Well, now that’s not what the college football fans expected. After all, Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish gifted their fans a straight 13-game winning streak. On the other hand, it was Ohio State Buckeyes, whose HC Ryan Day was almost on the verge of losing his job when he stepped into this season. Surprisingly, the Buckeyes could put a smile on their fans on D-Day. But poor Notre Dame!

Forget smiles. Their fans are now looking to hibernate. They are pleading that it’s high time that Freeman and Co. give up their ‘independent’ tag. 

Marcus Freeman and Co.’s hunger fell short 

The last time Notre Dame and Ohio State met, the Buckeyes went into Notre Dame Stadium to win 17-14 in a thrilling duel. January 20 marks an important day for both Freeman’s and Day’s squad. Ohio State won their last championship title in 2014. However, Notre Dame has been playing since their last win in 1988. So, you can guess for the Fighting Irish, the hunger is 10x more. But looks like they failed to capitalize on their desperation.

At the end of the third quarter, Day’s boys were at a 31-15 lead over the Fighting Irish. Freeman’s boys had to wait for the third quarter to bounce back after not scoring on each of its four possessions following an opening-drive touchdown. Is it because the problem lies with their schedule? Calls have started to mount for them. Former Buckeyes linebacker Matt Finkes tweeted some stadium scenes. 

He posted a selfie all excited, showing a thumbs up to Notre Dame fans as the Fighting Irish loyals had put down their heads in embarrassment, trying to hide their faces. The caption read, “The Notre Dame faithful seem to be giving up and sleeping or playing Fortnite. Go Bucks!!! #CFPNationalChampionship  #BuckeyeNation.”

Notre Dame has historically operated as an independent. This is something they have always taken pride in. One of the reasons is the expansion of the 12-team College Football Playoff. Freeman’s program now has an easier path to the playoffs than in the four-team era. However, they are paying the cost of being part of an easy schedule. The same way Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers underwent. 

The ‘Google Me’ man’s boys came off strong with 11 wins this season. As per ESPN, on the strength of schedule metric, Indiana had the 106th-ranked schedule out of 136 schools. So in a way, it was a tad embarrassing to hype them up after the weak schedule they had this season.

Freeman’s boys, hold the No. 78 rank when it comes to their schedule strength. The Buckeyes on the other hand are at No. 25. Meanwhile, the fans have somehow accepted the loss.    

Notre Dame fans want some toughness for Marcus Freeman’s boys 

Not to forget how Indiana’s two losses of the season came against each of the participants in the national championship game. However, Day’s Buckeyes had to face stronger teams to make it to the playoffs as compared to Freeman’s boys. On that note, an X user wrote, “Notre dame doesn’t belong in the playoff until they play a real schedule.”

To another Fighting Irish fan, it no longer surprises him. Their last run to the national championship was in 2013 when they lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide 42-14. To show that it has now become a trend for Freeman’s squad, a fan wrote, “As a Notre Dame fan, we have seen these games for way longer than NIL has been around. This feeling is unfortunately familiar.”

However, another fan chose to focus on the good part. Day’s quarterback, Will Howard, surprisingly completed 14 of his 15 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. On that note, he sees Howard reaching great heights in the future: “I’m a Notre Dame fan, but happy for Will Howard. Been a fan since his Kansas State run to the Big 12 Championship. Seems like a good kid who does things the right way. He will have success in the NFL too.”

Another Notre Dame loyal came with a heartfelt message looking forward to the next season. He wrote, “congrats ohio state, no in all seriousness from a notre dame fan congrats to the buckeyes. see y’all in the playoff next year.” And this X user chose to sprinkle some salt on Notre Dame’s run game, “Why all the notre dame fans crying? What happened to run the football up their nose that was happening at the start of the game⁉️⁉️ #OSUvsND.” Is a grueling schedule next season the spark Notre Dame needs under Freeman?