The Ohio State football team has one final game to play this season. They have to take on Notre Dame for a national championship. Both teams deserve to be here after solid runs in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes had a harder path, though.
Ohio State had to beat Tennessee, Oregon, and Texas in order to get to the final game. Notre Dame only had to go through Indiana, Georgia, and Penn State. The Buckeyes are looking for their first national championship since 2014. Notre Dame is looking for their first since 1988.
This is a battle between two of the biggest brands in college football. These two programs have some of the best history, too. There are a lot of wins between these two programs, and each of them is trying for one more win this season,
We have made bold predictions for every single game this season. For the final time, we give you some bold predictions. These predictions matter a little more, with it being for a national title. Our first one has to deal with Ohio State's best player.
1. Jeremiah Smith will have 100+ receiving yards
Texas found a way to slow down Jeremiah Smith in the Cotton Bowl. They bracketed him in zone coverage pretty much all night. He ended up with just one catch for three yards in that game. It was the first time all season that Smith had been shut down.
In the two previous CFP games, smith torched the defense. He is the best player on the field when he is out there, no matter which team he plays. Notre Dame plays a lot of man-to-man, and it sounds like they are going to stick to that. That means Smith is going to be in a position to succeed.
Even though the Irish are really adept at playing man-to-man coverage, it's borderline impossible for anyone to cover Smith one-on-one. For that reason, he is going to have over 100 receiving yards in this game. He is gong to torch Notre Dame's secondary.
Will Howard has been really good in the CFP. He's really only had one really bad throw, and that was the interception in the Cotton Bowl when he was trying to force it to Smith. Other than that, he has been solid. He has made good decisions and has made some great throws.
Smith is his favorite target, and he should be once again on Monday night. It would be surprising to see him shut down for the second straight game. If he is shut down, Notre Dame has a much better shot to win this game.
The next bold prediction has to do with what one of the running backs will do in this game.