3 biggest reasons Notre Dame deserved to win 2025 CFP national championship

Despite a comeback to remember, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish came up just shy of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the CFP national title game. The Irish fell behind 31-7 and rallied to within a single play of a shot at tying the game. But a long pass to Jeremiah Smith put away the 34-23 victory.

Still, it was an amazing season for the Irish. In retrospect, Notre Dame was perhaps the premier story of the college football season. In the end, the Irish came up short. Here are three reasons Notre Dame deserved to win the CFP title.

3 reasons why Notre Dame deserved to win the CFP title

QB Riley Leonard was one of the stories of the season after a comeback to remember. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

3. In a year of conference battling, Notre Dame stood on its own

With a 12-team playoff, the constant story of the season was who would or would not sneak into the last spot or two on the field. The story ended up being irrelevant. SMU, the last team on the field, took an awful beating in their first CFP game. Alabama, the first team out of the field, did nothing to make itself look more deserving.

As the Big Ten, SEC and ACC haggled over which multiple-bid teams deserved to be in or out of the field, Notre Dame quietly played its way into the field. They had a 10-game winning streak and then solidly bested opponents all the way to the title game. Notre Dame ended up as the antidote to endless conference haggling (which ended up making no difference anyway).

2. That comeback

Notre Dame looked dead and buried early in the third quarter, with Ohio State up 31-7. A pair of touchdowns and a pair of two point-conversion drew Notre Dame to within 31-23. The Irish even had Ohio State on 3rd and 11 in their territory before Ohio State's deep ball gambit paid off and sealed the win.

But Notre Dame made the Buckeyes dig deep in a season where they owned the sport of college football. That comeback showed the mettle that got Notre Dame into the CFP title game in the first place.

1. Riley Leonard

The player who was the story of the college football season might have been Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard. Travis Hunter won the Heisman, Will Howard and Jeremiah Smith claimed the title, but Leonard put himself at the center of the season.

A transfer from Duke, Leonard had been a good player on a good team, but he used the transfer portal to take his shot at the big time. In a season at Notre Dame, Leonard proved himself a solid passer, a timely runner and an instant addition to the list of standout Irish stars. Of course, OSU QB Will Howard had a similar story, but Leonard captured the hearts of Irish fans with a season to remember.

What do you think of Notre Dame's excellent season? Share your take below in the comments section!