"You're a very handsome 39 years old": Pat McAfee greets Marcus Freeman in style with James Franklin's hairline reference 

Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will compete for the national championship this season against Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes. They booked their spot in the natty showdown by defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl yesterday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Before the game, Penn State head coach James Franklin made headlines for his hairline comment about Marcus Freeman where he said that he was "envious" of the Notre Dame head coach.

"I mean, look at the hairline on this guy. Envious of the hairline," Franklin said.

Marcus Freeman made an appearance on ESPN's "College GameDay" ahead of the Ohio State versus Texas Cotton Bowl Classic showdown. Pat McAfee greeted the Notre Dame HC by reminiscing the sentiments of James Franklin and complimenting Freeman's hairline.

"You're a very handsome 39 years old," Pat McAfee said. "I would like to echo the sentiment of James Franklin, the hairline, once again, STUPENDOUS!"

Notre Dame has not won a national championship in decades. The last time they lifted the trophy was back in 1988. Now, Freeman has the opportunity to create history and lead the Fighting Irish across the finish line by defeating Ohio State at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20.

The Penn State versus Notre Dame CFP semifinal showdown was absolute cinema right to the end of the game. Notre Dame was trailing 24-17 in the fourth quarter. But a 54-yard TD pass from Riley Leonard to Jaden Whitehouse tied the game. And with just a few seconds left, Mitch Jeter sealed the victory for the Fighting Irish with a 41-yard field goal.

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Colin Cowherd draws similarities between Marcus Freeman and Rams HC Sean McVay

On Friday's episode of "The Herd", analyst Colin Cowherd talked about Freeman's contribution to Notre Dame ever since he took over in 2021. Cowherd talked about how despite his young age, Freeman faces the odds against him, similar to Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay.

"This is Marcus Freeman's first job. Your first head coaching job is at Notre Dame? You know how many guys have failed at Notre Dame that have previous winning experience?" Cowherd said.

"And I don't think he's probably was quite ready in the first few weeks, but I'm watching a rock star here. I see Sean McVay. That's exactly what I see. Chest out, big energy, talking to the refs, motivating players. Notre Dame had every reason to lose last night," he added.

The CFP national championship game between Notre Dame and Ohio State national championship game is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast live on television on the ESPN Channel.