One team stands between Ohio State football and its first national championship since 2014: Notre Dame.
The No. 8 Buckeyes (13-2) take on the No. 7 Fighting Irish (14-1) at 7:30 p.m. ET Monday from Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with a shot at the first title in the 12-team College Football Playoff. For two programs, which are true bluebloods, the storylines are already aplenty for the biggest game of the season.
But the recent history between the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish adds to the game’s glory. The teams have squared off eight times, including four times in the previous 20 years. Notre Dame is seeking its first title since 1988.
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The Buckeyes have won six in a row in the series, denying the Fighting Irish a win since 1936. However, the last time the teams met on Sept. 23, 2023, the game became an instant classic when Chip Trayanum scored from 1 yard out to win.
Here’s what you need to know about Ohio State football’s history vs. Notre Dame:
Ohio State vs Notre Dame football history
Monday’s national championship matchup will be the ninth-ever meeting between Ohio State and Notre Dame on the gridiron. The Buckeyes are 6-2 vs. the Fighting. The teams first faced off on Nov. 2, 1935, with Notre Dame picking up an 18-13 road win in Columbus.
The Fighting Irish won the second-ever matchup in 1936, but the series has been all Buckeyes since. Ohio State has wins over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl in 2006 and 2016. The Buckeyes also won the last two regular-season matchups between the programs in 2022 and 2023 in a two-year home-and-home series.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was on the 2006 Ohio State team that defeated the Fighting Irish 34-20 in the Fiesta Bowl. Freeman played for the Buckeyes from 2004-08. However, he did not play in the game following a season-ending injury he sustained in the opener against Miami (Ohio).
In the 2023 matchup, Notre Dame took a 14-10 with 8:22 left on a Sam Hartman to Rico Flores Jr. touchdown pass. Trayanum’s touchdown capped a 15-play, 65-yard drive for the Buckeyes to pull off the come-from-behind victory.
Infamously, the Fighting Irish allowed a third-and-19 conversion on the drive and had 10 men on the field twice with the Buckeyes near the goal line.
- Series record: Ohio State leads series 6-2
- Ohio State’s last win: 2023 (Ohio State 17, Notre Dame 14)
- Notre Dame’s last win: 1936 (Notre Dame 7, Ohio State 2)
Ohio State vs Notre Dame game-by-game results
Here’s a look at the football games played between the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish:
- Nov. 2, 1935 (Columbus): Notre Dame 18, Ohio State 13
- Oct. 31, 1936 (South Bend): Notre Dame 7, Ohio State 2
- Sept. 30, 1995 (Columbus): Ohio State 45, Notre Dame 26
- Sept. 28, 1996 (South Bend): Ohio State 29, Notre Dame 16
- Jan. 2, 2006 (Tempe, Arizona): Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 20 (Fiesta Bowl)
- Jan. 1, 2016 (Glendale, Arizona): Ohio State 44, Notre Dame 28 (Fiesta Bowl)
- Sept. 3, 2022 (Columbus): Ohio State 21, Notre Dame 10
- Sept. 23, 2023 (South Bend): Ohio State 17, Notre Dame 14
- Jan. 20, 2025 (Atlanta): College Football Playoff national championship game
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