Can Notre Dame stop Ohio State’s explosive offense in title game?
USA TODAY Sports’ Dan Wolken and Michelle Martinelli discuss who will prevail, Notre Dame and their stout defense or Ohio State and their explosive offense.
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On Monday night, nearly five full months after it began, the 2024 college football season will draw to a close and a champion will be crowned.
The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff will wrap up when Ohio State and Notre Dame face off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in the national championship game, with one of the two prestigious programs set to add another piece of hardware to their already sizable trophy cases.
Watch the College Football Playoff championship live with Fubo (free trial)
Despite being the No. 8 seed, the Buckeyes have looked like the country’s best team for much of the event. Coach Ryan Day’s squad has rolled through its first three playoff games, defeating Tennessee, Oregon and Texas by a combined 59 points. The 28-14 victory against the Longhorns on Jan. 10 in the Cotton Bowl was harder earned than the others, with the win not being secured until an 83-yard Jack Sawyer scoop-and-score touchdown off a fumble recovery with 2:13 remaining.
Standing between Ohio State and its third national title this century is a Fighting Irish team that has been similarly impressive over the past month. Since a stunning 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7, No. 7 seed Notre Dame has reeled off 13 consecutive wins, the last three of which have come over Indiana, Georgia and Penn State in the playoff. The Irish iced a 27-24 victory against the Nittany Lions on Jan. 9 in the Orange Bowl with a Mitch Jeter 41-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining.
The game will pit third-year Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman against his alma mater, as he played linebacker at Ohio State from 2004-08. If Notre Dame comes out on top, Freeman will be the first Black coach in FBS history to win a national championship.
Follow along here for the live score, updates, highlights, how to watch and more from Ohio State vs. Notre Dame in the CFP championship:
CFP championship game score updates
This section will be updated after kickoff.
| TEAMS | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
| Ohio State | — | — | — | — | — |
| Notre Dame | — | — | — | — | — |
CFP championship game time today
- Date: Monday, Jan. 20
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
The broadcast of the game between Buckeyes and Fighting Irish is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 20 from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
What channel is CFP championship game on today?
Ohio State and Notre Dame’s matchup in the College Football Playoff championship will air on ESPN. Chris Fowler (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) will call the game while Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath will serve as the sideline reporters.
Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app and Fubo, the latter of which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
CFP championship game betting odds
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Saturday, Jan. 18
- Spread: Ohio State (-8.5)
- Over/under: 45.5 points
- Moneyline: Ohio State (-375) | Notre Dame (+300)
Ohio State football schedule 2024
- Saturday, Aug. 31: vs. Akron (W, 52-6)
- Saturday, Sept. 7: vs. Western Michigan (W, 56-0)
- Saturday, Sept. 14: BYE
- Saturday, Sept. 21: vs. Marshall (W, 49-14)
- Thursday, Sept. 26: at Michigan State* (W, 38-7)
- Saturday, Oct. 5: vs. Iowa* (W, 35-7)
- Saturday, Oct. 12: at No. 3 Oregon* (L, 32-31)
- Saturday, Oct. 19: BYE
- Saturday, Oct. 26: vs. Nebraska* (W, 21-17)
- Saturday, Nov. 2: at No. 3 Penn State* (W, 20-13)
- Saturday, Nov. 9: vs. Purdue* (W, 45-0)
- Saturday, Nov. 16: at Northwestern* (W, 31-7)
- Saturday, Nov. 23: vs. No. 5 Indiana* (W, 38-15)
- Saturday, Nov. 30: vs. Michigan* (L, 13-10)
- Saturday, Dec. 21: vs. No. 9 Tennessee, CFP first-round (W, 42-17) **
- Wednesday, Jan. 1: vs. No. 1 Oregon, CFP Rose Bowl quarterfinal (W, 41-21) **
- Friday, Jan. 10: vs. No. 5 Texas, CFP Cotton Bowl semifinal (W, 28-14) **
- Monday, Jan. 20: vs. No. 7 Notre Dame, CFP championship game **
- Record: 13-2, 7-2 Big Ten
* Denotes Big Ten game
** Denotes CFP ranking
Notre Dame football schedule 2024
- Saturday, Aug. 31: at No. 20 Texas A&M (W, 23-13)
- Saturday, Sept. 7: vs. Northern Illinois (L, 16-14)
- Saturday, Sept. 14: at Purdue (W, 66-7)
- Saturday, Sept. 21: vs. Miami, Ohio (W, 28-3)
- Saturday, Sept. 28: vs. No. 17 Louisville (W, 31-24)
- Saturday, Oct. 5: BYE
- Saturday, Oct. 12: vs. Stanford (W, 49-7)
- Saturday, Oct. 19: vs. Georgia Tech (W, 31-13)
- Saturday, Oct. 26: vs. No. 24 Navy (W, 51-14)
- Saturday, Nov. 2: BYE
- Saturday, Nov. 9: vs. Florida State (W, 52-3)
- Saturday, Nov. 16: vs. Virginia (W, 35-14)
- Saturday, Nov. 23: vs. No. 17 Army (W, 49-14)
- Saturday, Nov. 30: at USC (W, 49-35)
- Friday, Dec. 20: vs. No. 10 Indiana, CFP first round (W, 27-17) **
- Thursday, Jan. 2: vs. No. 2 Georgia, CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal (W, 23-10) **
- Thursday, Jan. 9: vs. No. 6 Penn State, CFP Orange Bowl semifinal (W, 27-24) **
- Monday, Jan. 20: vs. No. 8 Ohio State, CFP championship **
- Record: 14-1
** Denotes CFP ranking
CFP championship game news
Here’s who our staff is predicting will win the College Football Playoff national championship game:
- Dan Wolken: Ohio State 33, Notre Dame 10
- Eddie Timanus: Ohio State 27, Notre Dame 17
- Erick Smith: Ohio State 30, Notre Dame 16
- Jordan Mendoza: Ohio State 23, Notre Dame 16
- Paul Myerberg: Notre Dame 24, Ohio State 20
- Scooby Axson: Ohio State 27, Notre Dame 21
The College Football Playoff national championship game will be played inside Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The retractable dome stadium is the home of the Atlanta Falcons and opened in 2017. It hosted the CFP championship game in 2018, too, which was won by Alabama against Georgia in overtime. Capacity can expand up to 75.000, though its record attendance was 79.330 for the 2022 Peach Bowl, when Georgia beat Ohio State 42-41 in a CFP semifinal.
