX
There are 223 tickets available.
— Kyle Zorn (@Kyle_Zorn) January 20, 2025
Earlier in the day, the game’s prices were less than half what they are currently on TickPick, sitting around $2,800. The cheapest ticket sold on the day of the game last year was reportedly just $699.
4:10 pm, January 11, 2025
Notre Dame and Ohio State will battle to be crowned the College Football Playoff national champion.
Here’s all the information needed to watch CFP title game:
- 🗓️ Date: Monday, Jan. 20
- ⏰ Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- 📺 TV/Streaming: ESPN | WatchESPN
- 📍Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, GA
- 📊 Follow: Live scores and stats
We will be live blogging the game here on NCAA.com.
2:50 pm, January 11, 2025
Notre Dame has yet to claim a national championship in the College Football Playoff era. Meanwhile, Ohio State secured the title in 2014, the inaugural year of the CFP. However, that remains the Buckeyes’ only CFP championship, as they’ve come close in other years but haven’t managed to reclaim the trophy in the past decade.
Season Champion Selecting Organization 2023 Michigan CFP 2022 Georgia CFP 2021 Georgia CFP 2020 Alabama CFP 2019 LSU CFP 2018 Clemson CFP 2017 Alabama CFP 2016 Clemson CFP 2015 Alabama CFP 2014 Ohio State CFP
2:28 pm, January 11, 2025
The College Football Playoff Championship Game features Notre Dame and Ohio State. Both teams are among the best in the nation, excelling on both sides of the ball, making this matchup a must-watch event. Ohio State earned its place in the national title game with a 28-14 victory over a Texas team that spent multiple weeks as the No. 1 team. Despite suffering two tough losses earlier in the season to Oregon and Michigan, the Buckeyes have been nearly unstoppable since. Their performance in the CFP has been nothing short of dominant.
On the other hand, Notre Dame rallied late to defeat Penn State 27-24 in a thrilling Orange Bowl CFP semifinal. After trailing 10-3 at halftime, the Fighting Irish came alive in the second half, thanks to quarterback Riley Leonard’s clutch performance. This season, Notre Dame’s only loss was an early, down-to-the-wire upset by Northern Illinois. Since then, the Irish have been on a relentless winning streak.
Ohio State claims the top spot for the best defensive leader in college football. The Buckeyes lead the nation in points allowed, with just 12.2 per game, and in yards allowed, with only 251.1 per game. Additionally, the team has recorded 51 total sacks, ranking third in the country.
Notre Dame is not far behind, boasting an impressive defense. The Fighting Irish rank No. 2 in points allowed with 14.3 points per game and No. 9 in yards allowed with 298.3 yards per game. While their 38 total sacks rank 17th nationally, their disciplined and aggressive play has made them a tough opponent for opposing offenses.
Despite their defensive prowess, both teams possess dynamic offenses. Ohio State quarterback Will Howard has thrown for 3,779 yards, with star freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith his favorite target. Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard has also been a standout, tallying 2,606 passing yards and 866 rushing yards. Running back Jeremiyah Love leads the team with 1,121 rushing yards. With everything on the line, the title game will test every aspect of these two elite teams. Will Ohio State secure their second CFP title? Or will Notre Dame get their first championship in the CFP era?
The answer will be decided on college football’s biggest stage.
1:59 pm, January 11, 2025
Let’s take a look at how each team’s overall season stats compare:
notre dame Category ohio state 14-1 (Independent) Record (Conference) 13-2 (7-2 Big Ten) 37 Points Per Game 35.8 14.3 Opponents Points Per Game 12.2 Riley Leonard (2,606 yards, 19 TDs) Leading Passer Will Howard (3,779 yards, 33 TDs) Jeremiyah Love (1,121 yds, 17 TDs) Leading Rusher TreVeyon Henderson (967 yds, 10. TDs) Jaden Greathouse (464 yds, 2 TDs) Leading Receiver Jeremiah Smith (1,227 yds, 14 TDs) Jack Kiser (85 tackles) Leading Tackler Cody Simon (104 tackles)
