For all the flag-planting of rivalry week, Ohio State is proving teams can overcome multiple losses (including the big one) on way to glory.

Notre Dame and Ohio State fans have had to endure unprecedented travel demands throughout college football’s first 12-team playoff to reach Monday night’s national championship game.

No one is going to mistake blue bloods Notre Dame and Ohio State for a Cinderella, but the winner of Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship will complete one of the greatest redemption arcs in modern college football history.

And with a nod to c ollege football’s 12-team playoff, which concludes Monday when Ohio State and Notre Dame play for the national title, here are 12 reasons why I hate – yes, I said it! – college football: The move by college football to expand the playoff system to 12 teams was all about greed. Period.

There's only one game remaining in what has been the longest college football season in history, which started way back on Aug. 24, 2024, when Georgia Tech upset then-No. 10 Florida State 24-21 in Ireland.

While discourse around the future of the College Football Playoff format continues, a major change is not expected to occur before the 2025 season, according to a report from Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger on Friday.

On Sunday, the eve of the College Football Playoff national championship game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the decision-makers who have the ultimate authority over the playoff's format will hold their annual business meeting.

SportsLine's model simulated Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2025 CFP National Championship game 10,000 times

Analyzing the key matchups where Notre Dame can capitalize against Ohio State in the CFP National Championship showdown.

Ohio State has to jump out early, spread the ball around, use pace, and control the line of scrimmage to thwart Notre Dame’s running game. Ohio State has played at a faster pace in the postseason and look for that to continue. The defense will want to make Leonard throw the ball by making the Notre Dame offense one-dimensional.