The 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship is set as 7-seed Notre Dame will face 8-seed Ohio State in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday, Jan. 20 with the sport’s most illustrious prize on the line. The Fighting Irish are gunning for their first national title since 1988, while the Buckeyes haven’t won a national title since 2014 — the debut season of the College Football Playoff under the four-team format.
Notre Dame secured its spot with a thrilling 27-24 win against Penn State in the Orange Bowl. The Irish erased two deficits and held off a 14-0 Penn State run in the fourth quarter to nail the game’s decisive field goal with less than 10 seconds left. That result came after Notre Dame won its first two playoff games by an average margin of 11.5 points.
In a few short weeks, Ohio State coach Ryan Day went from a scorching-hot seat following yet another loss against Michigan to the precipice of the first national title in his tenure with the Buckeyes. It no longer matters that Ohio State failed to contend for the Big Ten title for the fourth consecutive season — because this team has much bigger goals in mind.
Let’s take a look at where each team stands ahead of the CFP National Championship before our CBS Sports college football experts provide their first-look picks for the game.
(7) Notre Dame — Sugar, Orange Bowl champion
Notre Dame has battled through tremendous odds to get to this point. The Fighting Irish suffered a huge early setback with their Week 2 loss against Northern Illinois as 30-point favorites, which added tremendous pressure to win down the stretch. On top of that, Notre Dame has had to deal with several impactful injuries throughout the year. The Irish have been without potential first-round cornerback Benjamin Morrison since October, and they lost leading sack artist Rylie Mills in their first-round College Football Playoff game against Indiana.
Mills was the third starting defensive lineman to suffer a season-ending injury. Notre Dame also had two offensive linemen exit its Orange Bowl semifinal win against Penn State with injury, and their status for the national title game is uncertain.
In spite of it all, the Irish have powered through with a “next man up” mentality. Notre Dame is riding a 13-game winning streak into the College Football Playoff National Championship. Eleven of those wins were decided by two possessions. Star running back Jeremiyah Love, who has battled through a nagging knee ailment, has been a bell-cow for the offense, while emerging talent like wide receiver Jaden Greathouse makes things easier for quarterback Riley Leonard.
Notre Dame’s defense is led by CBS Sports All-American Xavier Watts, who has maintained good health throughout the year. Watts is an eraser at safety for the Irish. Veteran standouts like linebacker Jack Kiser and defensive lineman Howard Cross III also give Notre Dame a stable core amid all the personnel uncertainty.
(8) Ohio State — Rose, Cotton Bowl champion
The most talented roster in college football is finally playing like the most talented roster in college football. Key to the turnaround has been a renewed focus on freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith, who, despite still playing his first season of college football, is widely regarded as one of the best players in the entire country. He’s been all over the place for the Buckeyes during the College Football Playoff. Though he was quiet against Texas, Smith’s playoff totals are staggering: 13 catches for 293 yards and four touchdowns.
The scary part is Ohio State is loaded with other elite options elsewhere. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is a potential first-round prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the Buckeyes boast a pair of running backs with bright professional futures in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Even Ohio State’s shorthanded offensive line has well outplayed expectations.
This is without mentioning Ohio State’s defense, which has been spectacular all season. The Buckeyes haven’t allowed more than 21 points since an Oct. 12 loss to Oregon. Ohio State has held four of its last seven opponents under 100 yards rushing as a team.
Ohio State has a star safety of its own in former Alabama transfer Caleb Downs. He headlines a well-stocked secondary with standouts like Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun patrolling the boundary at cornerback. Having a defensive front anchored by stalwarts like Jack Sawyer, who has played some of the best football of his career during the postseason, certainly helps the secondary.
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame early picks, predictions
8-seed Ohio State opens as a 9.5-point favorite over 7-seed Notre Dame in Atlanta.
SportsLine’s proven computer model is calling for 10 outright upsets during college football’s bowl and playoff season. Visit SportsLine now to see them all, plus get spread picks for every game from the model that simulates every matchup 10,000 times.
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