Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes were the two remaining teams in the College Football Playoff field and were now set to square off for the right to be called champions in the College Football Playoff final.
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Freeman Under Fire For Watching Trophy Presentation
Oddsmakers did not give Notre Dame much of a chance in this one. The Buckeyes came in as the heavy favorites in this matchup by an 8.5-point margin over the Fighting Irish. And the game went about as expected as Ohio State cruised to their third national title by a score of 34-23.
Following the title loss Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was seen in the locker room area, watching the duration of the Buckeyes' trophy presentation.
Marcus Freeman made sure to watch Ohio State lift the trophy
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) January 21, 2025
And while some fans on social media found the gesture to be inspiring, the majority ripped Freeman for watching.
"He should have watched more tape of how Michigan defended OSU," one fan said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Yeah, it's fun to watch the school you played at win it all," another user said.
"Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye," another user added.
Ryan Day Gets Honest on Notre Dame Offense
Ahead of their clash in the National Championship game, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day had high praise for Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame, particularly their offense. An offense that had scored 23 or more points in all three of their College Football Playoff matchups prior to Monday's game.
"I think they do a great job on offense. Coach Denbrock has done a great job wherever he's been. Riley Leonard is an excellent leader. Jeremiyah Love is one of the most talented backs we've gone against. And they have a very good offensive line. Evans is really good at tight end. They have multiple tight ends. Receivers are weapons," Day said.
"They're going to challenge us in a lot of different areas. So we have to play Big Ten football. That's what it's going to look like. Every play matters when you play in a game like this, and certainly against this team it'll be the same way."
