Riley Leonard bold predictions for Notre Dame-Ohio State CFP title game
01/14/2025 12:16 PM
The national championship matchup is set. The Notre Dame football team will take on Ohio State next Monday night in Atlanta with everything on the line. Both the Fighting Irish and the Buckeyes were tested in the semifinal round as Notre Dame narrowly outlasted Penn State, and a heroic play from Jack Sawyer lifted Ohio State past Texas in the final minutes. Both semifinal games were terrific matchups that came down to the wire, and we can only hope that the national title will be the same. It is shaping up to be a fun matchup.
Ohio State is definitely the favorite coming into this game as they have had the more difficult road to the national title game, and they have also looked more dominant. However, the Fighting Irish have more than earned their right to play in this game, and they are ready to give the Buckeyes a good battle.
Before we get into some predictions for this game, let’s take a deeper look at both the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish.
Ohio State is the clear favorite
Unless you’re a Notre Dame fan, you’re probably picking Ohio State to win the national title game. The Buckeyes went down to the wire against Texas, but they dominated in their first two games of the playoff and they have definitely looked like the best team in the field despite being the eight seed.
The Buckeyes have looked good, and they are loaded with weapons unlike any other team in the country. This team is riddled with NFL talent, and that talent is taking them far. Ohio State didn’t have the regular season that they were hoping for, but they are making up for it in the playoff.
Ohio State failed to accomplish goals of beating rival Michigan and winning the Big Ten, but winning a national title will certainly make Buckeyes fans feel better about that.
Can Notre Dame pull off the upset?
Ohio State is a big favorite in this game, but Notre Dame is actually the team with the higher seed. It’s a bit of a surprise to see the seven seed and the eight seed in the national title game, but these teams are ranked higher than some teams that ended up being seeded ahead of them because of the way that the format works. Still, not a lot of people had the Fighting Irish making it this far, and they are hoping to prove some more people wrong.
Notre Dame has won three playoff games to get here, but this will definitely be their stiffest challenge yet. It wasn’t easy getting past Georgia or Penn State, but the Buckeyes definitely have more talent than those two squads, and this will be a big challenge for the Fighting Irish. It is going to take a great performance to pull off the upset.
The Fighting Irish are going to have their hands full in this one, and it is going to be tough to capture a national championship. In order to win, they will need a big performance from quarterback Riley Leonard. Here are three predictions for his performance:
Riley Leonard will throw three interceptions
Notre Dame has struggled to get their passing attack going this season, and they are going to need it against Ohio State. The Buckeyes are able to score in bunches, and the Fighting Irish won’t be able to keep up by just running the football. They are going to be forced into trying to make big plays through the air, and that isn’t their game. It will cost them as Riley Leonard will end up turning the ball over a couple times.
Riley Leonard will throw zero touchdown passes
If the Notre Dame football team does find the end zone in the national title game (and that is a big if as the Buckeyes have a terrific defense) it will be on the ground. Running the football is the strength of this Notre Dame offense and they are certainly going to try to establish that part of their offense early in the game. If they can get it going they will a chance in this one, but expect Ohio State to sell out to stop the run because of the lack of a passing threat from Riley Leonard and Notre Dame.
Riley Leonard and Notre Dame will lose 38-14
Ohio State is going to cruise to a national championship victory on Monday night. The Buckeyes are just too good right now and Notre Dame won’t be able to keep up. Ohio State will get off to a fast start and they won’t look back, earning a 38-14 win.
The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish will kick off at 7:30 PM ET on Monday night from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, and the game will be airing on ESPN. Ohio State is currently favored by eight points.
How Ohio State and Notre Dame got here
We are less than a week away from the national championship game, and the College Football Playoff has been a lot of fun so far. We started with 12, and now Notre Dame and Ohio State are the last two teams standing. Let’s go back and take a look at how both teams got here.
The Notre Dame football team started off their CFP journey with a home game against 10 seed Indiana in the first round. The final score of the game ended up being 27-17, but the Fighting Irish were up 27-3 with under two minutes to go. They dominated the Hoosiers.
Notre Dame then took down two seed Georgia in the quarterfinals. 17 points in the span of under one minute was the difference in that one as the Fighting Irish won 23-10.
The Fighting Irish punched their ticket to the national title game with a close win against Penn State. A late interception set up the game-winning field goal, and Notre Dame won 27-24.
Ohio State had a couple snoozers to start things off as they dominated their first two CFP games. Ohio State blew out Tennessee at home in the first round as they won 42-17, and then they smoked one seed Oregon in the quarterfinals as it was 31-0 halfway through the second quarter. They cruised to a 41-21 win.
In the semis, the Buckeyes took down Texas 28-14. The Longhorns had a first and goal at the one late in the game trailing 21-14, and they couldn’t punch it in.
Now, there are just two teams left fighting for the ultimate prize. Hopefully we get a good one to close out a fun college football season.
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