Ohio State is one game away from accomplishing the biggest goal we thought the Buckeyes would achieve when the season began.

The Buckeyes didn’t always look like a national championship team during the regular season, but they sure have in the College Football Playoff. While they weren’t as dominant against Texas as they were in their first two CFP games against Tennessee and Oregon, the CFP semifinal win over the Longhorns may prove to be the defining game of a title run as the Buckeyes showed their resiliency in the fourth quarter and won the game in thrilling fashion.

That gives us plenty of confidence that the Buckeyes will finish the job on Monday night and win the first-ever 12-team CFP. If Ohio State plays as well as it has throughout the CFP, the Buckeyes should have a clear advantage over Notre Dame with the Fighting Irish’s limited passing offense, though Ohio State will have to contend with Notre Dame’s strong running game and defense.

We discuss what went well and what didn’t for Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl and preview Monday’s national championship game on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.

The full rundown for the show:

• 0:00 Ohio State is One Win Away from What Could Be Its Best National Championship Run Ever
• 5:18 Why Jack Sawyer Deserved His Heroic Moment in the Cotton Bowl
• 10:31 Wins over Tennessee and Oregon Were More Dominant, But Texas Win Feels More Memorable
• 14:38 Assessing OSU’s Offensive Line Play Against Texas and What It Needs to Do vs. Notre Dame
• 20:51 Many Standouts Against Texas Included TreVeyon Henderson, Will Howard, Jordan Hancock
• 27:57 Notre Dame’s Pass Defense is Really Good, But We Don’t Expect It to Shut Down Jeremiah Smith
• 33:42 Stopping the Run Will Be Easier Said Than Done, But Ohio State Should Win If It Does
• 39:52 Cody Simon, TreVeyon Henderson, Defensive Tackles Among Players to Watch vs. Notre Dame
• 43:42 Why We’re Both Confident Ohio State Will Beat Notre Dame
• 47:43 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Notre Dame