David Pollack Reveals a Decision That ‘Sucked’ in the CFP National Championship
The 2024 college football season has concluded following the national championship game on Monday night. The No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes (14-2) beat the No. 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-2) 34-23, claiming the championship trophy for the first time since 2014.
The Buckeyes were dominant for most of the game, leading by as much as 31-7 late in the third quarter. However, Notre Dame made a late push, narrowing the score to 31-23 with about four minutes left in the game. But it’s the possession by Notre Dame before their touchdown that cut the deficit to eight points, which is under the most scrutiny.
The Fighting Irish were trailing 31-15 with about 9:30 remaining and faced a fourth-and-goal situation from the nine-yard line. Notre Dame chose to attempt a field goal, which they ultimately missed.
There are questions surrounding the decision to attempt a field goal instead of going for the touchdown, especially since Notre Dame would still have needed two touchdowns even if they had made the field goal. David Pollack addressed this moment on his YouTube channel, “David Pollack College Football,” expressing his disagreement with the decision.
“The decision sucked,” Pollack said. “I say that because you are going against a prolific offense that their first four possessions got four touchdowns. The fifth possession got a field goal because you ran a fake punt and gave them good field position. They fumbled, which is how you stopped them. I think you just knew you weren’t going to stop them enough.”
The Fighting Irish forced a five-play punt on the next Ohio State drive and then scored a touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to eight points shortly after. However, Ohio State responded with a nine-play, 61-yard drive that took three minutes and 49 seconds.
This drive was highlighted by a 56-yard catch by Jeremiah Smith on third and 11, with nearly three minutes remaining. The Buckeyes then kicked a field goal with about 30 seconds left to secure the win. Now, as the offseason begins, the Fighting Irish and head coach Marcus Freeman will likely question that decision.
