Notre Dame will need to buck a trend to reach the college football mountaintop.
Marcus Freeman and the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish are back in the national championship game for the first time since 2013. However, they are about to face their toughest test yet and one they haven't beaten in almost 90 years.
On the other sideline at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will be Ohio State. Ryan Day's squad entered the College Football Playoff as the No. 8 seed following a disappointing loss to Michigan, but the team has since turned things around in a major way. The Buckeyes have been the best team in the playoff thus far, putting together convincing wins over No. 9 Tennessee, No. 1 Oregon and No. 5 Texas.
This will be the first ever championship matchup between Ohio State and Notre Dame, but the two sides have plenty of history on the gridiron. Here's a look back at past Ohio State-Notre Dame matchups and why the Buckeyes have the edge heading into the 2025 CFP National Championship.
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How many times have Ohio State and Notre Dame played each other?
The 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship will mark the ninth ever matchup between Ohio State and Notre Dame.
NCAAF
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame record
Ohio State holds a 6-2 record against Notre Dame on the football field.
The Fighting Irish won the first two matchups, but it's been all Buckeyes ever since, as they have won each of the last six contests.
When was the first Ohio State vs. Notre Dame football game?
Ohio State and Notre Dame first played one another in 1935 with the Fighting Irish winning 18-13 in Columbus, Ohio. They met again in South Bend, Indiana, the next year with Notre Dame sweeping the home-and-home with a 7-2 victory.
The two schools did not play again until 1995.
When was the most recent Ohio State vs. Notre Dame football game?
Ohio State and Notre Dame completed another home-and-home in 2023.
The Buckeyes defended home turf in 2022 and followed that up with a 17-14 win in South Bend on Sept. 23, 2023, that featured a notorious postgame interview in which Day called out former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz.
And here’s Ryan Day fired up over Lou Holtz: pic.twitter.com/kYkGAn5BAt
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 24, 2023
Have Ohio State and Notre Dame ever played each other in a bowl game?
Ohio State and Notre Dame have met in two bowl games before — with both being the Fiesta Bowl.
The Buckeyes won the first bowl matchup in 2006 by a score of 34-20. Almost 10 years to the day, the Buckeyes picked up another Fiesta Bowl win over the Fighting Irish, winning the 2016 edition 44-28.
How many national championships do Ohio State and Notre Dame have?
Notre Dame has 13 national championships to Ohio State's eight.
The Fighting Irish's most recent title came in 1988, while the Buckeyes earned their last championship in 2014.