Friday, Jan. 10
Cotton Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 28, No. 5 Texas 14
Thursday, Jan. 9
Orange Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 6 Penn State 24
Tuesday, Dec. 31
Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State 31, No. 3 Boise State 14
Wednesday, Jan. 1
Peach Bowl: No. 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31 (OT)
Rose Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 41, No. 1 Oregon 21
Thursday, Jan. 2
Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 23, No. 2 Georgia 10
Friday, Dec. 20
No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 10 Indiana 17
Saturday, Dec. 21
No. 6 Penn State 38, No. 11 SMU 10
No. 5 Texas 38, No. 12 Clemson 24
No. 8 Ohio State 42, No. 9 Tennessee 17
- 2023: Michigan
- 2022: Georgia
- 2021: Georgia
- 2020: Alabama
- 2019: LSU
- 2018: Clemson
- 2017: Alabama
- 2016: Clemson
- 2015: Alabama
- 2014: Ohio State
- 2013: Florida State
- 2012: Alabama
- 2011: Alabama
- 2010: Auburn
- 2009: Alabama
- 2008: Florida
- 2007: LSU
- 2006: Florida
- 2005: Texas
- 2004: Southern California
- 2003: LSU, Southern California
- 2002: Ohio State
- 2001: Miami (Fla.)
- 2000: Oklahoma
The College Football Playoff national championship game will be played indoors at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Outside, the forecast is calling for sunny skies but very chilly temperatures maxing out at about 34 degrees and dropping to a low of 22.
The over-under for Ohio State vs. Notre Dame is 46.5, according to the BetMGM.
Ohio State is a -350 favorite on the moneyline. Meanwhile, Notre Dame is a +280 underdog, according to BetMGM. Looking to wager? If you’re new to sports betting, don’t worry. Our college football betting guide can help you get started. We also have tips for beginners on how to place a bet online. And USA TODAY readers can claim exclusive promos and bonus codes with these online sportsbooks and sports betting sites.
The University of Notre Dame campus is in South Bend, Indiana, which is just south of the Michigan border.
In addition to the expanded field, the new College Football Playoff format also includes first-round byes, automatic bids and home games for the first time in the CFP era.
The four highest-ranked of these teams are seeded 1-4 and given a first-round bye. If the Group of Five champion is not among the top 12 teams in the final poll, it is slotted in at the No. 12 spot.
From there, seven at-large teams make up the remainder of the field, beginning with the No. 5 team. Seeds 5-12 play in first-round games either at the home of the higher-ranked team or at another location if the higher-ranked team chooses.
No. 5 hosts No. 12; No. 6 hosts No. 11; No. 7 hosts No. 10; and No. 8 hosts No. 9. From there, winners of the first-round games advance to the quarterfinals to take on the top four seeds.
Of note: Once the final bracket is revealed, there is no “re-seeding” to ensure the highest-ranked team faces the lowest-ranked remaining team. That means No. 1 plays the winner of the No. 8/9 game; No. 2 plays No. 7/10; No. 3 plays No. 6/11 and No. 4 plays No. 5/12.
The CFP committee also will not make special arrangements to ensure teams that met in the regular season will avoid playing in the postseason.
The Buckeyes have won eight national titles with their most recent coming in 2014, when they beat Oregon 42-20 in the first year of the College Football Playoff. Here are the seasons they won national championships:
- 1942
- 1954
- 1957
- 1961
- 1968
- 1970
- 2002
- 2014
The Fighting Irish haven’t won a national title since 1988, but Notre Dame has accumulated 11 championships in its storied history. Here are the seasons it won national championships:
- 1924
- 1929
- 1930
- 1943
- 1946
- 1947
- 1949
- 1966
- 1973
- 1977
- 1988
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