Brynne Fox ‘27
Staff Writer
The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish competed in the college football national championships at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025, after four exciting rounds of playoffs which started on December 20, 2024.
Throughout the season the Buckeyes as well as Notre Dame both upheld a record of 14-2. Quarterback Will Howard led the Buckeyes to victory with 231 passing yards and two touchdowns to outscore Riley Leonard and Notre Dame for a final score of 34-24.
In response to Ohio State’s win, Cape’s junior linebacker, Quardell Richards, “felt that Ohio State was definitely deserving of a win.”
The first round of playoffs began with a 42-17 (8) Ohio State win against (9) Tennessee. Following their playoff debut, the Buckeyes played (1) Oregon in a tough Rose Bowl game, but ended up with an unexpected 41-21 win. Next in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Ohio State played (5) Texas and won 28-14 sending them into the championship.
(7) Notre Dame started the playoffs with a 27-17 win against (10) Indiana. Then in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the Irish played a challenging game against (2) Georgia, coming out on top with a 23-10 win. Finally, in the Capital One Orange Bowl, Notre Dame faced (6) Penn State in a very close game ending in a 27-24 win leading to the championship.
This season the College Football Playoffs changed to a 12-team playoff opposed to a four-team playoffs as seen in previous years, allowing more teams to have a shot at the National Championship.
With the new format, the five highest ranked teams throughout the season get an automatic bid or bye to pass the first round of playoffs.
NBC sports writer Nicole Auerbach talks about the beneficial effects of the new layout, stating “To me, that was the [College Football Playoff] CFP impacting the regular season in a positive way, and it outweighed the idea that certain regular-season results may have mattered less than if they happened in a previous season.”
Cape’s Sophomore quarterback, Jameson Tingle states, “It gives fans more time to watch…More teams are able to earn a spot and really prove who's the best.”
Many find this change beneficial for not just the players but the fans as well. Richards also mentioned, “More teams allowed means more athletes being scouted for the NFL … [and] more opportunities.”
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