CFB Playoff: Ohio State’s, Notre Dame’s success hits home in old-school fashion

Not every player in the College Football Playoff is a mercenary.

We can thank Ohio State star defensive end Jack Sawyer and Notre Dame backup quarterback Steve Angeli for reminding us of that in critical moments of the Buckeyes’ and Fighting Irish’s semifinal victories.

At a time when an all-consuming transfer portal and ever-increasing NIL payouts have sucked much of the romance out of college football, Sawyer wrapped the Cotton Bowl in Buckeye love Friday and put a beautiful scarlet-and-gray bow on top with the play and individual sequence of the 2024 season.

First, with Texas trailing by seven points late and facing a third-and-goal, he bulled through the middle of the offensive line and knocked down quarterback Quinn Ewers’ pass for a harmless incompletion. Then, on a must-have fourth down for the Longhorns, Sawyer tore around the edge, separated the ball from Ewers — his former Ohio State teammate and roommate — snagged it off a bounce and ran it back 83 yards for a game-sealing touchdown.

That it was a Columbus, Ohio-area native raised on the Buckeyes who punched Ohio State’s ticket to the national-title game Jan. 20 against the Irish in Atlanta was all kinds of perfect.

‘‘I love Columbus, I love the state of Ohio and I love Ohio State football,’’ said Sawyer, sounding very much like someone from a bygone era.

Which brings us to Angeli, who turned down offers from Michigan, Penn State, Miami and others to sign with Notre Dame in 2022. In a pre-portal time, he might have started as a sophomore in 2023, but the Irish signed Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman and handed him the position. Angeli stayed, then did so again a year later after the Irish signed Duke’s Riley Leonard and handed him the keys to the offense.

Angeli — a talented passer who easily could be QB1 someplace else — also stayed ready, as he demonstrated when his team was vulnerable and desperate against Penn State in the Orange Bowl.

With Notre Dame trailing 10-0 late in the first half and Leonard in the injury tent, coach Marcus Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock turned to Angeli, who completed six of his seven passes in a scoring drive that stole momentum from the Nittany Lions. Without that drive, it might have been game over the other way.

‘‘He’s a good friend of mine,’’ said Leonard, who played the second half of the Irish’s 27-24 victory, ‘‘and I appreciate him a lot.’’

Notre Dame’s depth has been the unsung key to its season, with Angeli the latest shining example.

Yeah, yeah, but can the Irish win again?

The point spread for the title game — Ohio State by 9½ — is huge, especially considering Notre Dame (14-1) was fifth in the CFP committee’s final rankings, one spot better than the Buckeyes (13-2).

Despite its bitter upset loss to Michigan in the regular-season finale and its inability to pile on points against Texas, Ohio State clearly is viewed as being a cut above all others.

The Buckeyes also have a 6-0 all-time record against the Irish, most recently sweeping a September home-and-home in 2022 and 2023. The previous two meetings were in the Fiesta Bowls to cap the 2015 and 2005 seasons.

I’m pretty much set on Ohio State winning the title game, but a pair of Notre Dame greats told the Sun-Times in separate conversations Saturday why it was wrong to view this one as anything but a toss-up.

‘‘I would never count this Notre Dame team out,’’ College Football Hall of Famer Joe Theismann said. ‘‘Ohio State brings in a lot of firepower, a lot of athleticism, and certainly isn’t going to be easy to beat. We’re going to have to move the ball offensively. But [the Irish] aren’t going to back down. They’re going to continue to be aggressive. That’s who they are — and never more than one big play away.’’

Theismann has spent a good bit of time around this team, and Tim Brown — Notre Dame’s last Heisman Trophy winner (1987) — has spent even more. Brown, who was at the Indiana and Penn State playoff games, has gotten to know Freeman and several key players well.

‘‘It’s just a couple of big plays and win the turnover battle,’’ Brown said. ‘‘It’s been the same game plan for the last seven, eight weeks. And Ohio State has shown you they’re a super-talented team, but they’re not infallible — not at all.’’

Do you remember?

The seventh day of September, that is. At Notre Dame Stadium, little engine Northern Illinois moved earth, wind and fire with a 16-14 mega-upset of the Irish.

Before the playoff, we checked in with Huskies coach Thomas Hammock to see how he felt about the national storyline that a humiliating loss to NIU shaped the rest of Notre Dame’s season. Hammock hoped then to see the Irish make a deep playoff run. Now that they’re in the title game, he’s absolutely loving it.

‘‘I’m definitely rooting for coach Freeman and his team,’’ he texted. ‘‘I take pride in the fact that we were able to compete for four quarters with a team in the national championship.’’

And one more thing: ‘‘There is a bright future for NIU football.’’