Ohio State had to sweat a little Monday night.
The Buckeyes became the first two-loss national champions in 18 years with a 34-23 win over Notre Dame. Ohio State outscored the Fighting Irish for the first 40 minutes of the game, but had to stave off a late charge from Notre Dame to get the win.
Notre Dame scored 16 straight points after Ohio State took a 31-7 lead with 12:46 left in the third quarter. The Irish cut the lead to eight with 4:15 remaining when Riley Leonard hit Jaden Greathouse for a 30-yard touchdown before a two-point conversion. But Ohio State put the game within a third down before the two-minute warning when Will Howard hit freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith for a long completion.
[Read Nick Bromberg’s full title game recap right here]