As far as coaches Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame and Ryan Day of Ohio State are concerned, those dramatic pregame speeches that inspire a football team to victory are the stuff of Hollywood.

Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes are one win away from a national championship. The Buckeyes, 13-2 on the year, are scheduled to take on 13-2 Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday evening.

We are just two days away from the National Championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame that will be played in Atlanta on Monday night. The Buckeyes are favored by over a touchdown, but expect it to be a battle to the finish.

Ohio State will face a Fighting Irish team with a rugged defense and an experienced quarterback in Riley Leonard. Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman will also have a chance to become the first Black coach to win a national championship. He is also the first Asian coach to play for the title (his mother is South Korean).

Ohio State and Notre Dame will meet in the College Football Playoff championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday night.

Ohio State and Notre Dame battle Monday in Atlanta in the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship. The 7-seed Fighting Irish and 8-seed Buckeyes had to play three rounds of playoffs to reach the finale.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Monday is the big day when Ohio State and Notre Dame will face-off in the national championship in Atlanta. There’s been a lot of lead-up to this matchup between two historic programs.

As the national championship game approaches, fans are making their way to Atlanta, with many departing from John Glenn International Airport

Emotionally, this has been a season unlike any other for Ryan Day. Less than two months ago, loud and influential media voices were calling for the firing of the nation's winningest active coach in the wake of Ohio State's fourth straight loss to Michigan.

Maybe he was right. But this was early January in 2008, and Freeman — a linebacker and team captain for Ohio State — was discussing the Buckeyes’ upcoming Bowl Championship Series title game against LSU at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Let the record show it was the Tigers who ended up winning that one, 38-24.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day talks with 10TV's Dom Tiberi ahead of Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship game.