There’s a simple explanation why Ohio State will defeat Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Championship Game on Monday in Atlanta:
The Buckeyes have to win.
Otherwise, everything they have done in the past month and three impressive playoff victories will have gone for naught in their attempt to repair a reputation that was soiled during and after the befuddling 13-10 loss to three-touchdown underdog Michigan in Columbus on Nov. 30.
Not to mention the grace period for coach Ryan Day from the legions that want him fired will be dust in the wind. Losing four straight to the Wolverines leaves little room for empathy or reasoning, even with a title game appearance.
You see, while Notre Dame wants the title, the Fighting Irish don’t face the same implications or derision if they lose.
The narrative that Day is unfit to lead a storied program like Ohio State will resurface despite his 69-10 record.
That’s the burden of having the richest and most talented of the 12 playoff teams.
If the Buckeyes play like they are capable of—see the 42-17 thrashing of Tennessee followed by the 41-21 demolition of No. 1 seed Oregon—and not the mistake-prone bunch that was finally tested before putting Texas away 28-14 in the semifinal, then the Fighting Irish will have no chance.
Ohio State can be that good. They were nearly flawless in their first two postseason appearances, but nine penalties, three of which contributed to thwarting potential scoring drives, made the Buckeyes look human against the Longhorns.
Even so, they continued their streak of never trailing in the postseason with the best Texas could muster was 7-7 and 14-14 ties.
The route to victory begins with getting star freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith more than one catch for a mere 3 yards, as was the case against Texas. While the Buckeyes did a decent job of getting Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate and the tight ends involved, the fact is the offense was not good enough after scoring on the first drive for the third straight game.
The Buckeyes had just two offensive TDs the rest of the game and needed a late iconic 83-yard scoop-and-score by defensive end Jack Sawyer to seal the win.
Goal No. 1 will be a fast start like the 21-0 first-quarter blitz on Tennessee and 34-0 lead on the bewildered Ducks. Why give the Fighting Irish a glimmer of hope?
All the pressure is on Ohio State, while Notre Dame, under coach Marcus Freeman, a former Buckeye linebacker, has somehow become likable. Or maybe the Buckeyes are so unlikable.
They shouldn’t be. Don’t Americans love a redemptive story? There’s none better at the moment than a heavyweight getting up from being knocked on his ass.
The Buckeyes were down for the count after the Michigan debacle, but that defining moment led to some serious heated discussions between the players and the staff. The result was a renewed determination to right their wrongs.
The team is fully buying the “Ohio vs. World” mentality, and the players genuinely want to win the championship as much for their beleaguered coach as for themselves.
As the quote from the movie Apollo 13 says, “Failure is not an option.”
Notre Dame could be the spoiler, of course, but it won’t be because it’s the most talented team on the field, just the better that night.
That’s something Ohio State has been working for weeks to avoid.
