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01/17 18:39 CST Notre Dame and Ohio State arrive in Atlanta and it's the 2nd
visit of the season for Fighting Irish
Notre Dame and Ohio State arrive in Atlanta and it's the 2nd visit of the
season for Fighting Irish
By CHARLES ODUM
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA (AP) --- Ohio State and Notre Dame arrived in Atlanta on charter
flights Friday as the teams moved closer to the College Football Playoff
national championship game Monday night.
The Buckeyes are big favorites but the Fighting Irish might have an advantage.
Coach Marcus Freeman's team has previously played in Atlanta --- and in
Mercedes-Benz Stadium --- this season.
In a game that strengthened Notre Dame's playoff hopes, the Fighting Irish beat
Georgia Tech 31-13 on Oct. 19 as quarterback Riley Leonard ran for two
touchdowns.
Is the familiarity with the stadium an advantage for Notre Dame?
"We hope so," Freeman said at the Atlanta airport. "Now we are on the other
side of the field and in a different locker room, but we have played here. We
know what it's like. Each team will have two opportunities to go into the
stadium and practice so by the time Monday gets here I think both teams will be
comfortable with the environment."
The Buckeyes opened as 9.5-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Atlanta is the home of the College Football Hall of Fame and is the
self-proclaimed "Capital of College Football." The city hosts the Peach Bowl,
Southeastern Conference championship game and such other high-profile games
such as the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game.
Atlanta is a short drive from Athens and the University of Georgia, which won
the 2021 and 2022 national championships. The South's claim to be the base of
power in the game is up for debate as Ohio State could give the Big Ten its
second consecutive national champion and Notre Dame also traveled from the
Midwest.
Michigan beat Washington in last year's title game to give the Big Ten its
first national championship in football since Ohio State's last title in 2014.
Notre Dame (14-1) and Ohio State (13-2) survived the first 12-game playoff to
reach the championship game.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he believes his team prepared well for the long
season.
"We talked about it all year," Day said minutes after exiting the plane. "I
think we are. Our energy actually picked up week in and week out. I feel the
momentum. You know, when you have momentum, you've got to keep it. I feel like
we've continued to get stronger as the season's gone on.
"We've had a plan on how we are going to do that. And so now again, we have to
be at our best. The whole plan has been to get to this point right now. And so
we have got more days to get prepared to go do it. "
Freeman said the playoff schedule included "a lot of meaningful games."
"You don't play in the national championship every week," Freeman said. "We
know that. But we've played in a lot of meaningful games and we understand what
the expectations are. Monday will be different. We know the excitement and the
lights will be brighter."
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