This yr’s College Football Playoff nationwide championship will probably be one for the books, as Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State takes on one of the vital storied packages in sports activities historical past in Notre Dame.
This would be the Buckeyes’ first look within the nationwide title recreation for the reason that 2020 season and the Fighting Irish’s first since 2012.
Quarterback Will Howard and freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith lead Ryan Day’s staff, which is outscoring its opponents by a median margin of 19.7 factors per recreation within the CFP.
On the opposite aspect, Riley Leonard and Jeremiyah Love lead Marcus Freeman’s staff, which goals to turn into the tenth underdog to win the nationwide title within the CFP/BCS period and the primary since Clemson in 2018.
Here are the numbers to know forward of Monday’s championship tilt:
(8) Ohio State vs. (7) Notre Dame (7:30 p.m. ET)
0:00: Ohio State hasn’t trailed for a single second within the CFP and has trailed for simply 76:35 all season, which ranks second in FBS behind Ole Miss (56:25).
2: Since the FBS/FCS break up in 1978, Ohio State is simply the second staff to earn 4 wins in opposition to top-five AP opponents (Indiana, Penn State, Oregon, Texas). With a win in opposition to Notre Dame, it will be the primary with 5 such victories in a single season.
3: Leonard is one in all three quarterbacks in all of FBS this season to have 2,600 passing yards and 800 dashing yards, becoming a member of John Mateer and Devon Dampier.
4: Notre Dame is one in all solely 4 Power 4 or Independent packages to have eight or extra wins in every of the final 5 seasons, becoming a member of Alabama, Clemson and Georgia.
Ohio State Buckeyes
OSU
-8.5
-368
Or 46.5
Notre Dame Irish wrestling
ND
+8.5
+289
U46.5
5: Five former Ohio State gamers turned coaches have confronted their alma mater and are 5-18-1 in these video games. The listing consists of Freeman (0-2 at Notre Dame), Luke Fickell (0-1 at Cincinnati and 0-1 at Wisconsin), Glen Mason (1-7 at Minnesota), Gary Moeller (0-3 at Illinois, 3- 1-1 at Michigan) and Bo Pelini (1-3 at Nebraska).
7-4: Record of the day in postseason play at Ohio State (2-0 in Big Ten title video games, 5-4 in CFP video games). He additionally joined Urban Meyer as the one Ohio State coaches with two seasons of not less than 13 wins.
8: Notre Dame is an 8.5-point underdog. In the BCS and CFP eras mixed (since 1998), there have solely been eight 8+ level underdogs within the nationwide title recreation, with the final coming within the 2022 season (TCU was a 13.5 level underdog).
9: This would be the ninth assembly between the 2 faculties, with Ohio State successful the final six video games (1995-96, 2006, 2016, 2022-23) and Notre Dame successful the primary two (1935-36). This is the sixth straight recreation (since 1996) through which each faculties are ranked within the high 10 of the AP Poll.
12.2: The variety of factors Ohio State holds opponents to per recreation, which is the very best mark of any staff in FBS this season. Notre Dame ranks second with 14.3 factors per recreation allowed.
13: Notre Dame security Xavier Watts has 13 interceptions for the reason that begin of the 2023 season, essentially the most of any FBS participant in that span. He can be the one participant to interrupt double figures within the class.
14: Freeman has 14 wins in opposition to AP-ranked opponents in his profession, tied with Georgia for essentially the most by any program since 2022. That’s additionally extra wins within the league than another Notre Dame coach within the first three years of the their mandate.
6pm: Love wants a dashing landing for his 18th landing of the season, which might tie the Notre Dame single-season file held by Audric Estimé (18 final season).
19: Leonard should end with simply 19 dashing yards to interrupt Notre Dame’s single-season file for dashing yards by a quarterback; the file is 884 yards set by Tony Rice in 1989. Leonard additionally wants simply two dashing touchdowns to equal the Notre Dame file in a single season (18 held by Estimé in 2023).
9pm: Ohio State and Notre Dame have a mixed 21 nationwide titles between them, acknowledged by the NCAA. Notre Dame is fourth with 13 faculties, whereas Ohio State’s eight ranks seventh.
32: Jeremiah Smith wants 32 receiving yards to interrupt the Big Ten single-season file by a freshman, a file at the moment held by Rondale Moore (1,258 in 2018). He already holds the Ohio State freshman file for catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, in addition to the Big Ten freshman file for landing catches in a season.
50: TreVeyon Henderson wants two extra touchdowns to turn into the third participant in Ohio State historical past to succeed in 50 profession scrimmage touchdowns, becoming a member of Keith Byars (50) and Pete Johnson (58).
95: Emeka Egbuka wants 95 receiving yards to interrupt the college profession file, held by Michael Jenkins (2,898). He additionally wants simply three receptions to interrupt Ohio State’s all-time receptions file, held by KJ Hill (201).
555: The variety of factors Notre Dame scored this yr, essentially the most in a single season in program historical past. It’s additionally the second time in program historical past that the Irish have scored greater than 500 factors in a season (509 final yr).
1,000: Ohio State may have 4 1,000-yard performers in a season, which might be the primary time that has occurred in program historical past; Smith has already surpassed 1,000 receiving yards, Egbuka wants 53 receiving yards to succeed in that mark, Henderson wants 33 dashing yards and Quinshon Judkins wants 40 dashing yards.
13,167: Notre Dame’s final school soccer title got here in opposition to West Virginia within the Fiesta Bowl on January 2, 1989. On January 20, a full 13,167 days may have handed since that title.
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