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Two proud and storied programs showed the nation what resilience is this season. But only one of them will finish its story with a happy ending.
Atlanta, GA – Ohio State and Notre Dame are proud college football programs that always expect to play for national championships.
But that pride suffered from what many said were mortal wounds this season.
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How could Notre Dame even be a top 20 team after what happened on September 7 in South Bend? An interception and a final-minute 35-yard field goal to cough up the lead. And a 62-yard Hail Mary field goal try that was blocked on the final play.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State football and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
An unfathomable upset: Northern Illinois 16, Notre Dame 14.
How could Ohio State recover from what happened November 30 in the Horseshoe? A non-existent offense, calls for Ryan Day’s job, and the most inexplicable loss of a lifetime.
A fourth straight loss to TTUN: Michigan 13, Ohio State 10.
How are these teams here?
“This playoff system has allowed us to grow and build as a team,” Day said. “Anybody who’s around our players and speaks to our players or interviews our players is quick to recognize what a special group it is – how mature they are. Each individual player has their own story about where they’re at right now.”
Notre Dame has its stories, too. And college football seasons are defined by storylines. But now, more than ever, a season resembles a stock-market growth strategy. Past performances do not guarantee future results. The 12-team playoff and the potential to play as many as 17 games creates fluctuations. There is time to play the long game and wait for market corrections.
Day and Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman knew this could be a path to January 20. They didn’t panic after a loss. They didn’t sell their stock. They preached resilience and counted on the futures market.
And what a future their patience and determination matured into. Both seasons, by any measure, have been a success. But, on Monday night, only one team gets a trophy. The beauty of sport.
And the more you consider Ohio State’s path to Atlanta, the more you see Notre Dame.
And vice versa.
Historic programs. Loyal and demanding fan bases. The Midwest. National recruiting. Program building through development, retention and a few crucial finds from the transfer portal.
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Most of all these two programs expect to be here and make plans to be here every year. The Buckeyes are credited with eight national titles and have met those expectations far more than the Fighting Irish have in recent times.
The Buckeyes are playing in the title game for the sixth time this century. They won it all after the 2002 and 2014 seasons. The Irish claim 11 national titles, last played for one in 2012 and last won one in 1988.
“Those are the expectations – to be at the mountain top,” Freeman said. “There’s not a tremendous amount of programs that can truly say that every year.”
Ryan Day keeps saying…that the complete story from his point of view will be told when the last knee is taken.
For Day, this season has been about crafting a story, complete with joys, sorrows and the unexpected. He keeps saying the complete story will be told from his point of view when the last knee is taken.
Ohio State’s playoff run evokes memories of 2014’s story. The Buckeyes went to the Big Ten championship game with third-string quarterback Cardale Jones. He made Wisconsin tap out by halftime. Then the Buckeyes rallied late in the first half, won the second half and beat Alabama, and by extension the SEC. The title game win over Oregon was perfunctory.
The stories that defined that season were Jones’ emergence and Ezekiel Elliott’s 200-yard rushing games.
The biggest story of this season is winning the big games Day’s detractors said he couldn’t win. So far the Buckeyes have beaten five teams in the top eight of the final playoff rankings: No. 1 Oregon, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn State, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 8 Indiana.
The Buckeyes, who finished No. 6, didn’t play No. 2 Georgia. The Bulldogs lost to the only team left for the Buckeyes to beat: No. 5 Notre Dame. That would conclude an unprecedented run in the history of the sport. The Irish would be able to claim Indiana, Georgia, Penn State and Ohio State.
Another similarity exists inside each program. Both teams have many players who have been outspoken about their Christian faith this season. Irish quarterback Riley Leonard is his team’s emotional and spiritual leader.
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“Amongst our football program it’s promoted,” Freeman said. “I’m not saying you have to be Catholic. We’re saying we want our young people to grow in their faith. When you have a leader like Riley Leonard who is very outspoken about his faith and is very intentional about putting together Bible studies and helping his peers grow in their faith, I think it’s big.”
The Buckeyes took the field last week at the Cotton Bowl and almost every player kneeled to pray. Gee Scott Jr., TreVeyon Henderson and Will Howard, to name a few, speak often about their faith and how it has served them through the ups and downs.
“It’s been amazing to watch this team grow spiritually, and I just think about those three pillars of your body, your mind and then your soul and spirit,” Day said. “We have Bible studies and reflections that we’ll have folks come in and speak at. Then there’s times where I’ll walk around the corner and see a bunch of guys in a room together that we didn’t even know about and they’re having a Bible study, talking. The impact they’ve made on our community, and even nationally, is significant.”
Late Monday evening one team will be unshackled from the doubt that persisted after those losses that weren’t supposed to happen. Day has preached a message this season meant to inspire his players to play more than well enough to win: Leave no doubt.
“The idea of leave no doubt is don’t leave it to one play, don’t leave it to one call, don’t leave it to the photo finish, don’t leave it to the judges to call at the end of a boxing match,” he said. “That’s it. Not that that’s easy, but that’s the reason behind it.”
And how have the Buckeyes used that message to get here? Day wasn’t ready to answer that part of the question. When the game is over, only then will it be time for him to tell that part of the story.
But only if the Buckeyes win.
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