SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Nine final thoughts on Notre Dame going out (almost) on top after its 34-23 loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Ohio State and Notre Dame are two of the biggest brands in college football, but the television ratings weren’t exactly indicative of that. The game had 22.1 million viewers, and peaked with 26.1 million viewers in the 8:30-8:45 p.

According to ESPN PR, the game between OSU and the Irish pulled in 22.1 million viewers, the most watched non-NFL sporting event over the past year. The game peaked at 26.1 million viewers between 8:30 and 8:45 p.m. ET.

ESPN announced an average of 22.1 million viewers tuned in to watch Ohio State beat Notre Dame 34-23 in championship game for the College Football

Jack Kiser walked up the tunnel toward Notre Dame ’s locker room beneath Mercedes-Benz Stadium, tears welling in his bloodshot eyes, as if the linebacker had anything else to pour out. Behind him, all the scarlet and white confetti had fallen as Ohio State ’s national championship party swayed,

Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman was given a significant award a few days after the college football season ended. The third-year head coach led the Fighting Irish to the National Championship game this season,

Marcus Freeman helped turn around the Notre Dame Fighting Irish after a disappointing loss to Northern Illinois and earned himself a prestigious honor as a result.

Marcus Freeman's Fighting Irish might've come up just short in Monday's national championship game but one college football analyst still has a ton of confidence that the he'll deliver a title to the folks of South Bend.