The Ohio State Buckeyes have had a fascinating 2024-25 season. Picked as one of the best teams in the country, with a roster that ranked as the most talented in the entire sport, they found themselves the object of a significant amount of criticism as the season progressed.

The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff field has been whittled down to two as Ohio State prepares to face Notre Dame in the CFP National Championship on Monday, Jan. 20 in Atlanta. Program legends will be made as Ohio State seeks its first national title since 2014,

Get pressure on Will Howard from the start. Get more physical from the opening snap. Push around the receivers. Muck it up a bit with a late hit that gets everyone mad. Get in Ohio State's head. If you can figure out the equivalent of the Bret Bielema substitution pattern thing that melted the brain of South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, do it.

Notre Dame prefers to play press, man-to-man pass coverage. Will that work against Jeremiah Smith and OSU's other receivers in the CFP title game?

OSU’s devastating offense ranks Top 10 on each side of the ball in success rate, EPA/play and marginal efficiency. The main areas of weakness on offense are the Ohio State O-line’s ability to handle extra rushers, ranking 78th with a 9.2% blitz down sack rate, and a somewhat elevated 10.2% blown run block rate that checks in at 94th nationally.

With less than one week until the College Football Playoff national championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame, the Buckeyes’ coordinators will offer their thoughts Tuesday afternoon. This is Kelly’s first season on the Ohio State coaching staff but not his first trip to a championship game.