As a former star receiver for Ohio State, you don’t need to ask who Joey Galloway is rooting for when the Buckeyes square off against the Fighting Irish in the national championship game in Atlanta.
The former flamboyant pass catcher, who was famous for ripping off his helmet after touchdown catches, was in town to attend the Allstate Party for the Playoffs gala.
The longtime college football analyst for ESPN believes Ohio State and Notre Dame both rebounded admirably from their humiliating losses during the season. Fans were calling for the heads of both head coaches after Notre Dame lost to 28-point underdogs Northern Illinois in their second game, while Ohio State was defeated by their hated archrivals Michigan for the fourth consecutive year.
Yet, both teams soared after those crushing defeats to represent the sport in the championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta.
“I think both teams have been through something — Notre Dame losing to Northern Illinois, and Ohio State losing to Michigan,” Galloway began. “Both teams went through a moment when it didn’t look like they would be at this place. They came together as a team, and now they’re in this place. Either team can win this.”
Just as exciting as seeing his alma mater in the NCAA title game is the fact that this is the first year the College Football Playoff expanded from a four-team postseason to 12 teams in 2024-25.
“Like it’s been fun; it’s been exciting. We wanted to include more teams, that’s happened and the best two teams are playing for a championship,” Galloway explained, noting that some teams (like Oregon) had a more difficult playoff schedule than Penn State.
“They did,” Galloway admits. “It happens sometimes. It does. And if you look at the NFL with how it worked with the Lions and the Vikings, sometimes you get the short end. But, you got to win no matter what.”
