Ohio State won’t be playing for a national football championship this bowl season, but that doesn’t mean the Buckeyes aren’t going to make things interesting. The defending national champs, ranked No. 7 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, are set to take on No. 8 Notre Dame in a mouth-watering pairing at today’s BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. While there’s no doubt that Northeast Ohio is Buckeye Country, many Notre Dame supporters also call it home. In fact, the Fighting Irish were ranked as the most popular college football team in America in a recent CNBC poll. So, even though the big trophy isn’t going to be on the line when the two teams meet in the desert, there still is plenty of interest that surrounds today’s game. “It draws my interest in because I know a lot of Ohio State fans and I know a lot of Notre Dame fans,” Central Catholic football coach Jeff Lindesmith said. “In Stark County they are all around so to see those two big fan bases get riled up to play is exciting.” As for a prediction, the leader of the back-to-back Division V state runner-up Crusaders kept things simple: “I’m an Ohio guy so I’m going with Ohio State,” Lindesmith said. Lindesmith wasn’t the only area football coach that offered his two cents on today’s matchup. His prediction, though, was echoed by another one of his counterparts from the area…
Continue Reading: Area coaches, officials weigh in on matchup between Ohio State and Notre Dame
