The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff gave us what we asked for: a definitive national champion in a tournament made of worthy pursuers for the crown. Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes proved to be the final team standing Monday night, holding off a Notre Dame comeback bid to walk away with a memorable 34-23 win over the Fighting Irish to become the second team since 1960 to win the national championship with two losses in one season.
Here are five takeaways from Monday night’s CFP National Championship game:
1. The Fighting Irish looked ready when the game kicked off. Notre Dame’s game plan worked, taking the ball and making Ohio State do what it had not done throughout the entire College Football Playoff: play from behind.
2. Ohio State QB Will Howard was excellent. He completed his first 13 passes to set the record for consecutive completions in a College Football Playoff championship game. His eighth completion of the night went to senior wideout Emeka Egbuka, a 12-yard completion for a first down, marking Ebuka’s 202nd reception at Ohio State, making him the Buckeyes’ all-time leader in receptions.
3. Jaden Greathouse is a force. The Fighting Irish were finished, and then Greathouse appeared once more when they needed him most. After putting together the first 100-yard receiving performance by any Notre Dame wide receiver this season, he made two Buckeye defenders miss en route to just the second touchdown of the game for Notre Dame.
4. Jeremiah Smith came up clutch when Ohio State needed him most. With just 2:45 left to play and stuck on their own 36-yard line after three consecutive rushes from Howard, Ohio State OC Chip Kelly cashed in on the set-up. With Notre Dame sucked up in the box and one-on-one coverage on the outside against freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith, Howard unleashed a go-ball that Smith caught 54 yards down the field to secure first-and-goal for the Buckeyes.
5. The balance of power has shifted north of the Mason-Dixon Line for the first time this century. For the first time this century, the Big Ten has seen two of its members win the national title in back-to-back seasons: Michigan and Ohio State. The SEC has also missed the national title game for consecutive seasons for the first time since 2004 and 2005.
