As the National Playoff Championship Final is inching closer and closer. Temperatures have already soared from those heated debates and raw speculations. Both the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes go into the final on 20 Jan, at Mercedez Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with an incredible season performance on their backs. However, some would argue that the Buckeyes are clear favorites and Notre Dame is a huge underdog going into the game (If the odds are to be believed). But let’s leave those odds aside for a moment and talk about the things we already know about the final. For Instance, the announcers!!

The final games certainly come with their own star-studded broadcast crews. And this time, too, the Natty Final isn’t certainly going to disappoint. In this final, we will see Chris Fowler in the role of play-by-play announcer. And Kirk Herbstreit as the game analyst. Furthermore, we will also see Holly Rowe covering for Ohio State on the sidelines and Molly Mcgrath covering for the Irish. For those who are still clueless as to who are these announcers? Let’s give you a sneak peek at their history and lives.

Chris Fowler, who currently covers for ESPN, is probably the most renowned member of the celebrated announcing crew. He has more than 25 years of experience under his belt and appears on ABC Saturday Night Football as a play-by-play announcer. However, our next announcer, Kirk Herbstreit, is a star in his own right. The most notable achievement is probably his five Sports Emmy Awards wins. On top of that, he has also played for Ohio State as a quarterback from 1989 to 1993.

However, recently, Kirk has been facing criticism for his comments regarding SEC bias at ESPN. He said, “We could not have paid for a better final four with Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Texas…you don’t want these small little Clemsons and small little Southern schools when it comes to cheering for ratings…ratings are big, massive Big Ten brands“.  But the criticism aside, the fans will surely love his insights going into the game.

Moving on to the other Announcers, Holly Rowe, the Ohio State sidelines announcer, is also a renowned name in the broadcasting world. She also has worked for ESPN since 1995 and has vast experience as a sideline reporter in football games. Other than college football experience, she has covered college basketball games and Fifa Women’s World Cup matches. On the other hand, Molly Mcgrath, the sidelines reporter for the Fighting Irish, has fans of her own. She has been working for ESPN since 2016 and has covered a number of high-profile bowls like the Orange Bowl, Texas Bowl, and Las Vegas Bowl. Well impressed with the crew? Let’s dive into the final game and speculations going into it.

Predictions for the final Playoff game.

Both the teams, while on paper, look well matched, but the dynamics and the season history could well define their confidence going into the final. On one hand, the Buckeyes haven’t won a national title in a decade, on the other the Irish would look to end their 36-year-old silverware drought.

With coach Marcus Freeman at the helm, garnering 12 straight wins that also include playoff victories, the Dames look unbeatable right now. However, Ohio State, guided by their coach Ryan Day, is looking for redemption. And with their defense topping the national charts and the offense having stars like Will Howard (QB) and Jeremiah Smith (WR). The game promises to be a nail-biting thriller.

Now it only has to be seen which team comes on top.  The bookmakers are terming the Buckeyes as favorites with 14-1 odds. it will be upon Notre Dame to cause an upset and grab the Natty trophy.