College Football Playoff kickoff time: When is the Ohio State-Notre Dame showdown?

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes are set to compete in the National Championship Game. The contest is scheduled to kick off on Monday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

The Ohio State Buckeyes' path to the National Championship Game

Coming into the game, the Ohio State Buckeyes have been the most dominant team in the College Football Playoff. That wasn't expected coming into the playoff as they lost 13-10 in the regular season finale to unranked Michigan.

The loss knocked them out of the Big Ten Championship Game and forced them to play a first-round matchup rather than have an opportunity to earn a bye.

However, it appears that the loss put the Buckeyes in the right headspace for the playoff because they have been dominant ever since. In the first round, the Buckeyes dominated the Tennessee Volunteers, defeating them 42-17.

Then in the quarterfinals, Ohio State faced off with the number one seed, the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks had defeated the Buckeyes earlier in the season, 32-31, and were the favorites to win the National Championship at that stage. However, the Buckeyes dominated the Rose Bowl and defeated the Ducks 41-21.

Ohio State's semifinal matchup against Texas proved to be the most competitive match in their playoff. The Longhorns stayed competitive with the Buckeyes, and the two teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 14.

However, the Buckeyes capitalized on a turnover and scored another TD of their own to take a 28-14 lead and win the game by the same score.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish' path to the National Championship Game

The Fighting Irish had a dominant path to the National Championship, but not quite as much as the Buckeyes. They defeated the Indiana Hoosiers in the first round 27-17.

Although the score looks close, the Fighting Irish were never in danger as they had a 27-3 lead early in the fourth quarter. The quarterfinals was a defensive masterclass from Notre Dame as it defeated Georgia 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl.

However, the semifinal against Penn State was a much closer affair. Notre Dame narrowly defeated the Nittany Lions 27-24. They overcame deficits two times in the game to win, and it took a walk-off field goal from Mitch Jeter to get the win.

The Fighting Irish are +280 underdogs and the Buckeyes are -355 favorites.