Notre Dame needed more than it had in the tank to defeat Ohio State
After Week Two, Notre Dame had a magical run in 2024. The Irish won 13 games in a row, including three playoff games and a stretch where they beat every team by double digits. This was good enough to make Notre Dame one of the last two teams standing in college football. But it wasn’t enough to become champions.
Notre Dame lost to a better football team in Ohio State. Period. The Buckeyes were healthier, deeper, featured many more elite playmakers and played a great game. While this game was extremely frustrating for Irish fans, there are some valuable lessons to be learned about what the Irish must do to win their next title. From better health luck, to more depth, to adding more elite playmakers, there’s still work to be done for Marcus Freeman’s maturing program.
BUCKEYES BACK ON TOP‼️ OHIO STATE BECOMES THE FIRST CHAMPION OF THE 12-TEAM CFP 🔥 pic.twitter.com/rxVvpKOauS
— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2025
Although the Irish didn’t hoist the trophy, major progress was made in 2024
While Notre Dame fell short of the ultimate goal, the 2024 Notre Dame team took significant strides toward becoming an elite program. Marcus Freeman and his team won more major postseason games in three weeks than the program has won in the last 30 years. That’s real progress…