Tressels, Fickells, Urbans, Days, Johnsons and Days,
I hope to write my 301st prediction next week.
The last time I wrote this line was last week. Here we are. They made it to the last game of the season.
Whether you believe in the power of Holy Buckeye or Touchdown Jesus, at least you are a disciple of College Football...and we worship the same deity.
The last time I wrote this line was prior to the 2023 Ohio State vs Notre Dame game.
The Ohio State - Notre Dame clash pre-dates most of us. When I was a young boy absorbing everything about sports, I asked my Uncle Garth who his favorite team was. He answered, "Ohio State and whoever is playing Notre Dame."
The 1935 Ohio State vs. Notre Dame game played in Ohio Stadium has been called "The Game of the Century"...which today is an overused term but back then was special. The pictures from the 1935 game are incredible. Grainy black, white, and gray shots. Over 80,000 people in the stadium - most of the men wearing those dark hats associated with that period. No helmet facemasks, so you can see the grizzled look on the players faces...who all look much older than they really are. This was the height of the Great Depression and yet 10,000 people came by train from South Bend to see this game. In 1935, Ohio State lost on a touchdown pass (which was revolutionary at that time) in the final minute. The Buckeyes would lose again in South Bend in 1936.
Do you remember where you were in 1995 when the Buckeyes finally had a chance for redemption against the Fighting Irish? One of the best college football images ever captured...Eddie George pulling away from nearly the entire Notre Dame team with 9 gold helmets chasing him from behind. Ohio State won again in South Bend in 1996.
The fifth time the Buckeyes and Irish met was nearly 20 years ago in the Fiesta Bowl. I remember my eldest son was only 6 weeks old and our celebratory roars did not wake him up. I also remember after the game, Troy Smith said during practice he worked on not overthrowing the long ball to Teddy Ginn...they knew it would be open.
The sixth time these two teams met was the 2015 Fiesta Bowl. One of the best Ohio State teams to not win the championship rolled Notre Dame behind Zeke’s four touchdowns in his final game as a Buckeye. Also, precursors of modern-day college football started creeping in during that January 1st, 2016 game. Joey Bosa was ejected on a targeting penalty which would have been the cleanest hit Jack Tatum ever laid on an opponent. Notre Dame’s sure-fire first round pick, Jaylon Smith, suffered a knee injury during the game which created a cascade of top NFL prospects opting out of non-championship bowl games ever since.
The seventh time the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish met was the 2022 season opener. I was at that game, I also went to the 2002 National Championship game. The 2022 OSU-ND game atmosphere was over the top - bigger than the national championship game. Primetime, under the lights; the sideline a who's who of celebrities. The pre-game flyover planes dropped a military parachute squadron to the 50-yard line turf, aerialists rapidly falling out of the night sky. The halftime marching band performance featured a choreographed drone show high above the south stadium that was spectacular. The crowd was deafening from start to finish. The game was pretty great, too...a gritty Ohio State victory. Little-known defensive tackle, Mike Hall, was electric and constantly disrupted the Notre Dame offense. CJ Stroud efficiently led the offense in his final season with the Buckeyes before becoming the second pick in the NFL draft.
The eighth time these teams clashed it was a classic finish last season in Notre Dame Stadium. Needing a touchdown to win, Ohio State got the ball back with 1:26 left to play. OSU orchestrated a 15 play, 65-yard drive to score a goal line touchdown with 1 second remaining for the victory.
This game is already historic. The path to get here is unprecedented. They don’t get bigger than this.
I hope we look back on this game many years from now and tell the stories of Ohio State taking home the trophy.
Touchdowns: TreVeyon, Emeka, Jeremiah Smith
OSU 24 Notre Dame 14
Go Bucks! Beat Notre Dame! Harry Miller and Tyleik Williams for Heisman!
Stout Pops
