Ryan Day silences haters everywhere with Ohio State winning the National Championship

The Ohio State Buckeyes are officially the 2024 National Champions. Soak it in Buckeyes fans because it is real and it is happening.

Head coach Ryan Day finally beats the allegations that he can't get it done in the big games when it matters most and was able to take down the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23. After giving up a touchdown on Notre Dame's opening drive, the Buckeyes trailed for the first time throughout the entire playoff, but it only lasted about four minutes as the Buckeyes answered quickly with a touchdown of their own.

Two straight three-and-outs by the Fighting Irish and two straight scores by the Buckeyes made it a 21-7 game at halftime that left Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame scratching their heads, trying to find an answer. Ohio State got the ball coming out of the half and quickly scored, making it a three-possession game, and it felt like Notre Dame was completely out of it.

Freeman was trying everything he had in this game to find an answer, which included a horribly foreseen fake punt that resulted in that was unsuccessful, but the bad thing was that Ohio State was only able to get a field goal out of it.

You have to give credit to the Fighting Irish, as they never went away, forcing a turnover and a stop in the second half and pulling within eight to make it a one-possession game. However, when the light shined at its brightest, Will Howard and star freshman Jerimiah Smith made the biggest play of the game.

On 3rd-and-11, when Ohio State had to get a first down to keep the ball away from Notre Dame, instead of running the ball and giving it back to Notre Dame and trusting their defense, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly made quite possibly the biggest call of his career. Kelly called a pass play that went for 57 yards to Smith, gave the Buckeyes 1st-and-goal, icing the game for Ohio State.

Howard most definitely is the MVP of this game with the poise he played with, protecting the football and going 17-for-21 for 231 yards and two touchdowns. When Howard transferred to Ohio State in the offseason from Kansas State, a lot of people were skeptical, but clearly, he was who the Buckeyes needed to get to where they are right now, National Champions.

So congratulations, Ohio State, you earned it, and we will be celebrating this for a long, long time.