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2025 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T
11th College Football Playoff National Championship
Ohio State Buckeyes Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13–2) (14–1) Big Ten Independent 34 23 Head coach:  Ryan Day Head coach:  Marcus Freeman AP Coaches CFP 6 7 6 AP Coaches CFP 3 3 5
1 2 3 4 Total Ohio State 0 21 10 3 34 Notre Dame 7 0 8 8 23
Date	January 20, 2025
Season	2024
Stadium	Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Location	Atlanta, Georgia
MVP	Will Howard (Ohio State, QB) Cody Simon (Ohio State, LB)
Favorite	Ohio State by 8.5
National anthem	Coco Jones with Adam Blackstone
Referee	Steve Marlowe (SEC)
Halftime show	Travis Scott
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath (sidelines)
International TV coverage
Network	ESPN Deportes Brazil: ESPN Brazil/Disney+ United Kingdom: Sky Sports
Announcers	ESPN Brazil: Matheus Pinheiro (play-by-play), Weinny Eirado (analyst), Eduardo Zolin (analyst) and Giane Pessoa (rules analyst) ESPN Deportes: Eduardo Varela (play-by-play), Pablo Viruega (analyst), Katia Castorena and Ciro Procuna (sidelines)
College Football Playoff National Championship  < 2024  2026 >

The 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship was a college football bowl game that was played on January 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The eleventh College Football Playoff National Championship, the game determined the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the 2024 season. It is the final game of the 2024–25 College Football Playoff (CFP), the first national championship under the 12-team CFP format, and, aside from any all-star games afterward, the culminating game of the 2024–25 bowl season. The game began at 7:30 p.m. EST and was televised nationally by ESPN. Sponsored by telecommunications company AT&T, the game is officially known as the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T.

The game featured the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes from the Big Ten Conference and the No. 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish, an FBS independent. The teams had met eight times previously, with Notre Dame winning the first two and Ohio State winning the last six, including a home-and-home in 2022 and 2023. It was their third postseason meeting after the 2006 Fiesta Bowl and 2016 Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State entered seeking their ninth national championship, the first since 2014, while Notre Dame entered seeking their twelfth and the first since 1988. The game marked the first back-to-back national championships without a participant from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) since the 2005 Orange Bowl and 2006 Rose Bowl.

Background

Host selection

On January 7, 2022, the College Football Playoff (CFP) awarded the rights to host the 2025 championship to Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. However, Allegiant Stadium had to relinquish hosting duties due to a conflict with the Consumer Electronics Show, which was not able to be moved to a later date. As a result, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, was named as the replacement host site on May 5, 2022. As Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted the 2018 CFP national championship, the 2025 game made Atlanta the first city to host the CFP national championship twice. The 71,000-seat retractable roof stadium, built to replace the Georgia Dome in 2017, is also the annual host of the Aflac Kickoff Game, SEC Championship Game, the Peach Bowl, the Celebration Bowl, the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL), and Atlanta United FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). Additionally, it has hosted the 2018 MLS Cup, Super Bowl LIII, and two matches during the 2024 Copa América; in the future, it has been selected to host matches during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including a semifinal during the latter. In October 2024, the NFL announced that the stadium will host Super Bowl LXII.

College Football Playoff

The game will be the 11th national championship in CFP history and the first national championship game under the expanded playoff format, which features twelve teams instead of four.

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Teams

The game will mark the ninth meeting all-time between the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish; Notre Dame won the first two games, in 1935 and 1936, while Ohio State has won each of the last six meetings. The teams last met as part of a home-and-home series with the Buckeyes earning victories of 21–10 and 17–14 on September 3, 2022, and September 23, 2023, respectively. It is the teams' sixth consecutive meeting in which both are ranked in the top ten by the AP Poll. The game will be their third postseason meetings following Ohio State victories in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl and the 2016 Fiesta Bowl.

Ohio State enters the game seeking their ninth national championship and their second of the CFP era following their win over Oregon in the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Notre Dame enters seeking its twelfth title, with the last coming in 1988. Both teams appeared in championship games more recently, though: Ohio State fell to Alabama in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship, while Notre Dame similarly lost to Alabama in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game.

