The two teams who meet for the college football national championship Monday night in Atlanta would not be in the playoffs if not for the expansion to 12 teams. Notre Dame, the No. 7 seed, plays No. 8 seed Ohio State at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, culminating the first year in which the playoffs were expanded from just four teams.

“Yeah, very, very grateful,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said in Atlanta. “I think everybody in the program is — to be in this situation — for a lot of reasons.”

Two storied, yet imperfect programs, reaching the national finale validates the expansion of the CFP to 12 teams. The legitimacy of the champion can’t be questioned despite a hiccup or two during the regular season.

Where one and certainly two losses in the past would have ruined any hopes at a national championship, Notre Dame (14-1) arrives after losing to Northern Illinois earlier in the year, while the Buckeyes are 13-2 after losses to Oregon and Michigan.

The top four seeds — Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State — all received first-round byes and were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Ohio State defeated No. 5 Texas, while Notre Dame edged No. 6 seed Penn State in the semifinals, creating Monday night’s matchup.

“I think the new format has allowed our team to grow and build throughout the season,” Mr. Day said. “As much as losses hurt, they really allow us as coaches and players to take a hard look at the issues and get them addressed. Then it’s about the business of getting them fixed as time goes on. That’s really the biggest thing that I’ve learned about this format, which I think has been great for our players. I think it’s great for college football.”

It’s not like March Madness, where some mid-major scores an upset in the 64-team NCAA basketball tournament. Notre Dame and Ohio State are storied football programs. The Buckeyes are trying to win their ninth national championship. Notre Dame has won 13 national titles, the last coming in 1988 under Lou Holtz. 

Few expected the Irish, led by third-year head coach Marcus Freeman, to get to this point after its 16-14 loss to NIU on September 7. But Notre Dame behind senior quarterback Riley Leonard, with his 2,606 yards passing and 19 touchdowns, has won 13 straight games, including playoffs wins over 10^th-seed Indiana, 27-17, No. 2 seed Georgia, 23-10, and No. 6 Penn State, 27-24.

Notre Dame players know they can become legends if they win. “I think it’s something that they’ll be able to say for the rest of their lives if they were part of a National Championship football team,” Mr. Freeman said. “There’s a lot of work that goes into getting to that outcome, and that’s what we’ve got to focus on. But it would be special for this university and for these players that have poured so much work into getting the result that we have.”

The game will mark the first time in college football history that teams have played a 16^th game.  With a national championship at stake, no one is complaining about being tired. Quite the contrary.

“I think our energy has continued to grow,” Mr. Day said of the Buckeyes. “You talk about mental fatigue. I just don’t see that with our guys. I think it’s only increased. The energy is increased, and the focus is increased. I think our team is fresh right now. If we had to, we could continue to play for a few more weeks.”

The Buckeyes have won the last six meetings with the Irish, all since 1995, after losing in 1935 and 1936. Ohio State won 17-14 in South Bend last year, and 21-10 in Columbus in 2022.

Of course, history means nothing. These Buckeyes rely more on their passing attack (265.13 yards per game), while Notre Dame thrives behind a strong running game (210.8 yards per game) that must penetrate on staunch Buckeyes run defense, 89.9 yards per game. Notre Dame’s defense feasts on turnovers, collecting plus-17 on the season.

Mr. Freeman, who played at Ohio State, is the first coach of African-American and Asian descent to reach a national championship, noteworthy for the game being played on the Martin Luther King Holiday.  “We started the season talking about reaching our full potential and we’ve got one guaranteed opportunity to do that,” Mr. Freeman said.