No. 8 seed Ohio State put a victorious capper on the first-ever 12-team edition of the College Football Playoff with a 34-23 win over No. 7 seed Notre Dame at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The win marked the Buckeyes' first national championship since 2014 and concluded a remarkable postseason rally for a team that ended the regular season with an embarrassing loss to arch rival Michigan.
On the heels of that stunning 13-10 defeat against the Wolverines, Ohio State came out with a vengeance in the CFP. First, the Buckeyes crushed No. 9 seed Tennessee 42-17 in a first-round home game. Then, they dismantled No. 1 seed Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl, avenging a regular season loss to the Ducks.
No. 5 seed Texas pushed Ohio State in the semifinals, but Ohio State met the moment and escaped with a 28-14 victory to clinch the program's first CFP National Championship Game appearance since a 52-24 loss to Alabama on Jan 11, 2021.
This time, it was the Buckeyes who dominated. The Buckeyes weathered a nearly 10-minute game-opening touchdown drive from the Fighting Irish, took control to build a 24-point advantage in the third quarter and withstood a late Notre Dame rally. In the process, the Buckeyes denied the Fighting Irish their first national championship since 1988.
2024-25 College Football Playoff schedule
All times Eastern
National Championship
Monday, Jan. 20
- (8) Ohio State 34, (7) Notre Dame 23 | Recap
Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- Atlanta
2024-25 College Football Playoff scores
First round
- (7) Notre Dame 27, (10) Indiana 17 | Recap
Notre Dame Stadium -- South Bend, Indiana - (6) Penn State 38, (11) SMU 10 | Recap
Beaver Stadium -- State College, Pennsylvania - (5) Texas 38, (12) Clemson 24 | Recap
Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium -- Austin, Texas - (8) Ohio State 42, (9) Tennessee 17 | Recap
Ohio Stadium -- Columbus, Ohio
Quarterfinals
- Fiesta Bowl -- (6) Penn State 31, (3) Boise State 14 | Recap
State Farm Stadium -- Glendale, Ariz. - Peach Bowl -- (5) Texas 39, (4) Arizona State 31 | Recap
Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- Atlanta - Rose Bowl -- (8) Ohio State 41, (1) Oregon 21 | Recap
Rose Bowl -- Pasadena, Calif. - Sugar Bowl -- (7) Notre Dame 23, (2) Georgia 10 | Recap
Caesars Superdome -- New Orleans