After the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship featured Michigan from the Big Ten and Washington, from the Pac-12, this matchup marked the second consecutive national championship without a participant from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). This had not occurred since consecutive Big 12 vs. Pac-10 matchups in the 2005 Orange Bowl, which featured Oklahoma and USC, and the 2006 Rose Bowl, which featured Texas and USC.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State finished the regular season with a 10–2 record overall and a 7–2 record in Big Ten Conference games. Their only losses were to Oregon and archrival Michigan. Ranked sixth in the final CFP poll, the Buckeyes received the eighth seed in the playoff. They played and defeated Tennessee 42–17 in their first-round game in Columbus, Oregon in a rematch the Rose Bowl quarterfinal 41–21, and Texas in the Cotton Bowl semifinal 28–14. As a result, the Buckeyes will enter the championship game with a 13–2 record.

Sixth-year head coach Ryan Day enters with a 69–10 record with the Buckeyes; this marks his second championship game appearance.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame finished the regular season with an 11–1 record, with their only loss being a major upset against Northern Illinois on September 7. The Fighting Irish were seeded seventh in the CFP and won a first-round home playoff game over Indiana 27–17, the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal over Georgia 23–10, and the Orange Bowl semifinal over Penn State 27–24 to earn a berth in the championship game. The Irish enter the game with a 14–1 record; their 14 wins mark the most in school history.

The game will mark the first championship appearance for third-year head coach Marcus Freeman, who enters the game with a 33–9 record at Notre Dame. He is one of five Ohio State alumni to coach a game against the Buckeyes.

Broadcasting

The game was televised in the United States on ESPN, with Megacast coverage across numerous other channels in the ESPN family. ESPN2 carried Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show, ESPNU aired the Command Center broadcast, and ESPNews had the SkyCast feed. Additionally, ESPN Deportes aired the Spanish-language broadcast. The national radio feed was aired on ESPN Radio while WatchESPN carried the Hometown Radio feeds, featuring each team's radio commentary crew.

In the United Kingdom, the game was broadcast on Sky Sports.

Commentary teams

The Saturday Night Football commentary team of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Holly Rowe featured on the primary ESPN broadcast, with Molly McGrath joining Rowe as a sideline reporter. Bill Lemonnier, a former Big Ten referee, also featured as a rules analyst. The ESPN2 broadcast featured Pat McAfee, A. J. Hawk, Darius Butler, Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit and Tone Digs. The ESPN Radio feed featured play-by-play commentary from Sean McDonough, analysis from Greg McElroy, sideline commentary from Ian Fitzsimmons and Katie George, and rules analysis from former SEC referee Matt Austin. The Spanish-language commentary team of Eduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega, Katia Castorena and Ciro Procuna featured on the ESPN Deportes telecast, while ESPN Brazil's Portuguese-language broadcast featured Matheus Pinheiro, Weinny Eirado, Eduardo Zolin and Giane Pessoa.

The Ohio State Sports Network radio feed featured commentary from Paul Keels, Jim Lachey, Matt Andrews, and Skip Mosic, while the Notre Dame Football Radio Network Broadcast featured Tony Simeone and Ryan Harris.

Game summary

The game's officiating crew, representing the Southeastern Conference, was led by referee Steve Marlowe. The game was scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. EST, though its actual start time was 7:48 p.m. The cermonial pregame coin toss—to which Bernice King was invited, though the toss itself was performed by Marlowe—was won by Ohio State, who deferred their choice to the second half, thereby giving Notre Dame possession of the ball to begin the game.

First half

Ohio State kicker Jayden Fielding began the game with a touchback on the opening kickoff, giving Notre Dame possession of the ball at their own 25-yard line. The Irish converted two third downs and two fourth downs as part of their 18-play opening drive which concluded with a 1-yard Riley Leonard rushing touchdown after nearly ten minutes played. Ohio State similarly began their first offensive series on their own 25-yard line and reached Notre Dame territory in six plays following a 19-yard TreVeyon Henderson rush and a 15-yard pass from Will Howard to Quinshon Judkins. The Buckeyes recovered from a 5-yard loss on 1st & 10 on the Notre Dame 25-yard line with a 12-yard pass to Emeka Egbuka and a 5-yard Howard rush, earning the Buckeyes a first down at the Notre Dame 13-yard line to conclude the first quarter.

