Ryan Day and Ohio State flipped the script en route to dominant CFP championship

ATLANTA — Ryan Day was a dead coach walking. His roster, worth reportedly $20 million in Name, Image & Likeness, was wasting generational talent. Tennessee was going to overrun fading Ohio State in its own stadium in the opening round of the expanded College Football Playoff. Those narratives seem silly now, even preposterous.That loss to Michigan at The Horseshoe feels like an eternity ago. So much changed for these Buckeyes from the third week in December to the third week in January.

Day is a national champion, and so are his players.That loss to Michigan will now be a footnote to championship glory, not a way this elite group will be remembered. Eighth-seeded Ohio State finished its dominant playoff run to its first title in a decade by holding off valiant Notre Dame, 34-23, in front of 77,660 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

All told, the Buckeyes won their four playoff contests over No.1 Oregon, No.

5 Texas, No.7 Notre Dame and No.

8 Tennessee by a combined 145-75. The Irish, once down 24 points early in the second half, came storming back late.But their second-ranked scoring defense, ripped apart all night, couldn’t get the ball back.

On third-and-11, Will Howard hit fantastic freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith on a 59-yard go-route, ending a memorable night for the Kansas State transfer quarterback and icing the title at the two-minute warning. Howard set a CFP national championship game record with 13 straight completions to start the evening, and his final throw made him an Ohio State legend. The Irish scored first, eating up nearly 10 minutes of clock.It was the lone reason for Notre Dame fans to cheer until a late comeback. The Buckeyes shrugged off that jab like it was a love tap.

They scored touchdowns on all three first-half possessions, outgaining the Irish, 231-93, in the opening half.After that promising first drive, Notre Dame managed just 18 yards. Howard missed on just two of 16 passing attempts while completing passes to six dif...