Notre Dame should have reasons to feel great about the national title game, but it also should have cause for concern against Ohio State.

SOUTH BEND — After watching Notre Dame football dismantle Georgia’s budding dynasty in the Sugar Bowl, Northern Illinois coach Thomas Hammock found himself offering the enthusiastic praise the Irish weren’t ready to accept four months ago.

Either Ohio State or Notre Dame will not just be a worthy champion, but one that deserves recognition for surviving a gauntlet of four playoff games.

The conference will expand to the Central Time Zone as it welcomed Northern Illinois as a football-only member on Tuesday. The Huskies, whose Board of Regents voted to accept an invitation that comes with a $2 million entry fee, will officially join the Mountain West on July 1, 2026.

BOTTOM LINE: Northern Illinois hosts Miami (OH) after Quentin Jones scored 25 points in Northern Illinois’ 108-70 loss to the Ohio Bobcats. The Huskies are 4-2 on their home court. Northern Illinois is 4-9 in games decided by 10 or more points.

On Thursday night, Northern Illinois football coach Thomas Hammock ... consecutive victories over No. 10 seed Indiana, No. 2 seed Georgia and No. 6 seed Penn State. “I really can say it's ...

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are appearing in their first National Championship game since 2012 and aiming for their first National Championship victory since 1988. It won’t be easy though, as the No.

Pace Academy graduate Jayden Thomas is part of a Fighting Irish squad which won in Atlanta in October and hopes to win national title on same field Monday night

The Notre Dame doubters are loud and plentiful. The Irish can silence everybody Monday night in the championship game against Ohio State.

Southern Illinois hosts the Northern Iowa Panthers after Ali Abdou Dibba scored 22 points in Southern Illinois' 73-51 win over the Missouri State Bears.

QB Riley Leonard and the Fighting Irish have faced a fierce gauntlet of defenses on their path to the title game, but the nation’s top-ranked unit awaits them on Monday.