After a 5-yard Judkins rush began the second quarter, Ohio State scored their first touchdown on an 8-yard pass from Howard to Jeremiah Smith; Fielding's extra point tied the game at seven points apiece. The next Fighting Irish drive was set back by false start and holding penalties on consecutive plays, ultimately leading to a punt on 4th & 15. Ohio State resumed possession at their own 24-yard line and completed three plays which gained at least ten yards to reach the red zone with 8:20 remaining in the half. The Buckeyes converted a third down from the 12-yard line and took the lead on the following play with a 9-yard Judkins touchdown. The Irish went three-and-out on their third drive; they punted following a fumble on third down. James Rendell's punt was returned by Brandon Inniss to the Ohio State 20-yard line, where the Buckeyes took over with 4:48 to play. They converted a third down with a 19-yard pass from Howard to Inniss and had reached their own 45-yard line by the two-minute timeout. Another third-down conversion shortly followed—a 20-yard pass from Howard to Carnell Tate—and the drive concluded six plays later with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Howard to Judkins. Notre Dame ran one play, a 7-yard pass from Leonard to Beaux Collins, before the end of the second quarter. Ohio State led at halftime by a score of 21–7.

Second half

Ohio State began the third quarter with possession of the ball at their own 25-yard line following a touchback by Mitch Jeter. On their second play from scrimmage, Judkins rushed for a 70-yard gain before being tackled at the Notre Dame 5-yard line. After several more plays, Judkins rushed for a 1-yard touchdown, capping a 5-play drive to begin the half and increasing Ohio State's lead to 28–7 following Fielding's successful extra point. Notre Dame appeared to have been held to a three-and-out on their first drive of the second half but ran a fake punt on 4th & 2 which was unsuccessful. This turnover on downs gave Ohio State the ball at the Notre Dame 33-yard line, but the Buckeyes stalled on 3rd & 16 after gaining five yards in five plays and ultimately pushed their lead to 24 points on a 46-yard field goal by Fielding. The Fighting Irish faced 3rd & 19 on the sixth play of their ensuing drive, but a pass interference penalty gave them a first down that extended the possession. Four plays later, they scored for the first time since the opening quarter on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Leonard to Jaden Greathouse which was followed by a two-point pass from Leonard to Jeremiyah Love, narrowing Ohio State's lead to sixteen. A pass and two rushes by Howard gained the Buckeyes a first down to begin their next drive; they reached the Notre Dame 45-yard line following a roughing the passer penalty and a 2-yard Henderson rush as the third quarter concluded.

Notre Dame retook possession on the first play of the fourth quarter when a fumble by Egbuka was forced by Drayk Bowen and recovered by Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa at the Irish 21-yard line. They faced 3rd & 9 early in the drive but converted with a 30-yard pass from Leonard to Greathouse, advancing them to Ohio State territory. They faced 3rd & 12 several plays later and gained seven yards before converting on 4th & 5 to continue their possession at the Ohio State 22-yard line. A holding penalty on Ohio State moved the Irish to the 8-yard line but the drive ended with an unsuccessful 27-yard field goal attempt which deflected off of the left upright. Ohio State took the ball at the 20-yard line as a result but stalled after one first down and punted back to Notre Dame with 6:25 remaining in the game. The Irish retook possession at their own 20-yard line and drove 80 yards in six plays, capping the series with a 30-yard Leonard-to-Greathouse touchdown pass and another successful two-point pass, this time from Jordan Faison to Beaux Collins. The Buckeyes quickly faced 3rd & 11 from their own 34-yard line but converted with a 57-yard pass from Howard to Smith, advancing to the Notre Dame 9-yard line in time for the two-minute timeout. From there, the Buckeyes took the clock down to 28 seconds before attempting a 33-yard field goal, which Fielding made. The Irish ran one final play, a loss of two yards, before the end of the game, finalizing a 34–23 national championship victory for the Buckeyes.

Scoring summary

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: January 20, 2025
• Game time: 7:48 p.m. EST
• Game weather: n/a (game played indoors)
• Game attendance: 77,660
• Referee: Steve Marlowe (SEC)
• TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath (sidelines)
• Box score

Statistics

Notes

1. ^ The game was originally scheduled to be played at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.

See also

• College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS

References

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External links

• Game statistics at statbroadcast.com

• 2024–25 College Football Playoff
• 2024–25 NCAA football bowl games
• 2025 in Atlanta
• January 2025 sports events in the United States
• College Football Playoff National Championship
• Ohio State Buckeyes football bowl games
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish football bowl games