The Notre Dame Fighting Irish made it to the College Football Playoff national championship game, but it sounds like they are going to need a miracle on Monday night to upset the heavily favored Ohio State Buckeyes and claim the title.
ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel interviewed 10 NFL scouts and coaches ahead of the game, and not a single one of them was willing to predict that Notre Dame would beat the Buckeyes on Monday night. In fact, most of the scouts thought that Ohio State had a clear talent advantage and would win “handily.”
“The 10 coaches and NFL scouts/executives whom ESPN interviewed for this breakdown all picked Ohio State to win the national title. Many of them expect the Buckeyes to win handily because they hold a clear talent advantage,” Thamel wrote for ESPN on Monday.
“Notre Dame’s run through the CFP has been fueled by opportunistic special teams, a ferocious defense that is tied for the FBS lead in defensive touchdowns (6) and an offense that has adjusted well and mustered enough success to advance.”
The Irish are entering the game as 8.5-point favorites after a magical run through the College Football Playoff that included wins over the Indiana Hoosiers, the Georgia Bulldogs, and the Penn State Nittany Lions. But NFL scouts seem to think that’s a result of a hot streak and some good luck, not necessarily due to the team’s talent.
“They are like a basketball team on one of those magical NCAA tournament runs right now,” a veteran NFL scout told Thamel.
One assistant coach who has studied both teams went as far as to say that he can’t see a way that Ohio State loses the game unless the Buckeyes make several costly mistakes.
“I can’t see Ohio State losing, unless Ohio State beats themselves,” the assistant coach told ESPN. “If Ohio State goes out there and stays steady, doing what they do, and doesn’t turn the ball over, they should beat them pretty handily.”
This lines up well with what three-time national champion head coach Urban Meyer said of the game earlier this week, as he explained that Ohio State has far more talent than Notre Dame.
“Remember, Notre Dame lost either three or four really good players on – their defense is phenomenal. Al Golden, the defensive coordinator, is a phenomenal coach. They got great players on defense. But, remember, they’ve lost four players on defense,” Meyer said. “Offensively? I just – this is not a talent-equated game on paper. It’s not. And, on film, I would say it’s not.”
Meyer was quick to acknowledge that there’s a reason games are not played on paper and there’s still a chance that Notre Dame could find a way to win the game. But he said there is a reason why Ohio State is such a heavy favorite.
“I say that with respect, that things happen…Things happen,” said Meyer. “But, when I saw that point spread? Vegas, you know, is not wrong very often. But I would say this is a non-equated talent game and I know that watching it and looking at – I watched the film before I said that and I also did the study of the personnel.”
As the game nears, it’s beginning to look like Notre Dame will need a bit of a miracle – or perhaps the luck of the Irish – to beat Ohio State.
