Ryan Day, Ohio State Face Notre Dame in High-Stakes National Championship

ATLANTA — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has a chance to silence his critics and cement his legacy as the Buckeyes face Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game marks the culmination of a tumultuous four-year journey for Day, who has faced relentless scrutiny over his team’s toughness and ability to win big games.

Day’s rivalry with Notre Dame has become a recurring theme in his career. In 2022, he used a 21-10 victory over the Fighting Irish to prove his team could win with a physical, run-heavy approach. “It’s been a huge emphasis to win this way, and it starts with defense,” Day said after that game. “When you can play really strong defense like we did tonight and you can run the football, we know we’ll be able to throw the ball. But if we want to go where we need to be, we’re gonna have to do those two things.”

Last season, Day’s frustrations boiled over after a narrow 17-14 win over Notre Dame, during which the Buckeyes scored a game-winning touchdown after the Irish failed to field an 11th defender. Day directed his ire at former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, who had criticized Ohio State’s physicality on ESPN. “I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right now,” Day shouted in a 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, and it’s always been Ohio against the world.”

Holtz, who led Notre Dame to its last national championship in 1988, will be in attendance Monday night, reigniting the feud. Earlier this week, Holtz took to social media to predict a Notre Dame victory, writing, “Ohio State has the talent, but Notre Dame has the heart, the culture, and the defense to win this game.”

For Day, the stakes couldn’t be higher. A win would make Ohio State the ninth team in program history to claim a national title and the third in over 50 years. “There are great stories on this team individually. There’s great stories on this team collectively,” Day said. “The only way those stories get told is if we win.”

Ohio State’s journey to the championship has been marked by resilience. After a fourth straight loss to Michigan in 2023, Day and his team have clawed their way back into contention. Quarterback Will Howard, who overcame two season-ending injuries, has been instrumental in the Buckeyes’ success. “We’ve gotta finish this thing the right way,” Day said. “Whether you’re talking about the foundation in building what you wanted to get done this season or leaving no doubt, all of those things come into play.”

Notre Dame, led by head coach Marcus Freeman, enters the game as an 8.5-point underdog but has won 13 straight games since an early-season upset loss to Northern Illinois. Freeman, who has sought guidance from Holtz, has instilled a culture of toughness and discipline in South Bend. “He doesn’t need any help,” Holtz said of Freeman. “He’s going in the right direction. But I want Notre Dame to always be successful.”

Monday night’s game is more than a battle for a championship—it’s a chance for Ryan Day and Ohio State to rewrite their narrative. “We have an opportunity to separate ourselves,” Day said. “That’s the only thing right now that matters.”