Ohio State vs Notre Dame History | A Rare Rivalry Leads to 2025

Remember all that talk about needing annual rivalries? The hatred that builds over yearly matchups? Well, Ohio State and Notre Dame just wrote a different script. Eight games spread across 90 years. Two midwestern football powerhouses separated by less than 300 miles. And now, they’re set to meet in college football’s biggest game. It’s 2025 and the Ohio State vs Notre Dame history is about to have its biggest game ever. Welcome to the College Football National Championship. But before we crown a champion, we look back…

The story of Ohio State and Notre Dame isn’t about frequency but moments—big ones, the kind that echoes through decades.

Take 1935. They called it “The Game of the Century” – and for once, that wasn’t just hype. Picture this: 81,018 fans packed into Ohio Stadium, some paying over $1,000 in today’s money for tickets. Notre Dame, trailing 13-0 in the fourth quarter, pulled off what would become their signature – the comeback that seemed impossible. Bill Shakespeare (yes, that was his real name) threw the winning touchdown with 32 seconds left.

The Irish followed that up with another win in 1936. And then? Radio silence. For nearly 60 years!

When these teams finally met again in 1995, it was like college football had been saving up all its drama. On his way to a Heisman Trophy, Eddie George steamrolled for 207 yards. Terry Glenn turned a routine pass into an 82-yard touchdown while. Ohio State dropped 45 points, the most any Lou Holtz Notre Dame team ever gave up. Ever!

Since then, Ohio State has owned this series, with six straight wins, each with its own flavor. There was the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, where Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. put on a speed clinic. There was the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, where Ezekiel Elliott reminded everyone why he was about to be a top NFL draft pick. Then, in 2022, Notre Dame vs. Ohio State gave us a defensive slugfest in Ohio Stadium. Most recently, there was the 2023 last-second thriller in South Bend, Indiana.

And now here we are. January 20, 2025. The biggest stage in college football.

These programs share numbers that sound made up. Combined, they have won 19 national championships, 14 Heisman Trophy winners, split evenly at seven apiece, and the two highest winning percentages in college football history: Ohio State’s .733 and Notre Dame’s .730.

But this game isn’t about history. It’s about two teams that spent 2024 proving they belong here. Two teams that already know each other’s playbooks, tendencies, and personalities from their recent meetings. Two teams have turned a “rare matchup” into a budding rivalry.

The ghosts of past games will be there in the stadium. Bill Shakespeare’s miracle throw. Eddie George’s dominance. Troy Smith’s deep balls. The echoes of every previous meeting adding weight to every play.

But in the end, this is about right now. It is about adding another chapter to a story that’s been 90 years in the making. It is about two teams that don’t need to play every year to create something special.

Sometimes the best rivalries aren’t about frequency. They’re about moments.

And on January 20th, we’re about to get the biggest moment. The stakes have never been higher!

TL;DR for Ohio State vs Notre Dame History | A Rare Rivalry Leads to 2025

• Ohio State vs Notre Dame have only played 8 times in 90 years
• Notre Dame won the first two games (1935’s “Game of the Century” and 1936)
• Ohio State has won six straight since 1995
• Between them: 19 national championships and 14 Heisman Trophy winners
• Both schools have the highest winning percentages in college football (Ohio State .733, Notre Dame .730)
• They’ll meet for the first time ever in the College Football National Championship on January 20, 2025