The Ohio State Buckeyes are 9.5-point favorites to beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the National Championship game. Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning believe Ohio State and coach Ryan Day can win it all with much thanks to quarterback Will Howard, receiver Jeremiah Smith, linebacker Jack Sawyer and safety Caleb Downs.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are massive 9.5-point favorites to beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to become the 2024-25 College Football National Champions.
The Oregon Ducks and the Buckeyes have a budding Big Ten conference rivalry in Oregon’s first season in the Big Ten. After Ohio State enacted its revenge in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl in a dominant 41-21 victory, Oregon coach Dan Lanning revealed he believed Ohio State could win the CFP.
“He’s strong, attacks the ball in the air as well as any receiver I’ve seen,” Lanning said of Smith. “The guy is NFL-ready. He’s that talented and that special. And Will Howard did a great job getting him the ball. And he’s tough and he’s physical. He’s got all the tools. A really talented player.”
The Buckeyes defense, led by Alabama transfer Caleb Downs and defensive end Jack Sawyer, completely shut out Oregon in the first quarter. Sawyer pestered Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, making it very difficult for Oregon’s normally high-flying offense to get going. Sawyer, who has been compared to NFL great J.J. Watt, finished the Rose Bowl with two tackles for loss and two sacks in the game. Downs earned a a team-high 81.4 grade from PFF in tackling in the Rose Bowl and broke up three passes, a career-high.