Then, for the biggest play of the game, Notre Dame decided to leave Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith on an island. It was third and 12 and the Fighting Irish would get the ball back with a stop with a chance to tie the game. Smith completely burned his defender and he was wide open for a huge gain, and he iced the game.

Ohio State and Notre Dame are two of the biggest brands in college football, but the television ratings weren’t exactly indicative of that. The game had 22.1 million viewers, and peaked with 26.1 million viewers in the 8:30-8:45 p.

Two-time All-America safety Xavier Watts will enter the NFL draft rather than return to Notre Dame for a sixth season. Watts made the announcement on social media Friday, four days after the Irish lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff championship game in Atlanta.