Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame will play for the national championship after last night’s thrilling win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl.
The Fighting Irish are now awaiting the winner of tonight’s Cotton Bowl between Ohio State and Texas. Notre Dame has some experience against the Buckeyes having faced and lost to Ryan Day’s program in 2022 and 2023. Star running back Jeremiyah Love made it very clear after the win that he wants another chance at Ohio State.
“We want to play Ohio State. We lost to them last year in a game we should have won,” Love said. “I feel like Ohio State is better than Texas. I want to play the best and win.”
Freeman, who was a captain and star linebacker at Ohio State in his playing days, was a little more diplomatic when asked who his preferred opponent was during an appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay on Friday.
The third-year head coach declined to answer.
“You know what? In these three years of being a head coach, I’ve learned sometimes it’s better just to be quiet and to not give your opinion,” Freeman said. “There’s nothing good about saying what I think the results of today’s game will be. So I’m just going to keep that quiet and I’m looking forward to enjoying this game here in a little bit.”
Ohio State beat Notre Dame 21-10 in the 2022 season opener in Columbus, a matchup the Buckeyes controlled for pretty much the entire four quarters.
However, the Fighting Irish were one play away from winning last year’s game in South Bend. Former Ohio State running back Chip Trayanum scored a 1-yard touchdown on the final play of the game to allow the Buckeyes to escape with a 17-14 win.
Of course, that’s the game that spawned the whole rivalry between OSU head coach Ryan Day and Notre Dame coaching legend Lou Holtz. If the Buckeyes win tonight, expect to hear a lot about that storyline over the next 10 days.
The Cotton Bowl between Texas and Ohio State is underway now on ESPN.
Related: Notre Dame Star Jeremiyah Love Reveals Preferred Opponent For National Title Game