Ohio State and Notre Dame are two of the biggest brands in college football, but the television ratings weren’t exactly indicative of that. The game had 22.1 million viewers, and peaked with 26.1 million viewers in the 8:30-8:45 p.

Coach Ryan Day shushed the critics, running back Quinshon Judkins scored three touchdowns, and the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes held off a furious second-half rally to beat No. 7 seed Notre Dame, 34-23,

Ohio State is your College Football Playoff National Champion. After jumping out to a 31-7 lead, the Buckeyes would let Notre Dame get back to within a score. And then Jeremiah Smith showed up once again to haul in a deep pass on third and long to secure Ohio State’s ninth national title.