HoF coach Lou Holtz gives a clear roadmap to Marcus Freeman & Co. to beat Ryan Day’s Ohio State in the final

Lou Holtz knows a thing or two about winning a national title as the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. After all, he's the last coach of the South Bend school to win it back in 1988. Now, as the Irish prepare for their first national championship game after almost four decades, Holtz has advice for Marcus Freeman on how to close the season in the best of ways.

On Thursday, Holtz published a video with a five-minute analysis of the upcoming game against Ohio State. He added the following text to summarize his argument:

"Ohio State has the talent, but Notre Dame has the heart, the culture, and the defense to win this game. Stay patient, run the football, and trust the process. Notre Dame wins a close one—by 3. Remember, we’re Notre Dame and they ain’t!"

Seemingly, for Holtz, Notre Dame's esprit de corps will be more than enough to carry the Fighting Irish to victory.

Marcus Freeman: Notre Dame isn't looking at the past to prepare for CFP final

After running back Jeremiyah Love said in the aftermath of the Orange Bowl that he wanted to play Ohio State to get revenge for Notre Dame's 17-14 defeat to the Buckeyes in 2023, many assumed this would be a huge motivator for the whole of the Fighting Irish.

However, it isn't for Marcus Freeman, who believes the past shouldn't be the focus going into the final game of the season:

"If you need [extra motivation] to prepare for this game, then you aren’t the right fit... This isn’t focused on previous events. This is about the opportunity we have ahead of us... If there are lessons to be learned from earlier games, we will certainly utilize them, however, it is not for motivational purposes at all.”

However, if the game ends up being as close as the 2023 encounter, fans are in for a treat.

The national championship game is set for Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET. It will air on ESPN, with the venue being the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.