Lou Holtz is the last Notre Dame head coach to win the national championship, a feat he accomplished 36 years ago.
Next Monday, Holtz’s former team will take on Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship in Atlanta. Holtz has become an ancillary story line for this game, thanks to his “feud” with OSU head coach Ryan Day dating back to the 2023 regular season matchup between the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish. On Wednesday afternoon, Holtz provided his official prediction for the title showdown.
Not surprisingly, he’s going with Notre Dame. In a five-minute video, Holtz broke down in detail his reasoning, admitting that Ohio State is “the best football team in the country” and that Day “does not get the credit he deserves for the tremendous accomplishments he’s had.”
However, Holtz thinks if Notre Dame plays within itself, its defense and intangibles will carry it past the superiorly talented Buckeyes by a field goal margin.
“Ohio State has the talent, but Notre Dame has the heart, the culture, and the defense to win this game. Stay patient, run the football, and trust the process. Notre Dame wins a close one—by 3. Remember, we’re Notre Dame and they ain’t!” Holtz said.
Holtz went 0-2 against Ohio State as Notre Dame’s head coach, dropping a home-and-home against the Buckeyes in 1995 and 1996, his final two seasons in South Bend.
In 11 seasons leading the Fighting Irish, Holtz went 100-30-2, winning the program’s most recent national championship during the 1988 season. Notre Dame went 12-0 that year, beating West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl to win the title.
Holtz later finished second in the polls twice, in 1989 and 1993, going 12-1 with a loss to Miami (Fla.) in the former season and 11-1 with a loss to Boston College in the latter.
Urban Meyer was an assistant under Holtz at Notre Dame in 1996 and spent five seasons at the school, eventually winning national championships as a head coach at Florida and Ohio State. On “The Triple Option” podcast this week, Meyer predicted the Buckeyes will cover the eight-point spread, pulling away in the second half.
Should be a fun one in Atlanta Monday night.
Related: Urban Meyer Releases Official Pick For Ohio State vs. Notre Dame