Monday will mark the first-ever meeting between Ohio State and Notre Dame football in a football national championship game.

And of course, quarterback Riley Leonard is from Fairhope, Ala., southeast of Mobile. He came to Notre Dame via transfer from Duke, but he also grew up a Fighting Irish fan, his great grandfather having played for Notre Dame in the 1940s.

Ohio State has rolled through the CFP. The Buckeyes have been favored in all three games — vs. Tennessee, Oregon and Texas — and covered comfortably in all three. It got a little iffy late in the CFP semifinal against the Longhorns. But the Buckeyes have mostly cruised.