Nineteen players who signed with Ohio State out of high school have combined for 513 starts, and Ryan Day's classes have landed in the top five in the 247Sports Composite Rankings six straight years. Notre Dame's Freeman has had recruiting classes ranked from seventh to 12th.

Most coaches said they wouldn’t be surprised if the Irish pull off the upset against the Buckeyes for the CFP championship.

In 1969, an Associated Press poll voted the game the best in the first 100 years of college football. Notre Dame would finish the season 7-1-1 after a loss to Northwestern and a tie with Army, while Ohio State went 7-1. The loss to the Irish likely cost the Buckeyes a share of what would have been the first national title in program history.