Irish Eyes Are Not Smiling At Ohio State

Congratulations to Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, the coaching staff, and the players on winning the 2024 national championship. The pain and misery after the November 30th loss to Michigan was palpable, and Coach Day deserves so much credit and praise for how he and the coaches were able to refocus the team for the stretch run in The College Football Playoff.

As a lifelong Ohioan, it was truly enjoyable to watch Ohio State play so well in their four playoff games versus Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame.

Credit should also go to Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame for playing so competitively in the national championship game. It was looking rather bleak for the Fighting Irish when Ohio State had a 31-7 lead in the 3rd quarter, but Notre Dame fought back in the second half before Ohio State ultimately prevailed.

Considering how Ohio State and Notre Dame have played more over the past 30 years (1995-2025) than the previous 60 years (1935-1995), it got me to thinking about the different ways that the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish have met on the football field. Something tells me that this last episode could be the beginning of more frequent meetings.

• Non-Conference Regular Season Games: Ohio State and Notre Dame finally played each other for the first time since 1935 when the two teams met in 1995 (Ohio State 45, Notre Dame 26) and in 1996 (Ohio State 29, Notre Dame 16). More recently, the two teams met in 2022 (Ohio State 21, Notre Dame 10) and in 2023 (Ohio State 17, Notre Dame 14).
• Traditional Bowl Games: Following the 2005 regular season, Ohio State and Notre Dame met up in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, where the Buckeyes defeated the Fighting Irish 34-20. This was a game that helped to propel Ohio State into the preseason number one ranking heading into the 2006 season. In 2015, Ohio State and Notre Dame again met in the Fiesta Bowl, this time under the sponsorship of BattleFrog (!), where the Buckeyes defeated the Fighting Irish 44-28. It was the unfortunate conclusion of Ohio State defensive lineman Joey Bosa’s career with a targeting call in the first quarter, as well as an impressive performance by Ezekiel Elliott, who ran for 149 yards and 4 touchdowns in his last game in a Buckeye uniform.
• The College Football Playoff: Ohio State fans are still basking in the glow of this recent win, as the Buckeyes defeated the Fighting Irish by a score of 34 to 23, to win the 2024 national championship. Both teams won three playoff games before meeting up in the national championship, and it was an entertaining game until the final moments.

Looking ahead to the 2025 season, a return trip to the national championship is not likely for the Fighting Irish, as their schedule looks imposing. If Notre Dame does happen to wind up in the College Football Playoff, and happens to be playing Ohio State, it will not surprise me if Irish Eyes are not smiling, as the Buckeyes have won their last seven times in what could be a developing rivalry between the two programs.