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.

Coach Ryan Day shushed the critics, running back Quinshon Judkins scored three touchdowns, and the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes held off a furious second-half rally to beat No. 7 seed Notre Dame, 34-23,

The Ohio State-Notre Dame game Monday delivered ratings good enough to make it the second-most watched sporting event of the past year.