Ohio State running back Chip Trayanum plowed through the middle of Notre Dame's defensive line for a 1-yard touchdown on third-and-goal with one second left on the clock to seal a 17-14 Buckeyes win. During a postgame interview with the NBC broadcast, Day, unprompted, went off on Holtz in a clip that went instantly viral.

Ohio State is fully capable of making Notre Dame pay for its mistakes, but it doesn’t force nearly as many turnovers and commits more on offense as well. The Buckeyes are tied for 54th in the FBS in takeaways (19) and rank 44th in turnover margin (plus-four), which bodes well for the Irish.

Notre Dame faces daunting odds in the CFP National Championship against Ohio State. Here’s what it will take to pull off the upset.

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Notre Dame will face Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinal in Miami, the sixth time the Fighting Irish have played in the Orange Bowl.

Day’s Buckeyes had eventual national champion Georgia on tilt in the playoffs a couple of years ago, but the Ohio State lost a heartbreaker. Day’s record vs. Michigan is rough for Buckeyes fans to digest, but Ohio State’s leader is 60 minutes away from potentially adding a national championship to his resume.

The culminating event of the first 16-team College Football Playoff as well as the 2024-25 season is less than a week away as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the National Championship Game on Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.