The Buckeyes make history as the first team to claim the title in the inaugural 12-team playoff era
On Jan. 20, 2025, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football held the College Football Playoff National Championship at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
The No. 8-seeded Ohio State University Buckeyes faced off against the No. 5-seeded University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This is the first season where the college football playoffs featured a 12-team bracket. The top four conference champions are awarded first-round bye weeks with the remaining teams selected based on a combination of the best available teams, as seen by the committee, or the two highest-ranked conference champions not already in the playoffs.
This change was most likely due to the heavy controversy the College Football Playoff (CFP) Committee was involved in last year when the Florida State University Seminoles made history as the only undefeated 13-0 team to be left out of the playoffs. For the past 11 years, the CFP Committee has adopted a four-team playoff bracket, where they rank the best four teams in the nation in a championship bracket. This new 12-team playoff structure allows many of the lower-ranked teams, such as Ohio State University, to have a chance at winning despite their seeding rank.
As the game began, the Ohio State University Buckeyes were awarded the ball in the coin toss aftermath. However, the Fighting Irish were able to strike first with a historic long 18-play drive as quarterback Riley Leonard ran it into the endzone for a touchdown. Leonard contributed 40 running yards throughout the championship, surpassing former Irish quarterback Tony Rice and setting a new record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season, with 906 yards.
The Buckeyes responded with an eight-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Will Howard to wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. As Notre Dame attempted another drive and was stopped, Ohio State had the momentum from there. The Buckeyes marched down the field to score another touchdown, this time from running back Quinshon Judkins.
Following a Notre Dame blocked attempt, Judkins would score another touchdown, this time receiving the ball with less than 30 seconds left in the half. Ohio State entered halftime with a commanding 21-7 lead.
After the half, Judkins scored his third consecutive touchdown to begin the third quarter, setting a team record as the first in national championship history to score a touchdown on each of their first four drives. With a field goal by the Buckeyes that extended the game into what seemed like an unreachable score, 31-7, Notre Dame mounted a valiant comeback.
Wide receiver Jaden Greathouse came alive in the second half, connecting with Leonard on a 34-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. The Fighting Irish then earned a much-needed turnover with a forced fumble caused by linebacker Jake Bowen on the first play of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the Fighting Irish’s kicker could not convert on a 27-yard field goal, leaving the score at 31-15.
After a series of changing possessions, the Fighting Irish charged down the field again and ended up scoring another touchdown from Greathouse, this time on a 30-yard reception. Notre Dame went for two extra points and converted on a trick play with a touchdown throw from wide receiver Jordan Faison to wide receiver Beaux Collins, cutting the lead to a one-possession game score of 31-23 with 4:15 minutes left in the game.
As Ohio State faced a critical third down and 11 yards, with Notre Dame poised for a chance to tie, the Buckeyes’ Howard threw a more than 50-yard catch and reception to Smith, sealing the national championship for the Buckeyes.
Smith set new records this season for most Ohio State receptions in a season by a freshman with 70, and most Ohio State receiving touchdowns in a season by a freshman with 14. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka became the new Ohio State all-time reception leader, with 205 catches in his collegiate career. This is the eighth Football National Championship Ohio State University has won in program history, their previous title being in 2014. This marks the second consecutive championship for the Big Ten Conference, with Ohio State joining their long-time rivals, Michigan State University, who claimed the title in 2024.
The first season of the 12-team college football season can be deemed as a success. Although the formatting may be confusing to fans, it has undeniably brought more excitement and unexpected twists to the postseason, similar to NCAA basketball’s March Madness-style bracket. College football is entering a new era where every bowl game matters, igniting a new wave of creativity and excitement in the sport.
By (Diego Cerna) — sports@theaggie.org
