The Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish have combined for 19 national championships and the two schools are only separated by 250 miles, but only recently has the matchup between two of college football’s elite programs turned into a rivalry.
When the No. 8-seeded Buckeyes (13-2) and No. 7-seeded Irish (14-1) square off in the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta, it will mark the third time Ohio State coach Ryan Day and Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman have faced each other since 2022. Day has bested Freeman in the previous two meetings, but both games featured significant off-the-field chatter between fans, alumni, current coaches and former coaches.
Trilogy Begins
While the current rivalry between the two schools will reach a fever pitch with a national title on the line this season, the trilogy got its start in the season opener of the 2022 season. That season, the No. 4 Buckeyes came into the season with a vaunted offense behind quarterback CJ Stroud but Day was facing questions about his turnover of the defense and some calling the Buckeyes “soft.” On the other sideline, Freeman—who was a former Ohio State linebacker—was making his regular season debut as the coach of the Irish after replacing Brian Kelly, who had left for the LSU Tigers.
Stroud threw 2 touchdowns in the first half and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ unit shut out Notre Dame over the final 42 minutes to pick up a defensive 21-10 win in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes would go on to finish 11-2, losing to Georgia 42-21 in the CFP Semifinals. Notre Dame would go on to finish 9-4, ending with a Gator Bowl win against South Carolina.
Their last meeting took place in 2023 and featured not only an early-season matchup between two Associated Press Top 25 teams, but also became known for the pregame “feud” between Day and former National Championship-winning Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, where the Buckeyes’ “toughness” was once again called into question. Freeman and the No. 16 Irish took a 14-10 late into the fourth quarter in South Bend, Ind., but Ohio State’s Kyle McCord led the No. 7 Buckeyes down the field in the final minutes to set up Chip Trayanum’s 1-yard touchdown run with one second left to win 17-14.
“I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now,” Day said during a televised postgame interview. “What he said about our team, I cannot believe. This is a tough team right here. We’re proud to be from Ohio. It’s always been Ohio against the world, and it’ll continue to be Ohio against the world. But I’ll tell you what: I love those kids. We’ve got a tough team.”
The Buckeyes would finish the season 11-2 after falling to the Missouri Tigers 14-3 in the Cotton Bowl. The Irish would finish the 2023 season 10-3, capped by a dominating Sun Bowl win against the Oregon State Beavers.
Freeman said the Irish aren’t worried about the past two games during media availability on Jan. 12.
“We've got a chance to play in the National Championship game. This isn't about the past,” Freeman told the media. “This is about this opportunity we have right in front of us, and we'll continue to focus on this opportunity right in front of us. If there's learning opportunities from other games or previous games, absolutely we're going to use them. If that's going to help us be more prepared for what could happen in this game, we're definitely going to use it. But it isn't for motivation at all.”
Buckeyes vs. Irish in the Postseason
The 2025 CFP National Championship game will also be the third all-time meeting between Ohio State and Notre Dame in the postseason. The only two previous postseason matchups between the Buckeyes and Irish have come in the Fiesta Bowl.
In the 2016 edition in Glendale, Ariz., Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott tied a Fiesta Bowl record with 4 touchdowns and the No. 7 Buckeyes’ offense put up 496 total yards in a 44-28 win against the No. 8 Irish. Their first-ever postseason matchup came in 2006 in Tempe, Ariz., and ended in a 34-20 win for No. 3 Ohio State over No. 5 Notre Dame. The Irish scored first, but the Buckeyes went on to score 21 unanswered points to close the first half and rack up more than 600 yards of total offense.
90s Buckeyes Dominance
The first-ever meeting between the two-storied blue bloods of college football came in 1995 in Columbus. Led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner running back Eddie George (210 yards, 2 TDs), the Buckeyes erased a 20-14 Irish lead by outscoring Notre Dame 31-6 in the final 20 minutes of the game to come away with a 45-26 win. The following season, Ohio State running back Pepe Pearson rushed for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns in South Bend to give the Buckeyes the 29-16 win.
Although the Buckeyes are a perfect 6-0 all-time against Notre Dame, this is their first trip to the National Championship game in the BCS/Playoff era since a 52-24 loss to Alabama in 2021. The Irish are making their second appearance in the championship game since losing to Alabama 42-14.
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