It doesn’t get any bigger than the College Football Playoff National Championship game, and this year’s participants are the Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. If

Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs (2) returns an interception during the second half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. Ohio State won 28-14.

The Ohio State-Notre Dame game Monday delivered ratings good enough to make it the second-most watched sporting event of the past year.

The first year of the 12-team format for the College Football Playoff was a major success. Some games in the first round were blowout but the games got better the longer that the tournament went on. The format resulted in eighth-seeded Ohio State winning four games and winning its first national