The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ohio State Buckeyes meet in the college football national championship on Monday night, and only one team could be the winner.

It will mark the end of the first ever expanded College Football Playoff. Neither team came into the tournament favored, and each team had to scratch and claw to get to the championship game. It’s sure to be a scrap at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, but some of the top talent from each team has expressed at least one thing in common to bring them together: their faith.

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Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka have all spoken about their faith in God in the days leading up to the game.

“I really think things happen for a reason, not just us, but also Ohio State. I think we’re the two main teams that just publicly show our faith the most,” he told reporters last week, according to Sports Michiana. “I don’t know if this is some divine teaching, you know, that put us here.

“I really believe that Jesus was looking over both of our shoulders the whole way through [whole] season and put these two teams on a pedestal for a reason.”

Howard talked about his faith in God after the team’s upset win over Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

“First and foremost, I have to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me this opportunity to be on this stage in the Rose Bowl,” Howard told ESPN. “The younger me would be in awe right now.”

Egbuka spoke to Sports Spectrum during the season about how faith affected his performance on the field.

“I would say we’ve been for the last couple of years — there’s kind of been a number of players on the football team who have restored their faith in Jesus Christ. And that was something that was big for me my freshman year .” the star receiver said in November.

Emeka Egbuka of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

Egbuka, a graduate student, in his interview recalled the turning point for him. He was invited to attend Mass by his teammates and said it was the first time he had felt a real connection to his faith.

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“Ever since then my life has been changed. A complete 180 and I have a similar testimony to many players in the team. We have been asking for some kind of revival like this in our team and we decided to share with everyone what God has made on our football team.”

Egbuka said he opted against entering the NFL Draft last season because he felt a calling that was “bigger” than football.

Henderson said in a separate interview that despite his outstanding rookie season, which included success and NIL deals, he had turned to his faith after an injury.

“He saved my life from going down that road to destruction. He saved me. He set me on this road to eternal life … you see so many people go down that great road to destruction, but I’m so thankful for Jesus, he saved me from that way and set me on his way.”

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman reinstated the Pregame Mass when he took over in 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman reinstated the pregame mass when he took over for Brian Kelly in 2021. He was baptized into the Catholic Church in and received his First Holy Communion in September 2022.

Freeman credited Notre Dame with encouraging the students to grow in their faith.

“It’s not just in Catholicism. It’s the reality of having a faith and a belief in something bigger than yourself,” he said.

On Monday night, each team will have a prayer and then lock into the final 60 minutes of their season.