Is Notre Dame walking straight into a trap? For Marcus Freeman, 2024 has been a Cinderella story. Not only have the Irish fought off against all odds to secure their natty spot, but they have proven that despite not having a conference to their name, they remain the top dogs when it comes down to giving SEC or Big 10 talent a run for their money. But is Marcus Freeman ready to face the North that had hell freeze over? The Bucks are going to have just another day in the gridiron. They will run that football like their lives depend on it, and they will not allow the Irish to have any form of control. So does this mean ND’s natty dream ends right here, and OSU is your champ?

Atlanta will bear witness to the gnawing and the clawing, but before we even get to all that, Freeman still has to sort out the injury woes… “It’s a real grind right now for Notre Dame. They’re not getting a ton of push-up front,” was something Dalton Wasserman had brought up a few days back. See, despite having one of the best defenses out there, ND has turned into a one-trick pony for the people. A good defense isn’t enough to get you a national championship win and Bucks has proven that. When the Vols took to the gridiron against OSU and Ryan Day, it was a slaughter fest.

Barely 104 yards on passing and 152 on rushing. When we tell you that Tennessee had zero control over that football, we mean it. With Freeman going into this game with a questionable WR and RB, it pretty much signals a total offensive shutdown. Beaux Collins is not having a good time with that calf injury he had against Penn State. And Jeremiyah Love? He is not ‘loving’ his battle with that knee injury…

“I don’t think Leonard is just gonna will them through.” And as good as Riley Leonard might be for ND’s offense, he doesn’t have nearly as much talent as the Bucks with their $21 million roster. While fans know that Freeman is going to come up with a solution to deal with all of this, will it be enough?

Are the “Jack of All Trades” getting the W against the stout Irish defense? Well, the former OSU player won’t make things that easy. We can glaze the Bucks all day, but we gotta talk with experience, and Freeman has first-hand experience of leading OSU to the big leagues.

Facing the Alma Mater: OSU vs ND

2004 till 2008. Bucks went on a spree with 4 Big 10 title wins and 2 Natty title game appearances, and for all of this, you gotta thank Bucks Linebacker Marcus Freeman. “This isn’t about where I went to school, it’s not about the previous games, it’s about the opportunity in front of us,” Freeman pointed out, but despite that, we think this will get personal…

Like, how many times do you get to face off against your alma mater for the national championship? Up to a certain extent, the ND HC has the experience he needs to face the Bucks, but then again, we have all seen how unpredictable Chip Kelly‘s play-calling can be.

Freeman can double or triple the coverage for the running room, but who knows? Jeremiah Smith is already set to be the decoy, so ND’s defense is going to have a hard time keeping track of all those elite running talent on the Bucks’ offensive front.

Will the prodigal son be the victor or are Ohio State your national champs?