National Championship game underway as Notre Dame and Ohio State close out a long, strange football season

ATLANTA — The curtain is coming down on the longest, strangest college football season anyone has ever seen. The only thing normal about it are the teams playing for the title: Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Two of the nation’s most storied programs meet in the title game that concludes the sport’s first 12-team playoff. The January 20th finish is seven days later than the previous last finish in history.

This marks game 16 for both teams — a virtually unheard-of number for a sport that for decades ended things after 11 or 12 games on or around New Year’s Day.

“I feel like we’ve been in the postseason since week three,” Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden said.

In most seasons, Week 3 would mark the end of any championship hopes for the Fighting Irish, whose head coach, Marcus Freeman, could become the first black coach to win college football’s top prize.

That was a week after Freeman & Co. lost to small, little-known Northern Illinois. If the playoffs were still four teams, as they have been for the past 10 years, it would be hard to see any path to the title with such a loss on the resume.

Now that there are 12 teams in the mix — the product of years of behind-the-scenes machinations with billions in TV money, some of which will soon go to the players themselves — things have changed. Notre Dame isn’t the only team to thank for that.

Ohio State’s 13-10 loss to rival Michigan on Thanksgiving weekend not only had the feel of a season breakdown, but also had people calling for Buckeyes coach Ryan Day’s job.

It was Day’s fourth straight loss against the Wolverines, and this one came with Ohio State a 20-point favorite and clearly headed for the Big Ten title. After the loss, the only way the coach could save his job, or so the story goes, was to win the national championship.

And here we are.

“There are some great stories about what was said behind closed doors, some of the challenges that were raised” after the Michigan game, Day said. “But the only way those stories get told is if the banner goes up.”

Inside the numbers

A few things to look out for in the game:

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard is a dual threat. He passed for 19 touchdowns and rushed for 16. Ohio State’s top-ranked defense in both points and yards allowed may need to bring an extra defender near the line to account for Leonard’s capabilities. … Notre Dame’s defense has forced 32 turnovers this season and has scored a nation-best 151 of them. Winning that battle again is crucial to the Irish’s chances of pulling themselves out of trouble. … Ohio State’s top playmaker, receiver Jeremiah Smith, got the bottle in the semifinals. Made one catch for three yards against Texas. Notre Dame’s defense lost five starters to season-ending injuries. To win, the subs will have to figure out a way to keep Smith quiet again.