The expanded 12-team College Football Playoff will hit its final stop Monday as Notre Dame takes on Ohio State in the national championship game.
Both teams have taken wild roads to get to Atlanta for the game, with both squads looking to cap off their remarkable seasons with a title victory in front of a massive audience.
Here’s what to know about the game.
What time is kickoff of the national championship game?
The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Central time on Monday night at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
What channel will the game be on?
The game will be available on ESPN, with a wide variety of alternative broadcasts on ESPN networks, including a “Sky-Cam” edition, a stats-driven broadcast, and many more.
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How did Notre Dame get to this game?
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Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish were facing an uphill climb after a stunning loss to Northern Illinois in South Bend early in the season, but they have since reeled off 13 consecutive victories, including regular season wins over Louisville, Navy and Army.
The Fighting Irish then used their blend of defense and a ferocious run game to defeat in-state rival Indiana, SEC champion Georgia and Big Ten runner-up Penn State in the playoffs.
Notre Dame has leaned heavily on running back Jeremiyah Love, who has 1,122 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, but they’ve also gotten the benefit of a strong season from quarterback Riley Leonard, who has thrown for 2,606 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also has 866 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns on the year.
What about Ohio State?
The Buckeyes had a largely successful season, but were tripped up with a 13-10 loss to Michigan at home on Nov. 30, marking the fourth consecutive season they’ve lost to their bitter rivals.
That loss kept them out of the Big Ten championship game, but they have since turned into a juggernaut in the playoffs, with a blowout win over Tennessee, a revenge-game victory over Oregon in the Rose Bowl and a 28-14 win over Texas in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10.
The Buckeyes are paced by a dynamic run game, with Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson both at nearly 1,000 yards rushing on the season, and a passing game that has taken full advantage of freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who has 1,227 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns to his credit.
When was the last time the teams won the title?
Ohio State won the inaugural College Football Playoff in 2014, upsetting Alabama in the semifinals and then blowing out Oregon to capture the national championship, their sixth in team history.
Notre Dame has the second-most titles in NCAA history with eight, but has not won a title since 1988.
Have the teams ever played each other?
Ohio State and Notre Dame will be playing for the ninth time in history, with Ohio State owning a 6-2 record after winning the last six games against the Fighting Irish.
That winning streak includes a home-and-home series the teams played against one another in 2022 and 2023, with Ohio State winning 17-14 in the last meeting.
The last time Notre Dame beat Ohio State was all the way back in 1936, when they won a 7-2 contest in South Bend.
