Ohio State and Notre Dame play for the college football championship: NPR

In an earlier era of college football, the two teams in Monday night’s championship game — Ohio State and Notre Dame — would not have made the playoffs at all.

For most of the history of high-level college football, a team had to go undefeated in the regular season, or be very lucky, in order to contend for a title. One bad regular season loss would often doom those chances.

But college football evolves every year. A new 12-team playoff format opened the door for a new type of champion.

Ohio State and Notre Dame have been strong throughout the season. But they each lost a disconcerting regular-season loss: the Buckeyes in a rivalry game against a mediocre Michigan team, and Notre Dame in a stunning September loss to Northern Illinois.

Under the old system, these L’s could have doomed both teams’ title hopes. Instead, they’re ready to compete on the sport’s biggest stage to win the first-ever championship of the expanded playoff era.

Here’s what else to know about the match:

Both teams are among the most successful college football programs of all time.

In college football, it doesn’t get much more iconic than Notre Dame or Ohio State. These two programs are both among the top five winningest teams of all time: Ohio State is second in total wins and Notre Dame is tied for fourth.

Ohio State has had more success recently, including titles in 2002 and 2014. In the 10 years the playoffs featured four teams, Ohio State qualified half the time, while Notre Dame did twice. Notre Dame last won a championship in 1988.

Another notable thing about the modern era of college football: Both teams hail from the Midwest. College football is now dominated by Southern teams, who have won all but two of the last 19 title games.

With a victory at Notre Dame, head coach Marcus Freeman would make history

In the history of college football, no Black or Asian American head coach has ever led his team to a national title. Freeman, whose father is black and mother is South Korean, is already the first coach In the title game – a victory at Notre Dame would make him the first to win.

When it comes to the performance of black head coaches, college football is far behind the NFL, and even further behind college basketball and the NBA — even though about half of the players at the sport’s highest level are black . Today, 16 of the Football Bowl Subdivision’s 134 head coaches are black, a number that has barely budged in a decade.

No matter the outcome of the game, this playoff series has already made the 39-year-old head coach a star.

Keep an eye on Ohio State star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

The Jewel of the State of Ohio $20 Million List is 19-year-old budding superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, a 6-foot-3 true freshman who lived up to the hype that surrounded his recruitment out of high school.

Smith has 1,227 receiving yards and 15 total touchdowns this season. His biggest game to date came when Ohio State smoked the then-undefeated Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinals. Smith caught 187 yards on seven receptions, including two for touchdowns – and he did almost all of that during a dominant first half.

His big-play ability has been key to Ohio State’s success this season. Some NFL analysts say he would be picked first overall in this year’s upcoming NFL Draft, if he’s eligible – but players must play in college for at least three years, so Smith has a chance to dominate college football for some time to come.

The game may depend on which team makes the most explosive plays – or mistakes

Ohio State has the better offense and is favored by more than a touchdown. Notre Dame is the great defensive team, but will it be enough?

Ohio State’s 28-14 semifinal win over Texas may seem lopsided compared to the final score. But two of Ohio State’s touchdowns came on long plays — a short screen pass that turned into a 75-yard touchdown just before halftime, and an 83-yard fumble recovery decisive for a touchdown in the final minutes of the match.

Texas stayed because its defense neutralized Ohio State’s ability to make explosive plays. The Longhorns limited Smith to just one reception for three yards. But ultimately, the Texas offense couldn’t convert when it counted.

Notre Dame is more of a field team. The Irish focus on the running game, dominating the line of scrimmage and limiting costly turnovers.

Quarterback Riley Leonard’s legs were the difference all season long for the Irish. But in the semifinal against Penn State, it was his arm that stood out in the game’s most important moments — including a 54-yard touchdown run to tie the game late in the game and then a first down key with 17 seconds left that put them in an easy basket. beach for the final score of the game. Will he be able to defend the Irish again?

Monday night’s game in Atlanta kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN and streamed on Fubo.