Ohio State must exploit Notre Dame’s biggest weakness in the CFP title game

Ohio State Football is on the cusp of winning its ninth national title in school history. The Buckeyes will face a resilient Notre Dame team in a matchup between two of the most storied programs in the sport. Ryan Day‘s team enters national championship game as a big favorite over the top-ranked Fighting Irish after steamrolling three straight opponents in the College Football Playoff.

However, coach Marcus Freeman’s team cannot be underestimated. Like its opponent, Notre Dame bounced back in the best possible way from a loss earlier in the season. In the case of the Fighting Irish, this is embarrassing the loss came against unranked Northern Illinois. Notre Dame rallied from this setback to post three impressive wins over top ten teams.

While number 5 Fighting Irish home win over No. 8 Indiana as expected, wins over No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Penn State quelled many doubts. En route to the Sugar Bowl, the storied program hasn’t won a New Year’s Six bowl game since 1994. Now, Marcus Freeman’s team has won two and is looking to win its first national title since 1988. Both programs are looking for redemption in college last football game, as they lost easily the last time they were here.

Overall, Notre Dame enters this one with clear strengths designed to cover its weaknesses. The Fighting Irish have, for the most part, successfully masked their flaws against inferior opponents or opponents. The closest the team has come to catching Marcus Freeman’s squad in non-ideal situations recently was in the 2025 Orange Bowl against Penn State. Ohio State may end up following a similar plan to the Nittany Lions and, with its top talent, win a national title in what would be a remarkable turnaround for the program.

Notre Dame has a clear game plan

The Fighting Irish’s greatest strength is their defense. Marcus Freeman’s team has developed one of the best units in the country, adept at stopping both the pass and the run. The secondary is the less susceptible of the two units to being exposed, as it ranks second in the country in yards allowed per game.

It’s important to note that the Fighting Irish have only faced one elite Indiana passing attack this season. And the Hoosiers don’t have the weapons on the outside that the Buckeyes do. In addition, the The Fighting Irish were without their best cornerback, Benjamin Morrisonmost of the year. The junior captain would be the guy who matched up with superstar Jeremy Smith in this game.

Still, Notre Dame having an elite secondary doesn’t mean Chip Kelly and the offense should take a balanced approach in this game. The Buckeyes need to be as aggressive as possible in their passing offense. But it may take a few more cracks in this defense than most opponents for Ohio State football to score. And that possibility is in line with the key to this game: time of possession.

Marcus Freeman’s team is looking to ram the ball down their opponent’s throats and wear them down by the fourth quarter. While they can get away with splitting the time of possession in the regular season, in the College Football Playoff, the Fighting Irish have won the battle of possession on all three occasions. And Notre Dame needs to do the same against Ohio State.

If Chip Kelly doesn’t implement a game plan similar to the one he did against Michigan, the Buckeyes will end up giving up points. But they have to be on the field to do it. Quarterback Riley Leonard and running back Jeremiah Love are an elite combination on the floor that will require extra attention from the Buckeyes’ defense. The two must be contained on January 20 in an attack that works. If they are, Ohio State can exploit their opponent’s primary weakness.

Notre Dame’s main weakness is its receiving corps

Kudos to the Fighting Irish for showing another side of the offense against Penn State. Notre Dame lost by two possessions in the Orange Bowl 2025 and fell into some obvious transient situations. And they answered. Although he had two interceptions, Riley Leonard threw for his highest total yards since Oct. 12. That included an electric 54-yard touchdown run to Jaden Greathouse to tie the game at 24-24 with less than five minutes left.

Despite Notre Dame’s passing offense succeeding against Penn State, the Fighting Irish core and Buckeye secondary should be mismatched. Greathouse is Notre Dame’s leading receiver, with 464 yards this season and two touchdowns. The sophomore has shown that he can be dynamic in certain instances, but some of those plays have been downright flat out of Penn State’s secondary.

Ohio State’s secondary is giving up fewest passing yards in the nation. While the defense is also very good at stopping the run, it should tick the box against the Fighting Irish. This secondary, led by Unanimous All-American safety Caleb Downs, is talented enough to be comfortable in single coverage against Notre Dame’s receivers. The Buckeyes adopted a similar strategy against Penn State and dropped just 13 points against the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley. Expectations for this unit in terms of point totals should be the same in this clash with the Fighting Irish.

What’s at stake for Ohio State football

It seemed like Ryan Day’s headquarters was set on fire just over a month ago after a a brutal home loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes responded to this adversity in the best possible way and now seem destined to hoist the national championship trophy in New Orleans. But the work is not done yet.

There are still fans and doubters who can’t let the Michigan loss go. And no matter what Ryan Day does, those people will not forgive him for what happened on November 30th. But if the Buckeyes win this game, it’s clear they have the right man in charge of their program. The loss, however, and questions about whether Ryan Day should have a long-term future in Columbus will begin to resurface. The legacy of this team will be finally determined on January 20th.