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Ex-Ohio State State Star Bobby Carpenter Reveals National Championship Pick

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Jan 17, 2025 10:25 AM ET

The College Football Playoff wraps up on Monday night, at long last, with the steamrolling Ohio State Buckeyes set to take on Notre Dame in Atlanta, the culmination of a grueling four-and-a-half-month slate and the first-ever 12-team playoff.

The Buckeyes are a big favorite in the game, woith the Irish rated anywhere from an 8-point to a 9-point underdog in their quest to hoist the championship trophy.

The importance of winning a champinoship in Columbus is more than familair to Noter Dame coach Marcus Freeman who, of course, played for the Buckeyes from 2005-08. He downplayed that, though, this week.

"This has nothing to do with the past and where I went to school," Freeman said Sunday. "This is about this opportunity that lies right ahead of us. This isn't about the past. This is about this opportunity we have right in front of us, and we'll continue to focus on this opportunity right in front of us."

One of Freeman's teammates from those Ohio State teams of the mid 2000s, linebacker Bobby Carpenter, went on to play in the NFL and now is a media personality back in Ohio.

He appeared on ESPN's "Get Up" program on Friday to discuss the outlook for the Buckeyes, and how intense the Ohio State fan base can be--with as much as 20% of OSU fans, by his estimation, feeling that beating Michigan is more important than winning a championship.

"I understand the emotions behind it, it's a very emotional sport," Carpenter said. "That's why we love it. But the rationale behind it, to hoist the trophy and say you're the best in the country depsite some losses, I don't think you can change that."

But he also made a prediction.

"I think it is going to be a close one, but I think Ohio State finds a way to get it done," Carpenter said.

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

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