The Buckeyes entered their title game bout against Notre Dame with the nation’s No. 1 ... And when a pass rushing unit is that good, they usually draw a handful of holding penalties each game.

Notre Dame is on the cusp of reaching the College Football Playoff under head coach Marcus Freeman, who took over the Fighting Irish football program when Brian Kelly departed for LSU in 2021.

He's on the Irish' radar, too, and the gunslinger has visited Notre Dame numerous times over the past two years, including last October when the Irish topped Stanford 49-7. "The conversations have ...