Ohio State soccer enters the Nationwide Championship sport because the heavy favourite over No. 5 Notre Dame. The Buckeyes have been on a tear lately, coming off three dominant victories over legit title contenders. This included Ryan Day’s workforce getting some much-needed revenge over No. 1 Oregon on the 2025 Rose Bowl.
On the opposite facet of the sphere, Marcus Freeman’s workforce has proven a resilience that Notre Dame has not had since earlier than this century. The Preventing Irish additionally needed to win three straight video games over top-ten opponents to succeed in this level, which included the 2025 Sugar Bowl over No. 2 Georgia and the 2025 Orange Bowl over No. 4 Penn State. The primary of these two victories marked the primary time the Preventing Irish have gained a New 12 months’s Six bowl sport since 1994.
Whereas Marcus Freeman has elevated this historic program in his third 12 months, now comes the Preventing Irish’s stiffest check in opposition to an Ohio State workforce firing on all cylinders. Ever since their house loss to Michigan, the Buckeyes have appeared totally totally different. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has been far more aggressive within the passing sport, getting the ball out to proficient wideouts like Jeremiah Smith.
Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard has additionally been in elite type. The grad switch from Kansas State has posted QBRs above 90.0 in all three of Ohio State’s playoff victories. That aggression within the passing assault is essential, as Ryan Day’s workforce often has had inconsistencies with the bottom sport. General, Ohio State will beat Notre Dame in New Orleans for a large number of causes. Here is finally why the Buckeyes will hoist their ninth nationwide championship on January 20.
Ohio State’s protection can exploit Notre Dame’s offensive weaknesses
Ohio State soccer merely has the most effective protection within the nation. The Buckeyes have solely allowed 12.2 factors per sport, which ranks first within the nation. This unit has no distinct weaknesses and was solely uncovered in a single sport at Oregon in October. The Geese have been nowhere close to as profitable the second time round, with most of their 21 factors coming in rubbish time.
The Buckeyes’ entrance is led by senior defensive finish Jack Sawyer, who had maybe the play of the season within the 2025 Cotton Bowl. The 2-time All-Huge Ten choice had an 83-yard scoop and rating to seal the deal in opposition to No. 3 Texas. Sawyer, alongside All-Convention linebacker Cody Simon, can be essential on this matchup.
The Preventing Irish enter the Nationwide Championship sport with some of the deadly floor video games within the nation. Led by quarterback Riley Leonard and star working again Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame’s dashing offense has a number of threats that the Buckeyes should fear about. Leonard, particularly, is essentially the most cell QB the Buckeyes have confronted thus far, having rushed for 866 yards and 16 touchdowns. Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles finally would possibly stack the field to place Notre Dame in apparent passing conditions.
Riley Leonard typically took benefit of protection busts within the Penn State secondary when the Nittany Lions bought out to cease the run. Nevertheless, the Buckeyes’ secondary is on a unique degree from its Huge Ten rivals. Leonard additionally had two interceptions within the 2025 Orange Bowl, which is one thing that can’t occur Monday night time.
Sadly, the Preventing Irish lack a constant game-changing receiver to maintain the Buckeyes trustworthy of their dashing protection. Whereas sophomore Jaden Greathouse had a superb sport in opposition to the Nittany Lions, asking the 20-year-old to duplicate that gorgeous efficiency is loads to ask at this stage in his profession. Due to this fact, Ohio State soccer’s skill to gamble and comprise Notre Dame’s dashing offense is exclusive to each workforce the Preventing Irish have confronted thus far. Showcasing why Marcus Freeman’s program is up in opposition to the chances this coming Monday.
The Buckeyes’ receivers can exploit a short-handed Preventing Irish secondary
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On October 14, Notre Dame introduced that star cornerback and captain Benjamin Morrison was formally out for the season with a hip harm. The junior is about to be a first-round decide on this 12 months’s NFL Draft. If he have been wholesome, Morrison would positively be the man lined up throughout from freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith.
Nonetheless, regardless of this harm, the Preventing Irish are second within the nation in yards allowed per sport by means of the air. And this secondary has maintained its stellar type all through the Faculty Soccer Playoff. Within the first spherical, Notre Dame stifled an elite passing assault from the Indiana Hoosiers. Within the Sugar Bowl, the secondary bent in opposition to backup Georgia quarterback Gunnar Stockton just a few instances however didn’t break, holding the Bulldogs to only ten factors. And Penn State quarterback Drew Allar had far and away his worst sport of the playoff within the Orange Bowl.
Whether or not Will Howard is the most effective quarterback Marcus Freeman’s workforce has confronted stays debatable. Nevertheless, Ohio State has undoubtedly the best-receiving core the Preventing Irish have lined up in opposition to this season. This elite group will often burn this secondary if Ohio State’s offense will get a variety of possessions this sport.
Ought to the Buckeyes not be capable to get their protection off the sphere, like in opposition to Michigan, that modifications the entire dynamic of this conflict. Nonetheless, it’s totally affordable to anticipate Notre Dame’s lack of Benjamin Morrison to be consequential in opposition to an opponent with NFL expertise throughout the perimeter.
Ohio State is the extra proficient workforce and has been a buzzsaw thus far within the Faculty Soccer Playoff
General, if Chip Kelly and the Ohio State offense observe an identical sport plan to that of the Michigan loss, Notre Dame can completely win this sport. For some purpose, the Buckeyes have been timid within the passing assault and tremendous cussed about making an attempt to run the ball in opposition to the Wolverines. This technique resulted in Ohio State solely scoring ten factors that afternoon. Notre Dame’s protection has the personnel, expertise, and training to take advantage of these forms of errors from Chip Kelly.
However Ohio State has been a unique workforce since that consequence. The Buckeyes are airing it out as aggressively as they’ve this entire season, and it is labored. It will be stunning to see something totally different, even in opposition to probably the most effective secondary they’ve confronted. The time has come for this program to win its first title beneath Ryan Day, weeks after many individuals known as for his firing. Ohio State soccer gained the nationwide title within the first 12 months of the four-team Faculty Soccer Playoff format. Now it is time for the Buckeyes to kick off this new period with their ninth championship in class historical past.