The Buckeyes are the champions of college football once again.

State of play: OSU defeated Notre Dame 34-23 in Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship.

• It was a largely one-sided title game, though Notre Dame nearly pulled off a late comeback.

Context: The Buckeyes' championship is their ninth of all time and third since 2002.

Our detailed game analysis: That was super fun!

• It was a late night. Let's revel in some cool pictures instead:

The star: Junior running back Quinshon Judkins spent most of his night in the end zone, with two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown in addition to a huge 70-yard third quarter run.

• But senior quarterback Will Howard deserves a mention for playing a nearly perfect game, capping off a four-game playoff run likely to improve his NFL Draft stock.

What we're watching: The Buckeyes will be absolutely loaded next season.

• Superstar freshman Jeremiah Smith and sophomore Caleb Downs will return, along with key contributors like Carnell Tate, Arvell Reese and Luke Montgomery.

The bottom line: It's time for Buckeye fans to give head coach Ryan Day some credit — he finally did it.

• Day overcame another devastating loss to Michigan in the best way possible, making Kirk Herbstreit look like a genius along the way.

🎉 Congratulations to reader Kaitlyn R., who won our prediction contest with a very close 33-24 guess. Keep an eye out for some Axios swag!

Yesterday's victory gave OSU its ninth championship in program history.

• It also bumped the Buckeyes up a spot in the NCAA's record of college football teams with the most titles. They're now tied for sixth place.

The title years: 1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970, 2002, 2014 and now this one.

• Head coach Ryan Day joins a pretty impressive list of championship coaches: Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer.

😤 What's next: It's still a long journey to the top spot — but we're coming for yours next, Michigan.

Jon Husted's recent appointment to the U.S. Senate, replacing Vice President JD Vance, now gives Ohio a pair of pro-Trump freshman senators.

Why it matters: Husted and fellow Sen. Bernie Moreno, both 57, are younger than the average U.S. senator (64) and could stay in office for decades to come.

State of play: Moreno took office this month as a political neophyte, but Husted brings to D.C. decades of experience as an Ohio House speaker, secretary of state and lieutenant governor.

Zoom in: Husted is heavily focused on workforce development issues. He supported broadband expansion and embraced artificial intelligence to comb the state code for administrative bloat.

• He's also been tech skeptical at times, backing a law to require parental consent for teenage social media users.

Between the lines: Upper Arlington entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, reportedly a finalist for the Senate appointment, is now freed up to campaign for Ohio governor.

• If he decides to run, he'll likely face Attorney General Dave Yost and Treasurer Robert Sprague in the GOP primary.

What's next: Husted will run in a 2026 special election to serve out the remainder of Vance's term.

• Another election will be held in 2028 for a full six-year term.
• DeWine will also pick a lieutenant governor replacement subject to lawmakers' approval.

Former Ohio Sen. JD Vance took the oath of office yesterday and officially became the first vice president credited to the Buckeye State.

Go deeper: Photos of inauguration weekend 2025 in D.C.

The smash trend is fully upon us, but if it keeps inspiring delicious burgers like those at Stacked Burger Co, we certainly won't be mad.

The vibe: Situated in the unassuming Worthington Woods shopping center, Stacked calls itself a "modern burger diner" and aims for a throwback soda fountain atmosphere with a slightly retro sensibility.

• Brothers Dan and Jordan Lamatrice opened the eatery in November as an evolution of Alphabetical Comfort Kitchen, a food truck and Budd Dairy Food Hall stall.

🍔 On the bun: The smash trend is an influence, but these aren't entirely the steamrolled smash burgers you may know.

• They're juicier inside and pressed mostly around the outside for the lattice edge fans love, without tasting dried out.

The menu: Stacked offers traditional burger toppings and fries, along with brisket and chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, onion rings, fried Brussels sprouts and floats.

What we ate: We built our own burgers (starting at $13), with toppings ranging from cheese and (extra) pickles to garlic aioli and onion straws.

• The very crunchy battered and seasoned fries ($4, or free with burgers) are winners, and every dipping sauce was fantastic.
• We also tried onion rings ($6) and fried Brussels sprouts ($8), which come topped with either garlic aioli and bacon or citrus honey sriracha and feta.

Best bites: The burgers were great, but the stars of the show were the … Brussels sprouts?!

• The bacon and aioli version stunned us. Really.

💭 Alissa's thought bubble: I've never had a smash burger, and while it wasn't my thing — I like my food barely cooked, not crispy — I think they did it really well.

The bottom line: These no-frills burgers and sides would be welcome in just about any neighborhood, and left us eager to return for things like the brisket, a float … and more sprouts.

Stop by: 11am-9pm Monday-Saturday. Closed Sunday. 1089 Worthington Woods Blvd.