• Ohio State wins its first title in a decade: Back in 2015, the Buckeyes won the first national championship in the four-team playoff era. Last night, they secured the first title of the 12-team playoff era.
• QB Will Howard silenced any doubters: The Kansas State transfer posted a career-best PFF grade in the national championship game against one of the best secondaries in America.
• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF's best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
For the first time in a decade, the Ohio State Buckeyes have reclaimed their spot atop the college football world.
In a historic season that marked the debut of the 12-team College Football Playoff, Ohio State captured the national championship with a commanding 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in Atlanta, Ga.
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HIGHEST-GRADED PLAYERS
- QB Will Howard, Ohio State (90.5)
- LB Drayk Bowen, Notre Dame (85.1)
- WR Jaden Greathouse, Notre Dame (81.7)
Player of the game: QB Will Howard, Ohio State
Ahead of the 2024 season, the biggest question surrounding the Buckeyes was whether they had a quarterback capable of leading them to a national championship. Last night, Howard erased any doubt with a career-best performance in the title game.
Howard earned a 90.5 PFF grade on first review, nearly five points higher than his previous career high. He completed 81% of his passes, delivered a big-time throw, avoided turnover-worthy plays and added 61 rushing yards. His impressive showing capped a season in which he earned an 86.2 passing grade, ninth among FBS quarterbacks.
Ohio State’s historic run defense shines again
The Buckeyes dominated against the run all season and earned a 95.3 run-defense grade, the highest by any FBS team over the past six seasons. However, their toughest challenge came in the national championship against Notre Dame, a side that ranked fifth nationally in EPA per run.
Ohio State rose to the occasion, holding the Fighting Irish to just 70 rushing yards and 2.9 yards per carry, both season lows for Notre Dame. The Buckeyes capped their defensive masterpiece with an 80.1 run-defense grade in the game, the best any defense recorded against the Fighting Irish this season.
What’s next?
Both schools should very much be in the thick of the national title race. Ohio State sits at No. 3 and Notre Dame is No. 5 in our way-too-early top-25 rankings.
While the Buckeyes will lose nearly all their star players, they return arguably the two best players in college football: wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs.
The Fighting Irish will return far more talent, as they’re slated to return eight of their 15 most valuable players from this past season according to PFF’s wins above average metric.
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