Led by head coach Urban Meyer, the Ohio State Buckeyes were able to raise the inaugural College Football Playoff last Monday night. Believe it or not, the championship is a good thing for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Meyer was previously an assistant coach for the Irish. He spurned an offer to coach in South Bend and trusted in his third-string quarterback to his third national title.

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The Buckeyes dominated Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. Afterwards, they upset the top-seeded Alabana in the first round of the playoff before dominating Oregon 42-20. The wins confirmed their place at the top of the college football world.

Why is this a good thing for the Irish?

If anything, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly will have his hands full as he battles with Meyer and new Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh for top players.

Thanks to the efforts of the Buckeyes and the Irish, the demise of SEC dominance in this football season will be the biggest story of the upcoming offseason.

As Kelly said, beating LSU helped break down some of the perceived barriers that have grown trying to recruit the Southeast.

"It certainly allows us to continue to recruit down in this area without having to apologize for who we are," he said after the Music City Bowl win.

The victory of the Buckeyes proved that good football isn't the territorial right of the Southeastern Conference.

The Irish already showed that when healthy, they can hang with the best of them. They showed this in their game against Florida State.

In the game they fell just a penalty flag shy of beating the defending champions in Tallahassee.

The next step for the Irish is to learn from Meyer, like enhancing their running game. They showcased their running ability against LSU but would be blind if they didn't notice Ezekiel Elliott flattening the Ducks with 246 of his rushing yards. 

TagsOhio State Buckeyes, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh