The 2024 college football season was one of the few years that is truly reminiscent of an unforgettable campaign in 2007.
Chaos is what makes college football so entertaining, and in years like ’07 and ’24, that chaos meter seems to be turned up just a little more than usual.
However, one stat might go to show that college football is just chaotic and pretty much impossible to predict.
This year’s national championship game features two of the most recognizable brands in college football history: Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Both teams were expected to be contenders in the playoff discussion last summer, as the Buckeyes were No. 2 and the Irish were No. 7 in the AP Preseason Top 25 Poll. However, neither of them was atop the poll, as that distinguishment belongs to the Georgia Bulldogs.
As pointed out by @DeegSports on Twitter, though, that might be more a curse than it is anything else.
Tonight’s game will mark the seventh straight season that the AP’s preseason favorite didn’t win the national title game. Additionally, Deeg points out that only two preseason No. 1 teams (’17 Alabama, ’04 USC) have won a national title since 2000.
How’s that for chaos?
While this year isn’t exactly special in regards of the preseason favorite underachieving, it was a wild year of college football. Look no further than Notre Dame’s lone loss on the year coming at the hands of Northern Illinois in a 16-14 rock fight in South Bend.
Or, how Ohio State closed out its regular season with a 13-10 loss at the hands of a six-win Michigan team.
Now, the seventh-seeded Irish are in the National Championship game after ripping off 13 straight victories, and Ohio State has looked like an unstoppable force after beating every playoff opponent its faced by at least 14 points.
