Lou Holtz Reveals Prediction For Ohio State-Notre Dame CFP National Championship Game

Legendary head coach Lou Holtz made his pick for Monday’s national title matchup known.

The No. 7-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish and No. 8 Ohio State are competing in the College Football Playoff National Championship in Atlanta, Ga., at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Holtz posted his pick on social media Wednesday. To no one’s surprise, he went with the Fighting Irish, predicting them to win a close game by three points.

Holtz coached in South Bend, Ind., from 1986-96. It did not take long for him to have Notre Dame competing for national titles, winning one over West Virginia 34-21 to cap the 1988 season.

Since the Holtz era, Notre Dame has not won another national title.

Ohio State has the talent, but Notre Dame has the heart, the culture, and the defense to win this game,” Holtz said. “Stay patient, run the football, and trust the process. Notre Dame wins a close one—by 3. Remember, we’re Notre Dame, and they ain’t!”

Holtz made sure to throw some shade at Ohio State in his prediction. Holtz and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day have had some beef recently.

The two teams last played in 2023 with the Buckeyes winning 17-14. Before the game, Holtz questioned Ohio State’s toughness.

“Tell Ohio State they better bring their lunch because it’s gonna be a full day’s work,” Holtz said.

Following the win, Day fired back with a response of his own.

“Toughness. Toughness. Everybody’s questioning these kids all the time. We had one bad half the last couple of years, that’s it,” explained Day. “Everybody wants to question these guys, these guys are warriors right here. …When someone attacks your family, to come in and win like this is special.”

Monday’s meeting will be the ninth all-time between the college football powerhouses. Ohio State leads the series 6-2 heading into the matchup.

Kickoff from Mercedes-Benz Stadium is at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.