ATLANTA — The early betting favorite to win next year's national championship: Ohio State. The question nobody can really answer at this time: What sort of sport will the Buckeyes or anyone else return to when they kick it off again seven months from now.

Steilacoom’s Emeka Egbuka is a college football national champion. Egbuka, a senior wide receiver at Ohio State, helped the Buckeyes defeat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Monday night’s college football national championship game in Atlanta, Georgia, 34-23.

It's never too early to look ahead to the next college football season. Here's a look at the top matchups of a loaded schedule to start 2025:

LeBron James maintains strong ties to his home state of Ohio. ATLANTA (AP) — LeBron James was in attendance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to watch his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes play Notre Dame for the College Football Playoff championship Monday night. The Buckeyes defeated The Irish 34-24 for its first national championship since 2014.

Ryan Day deserved to feel vindication when he won a national championship less than two months after it seemed his Ohio State job was on the line.