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Joey Chestnut Predicts Final Score for Upcoming National Championship Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Jan 18, 2025 3:41 PM ET

Ahead of the highly anticipated national championship showdown between the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday night in Atlanta, both teams gathered for their media day on Saturday. Players and coaches reflected on their seasons and shared insights into their preparation for the title game.

Ahead of the national championship, several predictions began to surface, one of which came from legendary competitive eater Joey Chestnut. In attendance for media day, Chestnut was interviewed by the Big Ten.

"42-36, I think Ohio State's gonna pull it off." Chestnut said.

@joeyjaws knows ball.

Do you agree with the Hot Dog Champ's final score prediction for the National Championship⁉️#B1GFootball x @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/FMlohRMK6l
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) January 18, 2025

Chestnut is well-known for his 16 victories in the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest and holding 55 world records across various food competitions—from pizza and tacos to apple and pumpkin pie.

He quickly became a fan favorite during media day, engaging in conversations with several players. One moment that stood out was when Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, in the middle of answering a question during an interview, paused mid-sentence after spotting the legendary competitive eater.

Howard's reaction added a lighthearted moment to the otherwise intense championship buildup between two storied programs.

"This group is special man, and there's a lot of stories, coach Day said it last week but there's a lot of stories individually and collectively and... is that Joey Chestnut? Howard said. "That's crazy, that's the hotdog dude. Dude that's nuts, I gotta get him to eat some dogs. Sorry, just had a little squirrel moment."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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