ATLANTA — Coach Ryan Day silenced critics, running back Quinshon Judkins scored three touchdowns and the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes withstood a furious second-half rally to beat Notre Dame, seeded No. 7, 34-23, to win the title. College Football Playoff National Championship. In their first-ever 12-team CFP, the Buckeyes became just the fifth team in the AP Poll era to win a national title even if they didn’t win their conference.
This is Ohio State’s first national championship since 2014 and the first for Day, who faced a mountain of criticism after the Buckeyes lost their fourth straight game to Michigan in November.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard was terrific, finishing with two touchdown passes and completing 14 of his first 15 passes. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly called for a masterful game, never forcing anything and yet getting virtually anything and everything the Buckeyes wanted against the Notre Dame defense that entered Monday’s title game not allowing only 14.3 points per game (second best nationally).
Notre Dame took a 7-0 lead on an impressive but grueling 18-play touchdown run to open the game in which quarterback Riley Leonard ran the ball nine times. Leonard was so exhausted after the drive that he threw up on the sidelines. But the Buckeyes took control from there and scored four touchdowns on their first four offensive drives, the first time in national championship history.
Notre Dame showed its life late with two second-half scores and a 2-point conversion that brought the game back to one possession, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a huge deficit. The Irish, with all their blue blood history, are still looking for their first national championship since 1988.
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CBS Sports was there with you throughout the evening with live updates, analysis and highlights from the 2025 CFP National Championship. Read below for more takeaways from the game.