2025 National Championship
By: Grady McCarten
The National Championship is one of the most anticipated games of the year every year. But the new college football playoff rules brought some interesting changes and some insane upsets. Here is both the Preview and Post view of the National Championship.
Preview:
The 2024-25 College Football Season was the mark of a new era of college football, with a 12-team playoff being the first of its kind. Teams that made the initial round included (ranked in order) Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, Arizona State, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, Indiana, SMU, and Clemson. Full of upsets, the 1st ranked team lost its first game shocking the country. But after all the dust settles and the upsets are through, only two teams remain, grinding for the final podium. Notre Dame the 7th ranked team face off against Ohio State the 8th ranked team, even though they were seeded at the 7th and 8th spot, these two teams are arguably the most talented rosters in all of college football as it showed which got them to this point.
The National Championship will be played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia January 20th at 5:30 PM. The game will feature the #1 ranked defense in Ohio State and the #2 ranked defense in Notre Dame, 1 v. 2. The outcome of this game is simple: Offense will win the championship. The score prediction that had the most votes was 24-14 Ohio State favorites, but my statement remains the same, whoever can cause more fits for the defense will walk away with the trophy.
Postview:
The college football game of the year was high scoring, more than everyone had predicted considering it was the #1 Ranked Defense v. #2 Ranked Defense. The final score was 34-23 Ohio State coming out on top, which is a combined 19 more points than predicted. An offensive onslaught.
Notre Dame started off hot, taking the first drive of the game 75 yards on 18 plays. A long, dominating drive that punched OSU in the face. But, Ohio State responded in a huge way, going for 31-strait, unanswered points, taking a commanding 31-7 lead. At this point, many people thought it was over, another non-competitive championship game, but Notre Dame came storming back. Jaden Greathouse’s 34-yard receiving touchdown and a two-point conversion gave a glimmer of hope for the Fighting Irish, giving the momentum back to ND which that, and an outstanding defensive play, forced a fumble giving Notre Dame the ball right back which again drove all the way down the field. Irish fans roared as they got down to the 9-yard line, and on 4th and 9 in a two-score game elected to kick a field goal, the 27-yard, gimme, field goal clanked off the left upright, leaving fans in awe. The game stayed 31-15. But the dream was still alive, as the defense yet again got another stop which turned into another Jaden Greathouse 30-yard score. After another successful two-point try, the game was back down to a one score game (31-23). The stadium was ecstatic, but the Irish made a costly mistake, man coverage against the #1 receiver in the nation stereotypically doesn’t end well, and that stayed true on this play. Will Howard tosses up a 56-yard prayer to Jermiah Smith (the #1 ranked receiver) and completed it and then Ohio State successfully iced the game with a 33-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining on the game clock.
Notre Dame’s comeback might have fallen short, but it made for an interesting game. The offensive game was one for the ages, defensive struggles early but momentum shifting plays allowed fans to feel the ups and downs of the competitive side of life. The final score of the 2025 National Championship was 34-23, Ohio State crowned champions of the first ever 12-team playoffs.