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ATLANTA – ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit grew up in the same corner of Southwest Ohio as Marcus Freeman – but the 15-year difference in perspective when it comes to Notre Dame's presence in the Buckeye State – and the national scene – is striking.
Herbstreit – who played at Centerville High School – remembers seeing more Notre Dame jackets in Ohio in the 1980s. That was a time when Gerry Faust – who built a national powerhouse at Moeller High School in Cincinnati – was the coach of Notre Dame. Lou Holtz followed and led a dominant run from 1988-93 that included the 1988 national title, and the Irish always had a strong presence in Ohio. So what changed?
"With Ohio State – their brand has grown so much in the last 20 years with Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer and now with what they are doing with Ryan Day," Herbstreit told Sporting News. "If Ohio State wins, it goes to another level with what they mean in the state of Ohio if it didn't already for most people."
Freeman – who played at Wayne High School – grew up in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when that run started. By then, the dynamic had shifted between the programs, even before he starred as a linebacker for the Buckeyes from 2004-08. Yet he knows the power of the Notre Dame brand across the country.
"I don't know how many Notre Dame fans I knew growing up in Dayton, Ohio," Freeman said. "There's probably a lot at some of the private Catholic schools. I don't know if it's grown. I'm not back in Ohio. I live in South Bend, Indiana. The Notre Dame fans, the Notre Dame network is national. It's worldwide, but I don't know if it's grown in Ohio or not."
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Ohio State-Notre Dame series since 1995
No. 7 Notre Dame (14-1) meets No. 8 Ohio State (13-3) in the College Football Playoff championship game Monday. The Irish have a chance to win a national championship – and doing it against the preeminent Big Ten power in the Rust Belt is a chance to shift that balance of power.
It was Sept. 30, 1995, when Eddie George's 61-yard run led the Buckeyes to a 45-26 victory in the programs' first meeting since a home-and-home in 1935-36.
From 1970-94 – the 25 seasons before the game – Ohio State had a record of 215-71-8 (.741) and Notre Dame was 213-74-4 (.737). From 1995 to the present day, the Buckeyes are 309-65 (.826); a huge difference from the Irish at 233-122 (.675).
The 1995 matchup started a string of six games the Buckeyes won head-to-head, including the home-and-home in 1995-96, the 2006 and 2016 Fiesta Bowl matchups and another home-and-home in 2022-23. Of course, that ended with Ohio State winning on a 1-yard TD run by Chip Trayanum with one second left for a 17-14 victory.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day launched into a post-game rant aimed at Holtz afterward, and the Irish were left with another frustrating loss to the Buckeyes. Will the Irish change that?
MORE: Where is Lou Holtz? Update on ND's coaching legend
Growing up with Notre Dame in Ohio
Notre Dame tight end Mitchell Evans grew up in Northeast, Ohio, and played at Wadsworth High School. He puts a pin on it as, "deep in the heart of the Buckeye country."
Wadsworth football coach Justin Todd texted Evans before CFP Media Day on Saturday with a message that best-describes the social dynamic between Notre Dame and Ohio State right now.
"His wife made cookies for the game," Evans said. "It's got my name and my jersey on it and it's like a separate cookie. Then the rest of the cookies, 'Go Buckeyes!'"
Evans is one of nine players on the Irish roster who played high school football in Ohio.
Evans is doing his part to change that on the field – had had seven catches for 75 yards in that loss last year – and even off the field.
"Go into restaurants, there's memorabilia, whether it's a jersey, shoes, you name it, something in there of Ohio State," Evans said "So hopefully, I'm trying to turn that tide, put some Notre Dame stuff in people's places. Some people are texting me, 'Hey, man, I'm rooting for Notre Dame.' Some people text me, say, 'I'm rooting for you but rooting for Ohio State.'"
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Freeman is no doubt getting that message, too, but he is not hearing it. "Listen, I've got a job to do to make sure this group is ready. You cheer for us or you don't. It is what it is; no hard feelings," Freeman said. "But my focus is on making sure this team is ready to perform on Monday. For all those that are cheering for us, we appreciate it."
Freeman does hold Ohio in high regard. He launched his football path through Ohio State as a player and Cincinnati as a coach before landing at Notre Dame as a defensive coordinator in 2021.
MORE: Revisiting Marcus Freeman's Ohio State playing career
"Dayton, Ohio, is always going to be a special place to me," Freeman said. "Obviously my parents still live there. But the foundation of who I am as a person was developed in Huber Heights. There's a lot of people that get thank you's for putting me in the situation I'm in now."
Yet Freeman represents a threat to Ohio State. The last three years? Ohio State is 35-6 under Day, and Freeman is 33-8 at Notre Dame. That's a two-game gap, and Freeman has created a likability factor with the Irish, one that did not exist when Brian Kelly was head coach.
MORE: Jim Tressel on watching Marcus Freeman take off at ND
Freeman looks cool. He wore a gray shirt, blue tie and gold "ND" pin to the coaches press conference Sunday and maintained a message that has been consistent with his players.
"This isn't about where I went to school," Freeman said. "This isn't about the last two times we played Ohio State. This opportunity is about this opportunity, and we've got to make sure we focus on that because this opponent is this current opponent. It's not the last two that we faced. It's going to be a great challenge."
Will Notre Dame win first national championship since 1988?
The program's first national championship since 1988 is the potential prize.
Notre Dame has missed on its last three shots on the BCS and College Football Playoff stage. No. 2 Alabama beat No. 1 Notre Dame 42-14 in the BCS championship game on Jan. 7, 2013. The Irish also lost CFP semifinals to No. 3 Clemson in the 2018 season and No. 1 Alabama in 2020.
"It's been a long time since that brand could get up into that stratosphere with the big boys in the Big Ten and the SEC," Herbstreit said. "If they're able to win, that cements it. As long as they can hold on to him and not let Marcus Freeman go to the NFL, I just think whether they win or lose here that brand is climbing."
BENDER: Pick against the spread for Ohio State-Notre Dame
Freeman, meanwhile, is looking to continue building the program. Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden – who also is being rumored for NFL vacancies – said this is not a “one-hit wonder.” The Irish have the look of a program that will be in the College Football Playoff hunt for several years to come. Much like the team they are playing Monday night. The Buckeyes won national championships in 2002 and 2014 this century and are heavy favorites against Notre Dame.
"Every season you go into the season wanting to be national champions," Freeman said Sunday. "Obviously Ohio State has achieved that goal in more recent years than we have, but those are the expectations, to be at the mountaintop. I think there's not a tremendous amount of programs that can truly say that every year. I think that's part of the reason why we're both at these places."
And with a victory, there might be a few more Notre Dame jackets in Ohio, too. Herbstreit knows that could be the case.
"If Notre Dame wins, in the state of Ohio when it comes to recruiting there, Marcus already being a Dayton, Ohio, guy already has an angle and does a good job of hustling,” Herbstreit said. “That brand. It's hard to make a brand cool, and I feel like Marcus is bringing that back."
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