"Notre Dame will beat Ohio State outright": CFB analyst makes eye-catching prediction for 2025 CFP national championship

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will play against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the National Championship game on Monday. Both teams have had strong playoff runs this year, but only one can be crowned national champion.

College football analyst Barrett Sallee has predicted that the Fighting Irish are going to win the game.

"Notre Dame are going to win this game outright... Notre Dame will get you into a corner and knock you out, and this is exactly what is going to happen."

One of the weapons for Notre Dame against Ohio State is their defense. The Fighting Irish's defense has been something that has lifted them throughout the season. Players like Jack Kiser, Xavier Watts, and Jordan Clark have all shined this season and have been able to help Notre Dame prevent their opponents from scoring.

This was especially seen during their quarter-final matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs at the Sugar Bowl. This was the "biggest" team that the Fighting Irish have played all season, and they were able to stop the Bulldogs from scoring more than 10 points, paving their way to an iconic victory.

However, while the defense helped, the Bulldogs were being led by a quarterback who was making his first start. The nerves and inexperience that Gunner Stockton had in the game likely played a role in the Bulldogs' poor offensive showing in addition to the Notre Dame defense.

Ohio State will be the first real test for this defense. The Buckeyes are peaking at the right moment, recording two high-scoring wins against the Tennessee Volunteers and the Oregon Ducks in the first two rounds. Their Cotton Bowl win against the Texas Longhorns was much closer, and it was their defense that stood out for the win.

For Notre Dame to become National Champions, they will need to shut down this high-scoring offense. But this will only be half the battle for the team from South Bend.

Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard on Ohio State's defense

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard has spoken about facing a strong Ohio State defense.

"I could imagine them playing a lot like Penn State. Penn State was a really hard playing team … very physical up front in the way they attack the quarterback. Luckily, we’ve played against a lot of good defenses this year and a lot of good defensive lines, which Ohio State has a really good one. I think after beating Penn State and beating Georgia, we kind of understand, like, you know, we’re up there with anybody.”

Unlike Ohio State, the Notre Dame defense can struggle at times. This can be seen against top-ranked defenses, where the Fighting Irish's average yards per game fall from 421 yards to 340 yards. Add in the fact that Leonard has issues with ball security, and the offense may struggle.

To win on offense, Notre Dame needs to play the run game. This is something that Leonard has proven himself to be good at, and will allow the Fighting Irish to utilize star running back Jeremiyah Love.