Ohio State Buckeyes Head Coach Ryan Day spoke to reporters Wednesday ahead of the National Championship game against Notre Dame on Monday.
This will be the third time in three years the Buckeyes will face Notre Dame. That's a rarity for an out-of-conference opponent. The Buckeyes walked away from the last two meetings with narrow wins.
Day said recent history playing the Fighting Irish gives the Buckeyes familiarity with their opponent.
"This game will be the third time we play them in three years. So you know, the majority of our guys, and certainly the older guys, have played these guys before, so they know what a great team this is and they know you know how good they are," Day said.
The Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish have their own deep histories with national title games in college football history. The last time Notre Dame won a national title was in 1988. The Buckeyes haven't won since 2014.
Day said they've been building the foundation to win this game since the pre-season. He said their past history in national championships and title games isn't what's on their mind.
"When you start to get into that, though, as a coach or as a player, it can be a distraction. And one of the things that we're trying to do this week is eliminate all distractions," Day said. "What's happened in the past doesn't matter. What's happening moving forward doesn't matter. All that matters is winning this game right now."
Before Day talked, several players also spoke to the media, including quarterback Will Howard.
Howard said he's had to remind himself that the team did in fact make it to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
"I do have to kind of pinch myself at times and be like, 'Man, yeah, I'm in the national championship,' but at the same time it is where we expected to be man," Howard said.
Howard was asked about his history with Notre Dame's quarterback Riley Leonard. The two were once roommates when they attended the Manning Passing Academy together.
"We probably wouldn't have imagined that, you know, a couple of months later, here we are, playing for the national championship for two new schools, but it is pretty cool," Howard said.
Howard and the other players said their focus is on the game, which will be played in Atlanta.
"We've come all this way, but it really means nothing if we don't finish it the right way," Howard said.
