Scituate High School science teacher Elizabeth McDonnell rocked an Ohio State hoodie the day after the win: On January 20, The Ohio State University Buckeyes football team finally broke their national championship drought, beating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23, marking their title since 2014.
The Buckeyes have long awaited another championship, as they have gone through many heartbreakers the last few years, the most famous being a missed game-winning field goal attempt in a semifinal game as the US rang in 2023 simultaneously.
Ohio State’s biggest rival–the Michigan Wolverines–beat them four years in a row, including this year. This year’s championship left a sweet taste in fans’ mouths after feeling as if everything had been burnt to smithereens after that loss.
2024 Scituate High School graduate and current Ohio State student Lachlan Steinmeier simply described the season as “over” after the Michigan loss, and even though the Buckeyes made the playoffs, he did not think they were going to win.
“I am so glad they won, especially with the new 12-team playoff format. It was really fun to get to watch them win all four games en route to the championship and was a memorable experience that I will get to look back on for years to come,” Steinmeier stated.
The College Football Playoff was expanded from 4 to 12 teams this year, making Ohio State’s championship run even more impressive as they cruised through the competition, beating talented teams Tennessee, Oregon, and Texas– along with Notre Dame.
McDonnell grew up in Ohio and enjoyed watching the Buckeyes with her family every Saturday. She was very enthusiastic about the win and is looking forward to next year as well: “They had a lot of good players on this roster and also have a lot of great younger guys, so hopefully they can repeat next year,” McDonnell said.
20 million dollars were invested into this year’s Ohio State football team, making it one of the most expensive rosters in the country. Senior football players like Jack Sawyer, Emeka Egbuka, and Cody Simon, who were just sophomores after the crushing New Year’s Eve loss in 2022, will be able to graduate as champions.
In an interview with FOX News, Egbuka talked about senior leadership: “When you look at some of the greatest teams in college football history, they all have great leadership. They all have great seniors, and that’s really who you remember being on the team. We really took that to heart.”
The Buckeyes’ quarterback, Will Howard, transferred from Kansas State for his senior year, achieving his goal of a national championship in his final year of college ball. His third down pass to freshman standout Jeremiah Smith, which sealed the championship, will be remembered in history.
Howard now looks to make an impact in the NFL for whichever team wants to take a chance and draft him, but even though his time at Ohio State was short, it was something that he will always take for granted and remember.
In his postgame interview with ESPN, Howard ended his college career saying, “I can’t believe God gave me the chance to be a Buckeye.”
Ohio State has built a brotherhood, a team filled with unity and courage, and this year is only the beginning of more great years and more championships to come for the Buckeyes.