Where is the college football national championship? Exploring Ohio State-Notre Dame showdown's location

The biggest game of the college football season is nearly here. Ohio State and Notre Dame will square off in the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday night. The location in which the pair of blue bloods will clash is no stranger to big games.

Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium has played host to the SEC Championship game since 2017. The following year, it was the home of the College Football Playoff national championship, which saw Alabama beat Georgia in overtime thanks to Tua Tagovailoa's game-winning touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith.

Super Bowl LIII was held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2019. It also houses the Peach Bowl, the Aflac Kickoff Game, and, of course, the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons' planning for a new stadium began in 2010 as the team thought of ditching the Georgia Dome for an open-air stadium. Around three years later, the Falcons and city of Atlanta agreed to build the new stadium downtown, with the construction including a retractable roof and wrap-around video boards.

When did Ohio State last play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium?

Ohio State's last trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium was a hearbreaking one. The Buckeyes, with C.J. Stroud at quarterback and Marvin Harrison Jr. at wideout, fell just short against Georgia in the College Football Playoff Peach Bowl semifinal.

As the clock struck midnight to ring in 2023, Ohio State kicker Noah Ruggles watched his would-be game-winning 50-yard field goal try go terribly left. In a way, for the seniors on this year's Buckeyes squad, the return to the venue is a chance to exorcise past demons.

How did Ohio State get here?

The Buckeyes' road to Atlanta wasn't at all easy — but they made it look as such. The Buckeyes had to knock off Tennessee, Oregon and Texas to arrive in Atlanta. That gauntlet came by way of a crushing loss to Michigan to cap their regular season.

The Buckeyes fell 13-10 at home to the Wolverines, then got in a scuffle with their rivals when they tried to plant their team flag at midfield afterward. Ryan Day appeared confused during the whole sequence, obviously disappointed with the huge defeat.

However, Day's team came out motivated once the postseason began, racing out to a 21-0 lead against the Volunteers at home in Columbus in the first round. Ohio State then dominated the Ducks, the other team it had lost to during the regular season, by scoring the first 34 points of the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes didn't have it nearly as easy against a tough Longhorns crew, led by former Buckyes quarterback Quinn Ewers.

Jack Sawyer's strip sack of the Texas signal-caller helped seal a 28-14 win that vaulted the Buckeyes to this stage.