Earlier in the week, New England Patriots quarterback and former North Carolina Tar Heel Drake Maye gave his prediction for who will win this year’s College Football Playoff National Championship. In a fun, interactive social media post by the Patriots on X (formerly known as Twitter), Maye predicted that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish would win college football’s top trophy this year.
Maye has had an up-and-down season while playing quarterback for one of the worst rosters in the NFL. He has thrown for 2,276 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, currently holding a season-long QB+ grade of 75.0 (C) after his Week 18 performance, good for 20th across the league.
However, he has shown class and promise throughout numerous games this year. The Patriots have a 4-13 record this year and will have a top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, though their Week 18 win cost them a chance at the No. 1 pick.
Social Media Reaction to Drake Maye Choosing Notre Dame
As previously detailed, Maye chose Notre Dame as his pick to win this year’s national championship, shared by the Patriots’ social media team:
Who’s bringing home some @CFBPlayoff hardware? pic.twitter.com/9Q6PVCCezO
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 4, 2025
In response, one user explained how Maye knew who the right choice was to win.
“Drake Maye knows ☘️🏆😂,” they outlined.
Drake Maye knows ☘️🏆😂
— Amos (@NDAmos22) January 5, 2025
However, one individual outlined their belief that Maye’s choice showed his lack of college football knowledge.
“I guess just because you play pro ball doesn’t mean you know ball 🤷♂️,” they said.
Finally, one user expressed a different tone by detailing how the struggles this year in New England were not on Maye but on head coach Jerod Mayo, who was fired following the team’s season-closing win.
“Fire Jerod Mayo,” they detailed, with their wish coming true.
Fire Jerod Mayo
— Marco (@HossJuke) January 4, 2025
College Football Playoff National Championship Preview
The four teams remaining in the college football playoffs this year are the aforementioned Fighting Irish, the Texas Longhorns, the Penn State Nittany Lions, and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Fighting Irish take on the Nittany Lions on Jan. 9, 2025, in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Meanwhile, the Longhorns face the Buckeyes on Jan. 10, 2025, in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. The winners of each contest will face off against each other in the College Football Playoffs final, with the program that wins being crowned the national champion.
All four teams have stars on both sides of the ball who can be difference-makers and have the potential to succeed at the NFL level. In Pro Football Network’s recent 2025 NFL Mock Draft completed by Sterling Xie, each program had players drafted within the first round of the selection process.
The highest player on each side was EDGE Abdul Carter (Penn State) at No. 4 overall to the New York Giants, WR Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State) at No. 13 overall to the Dallas Cowboys, OT Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas) at No. 17 overall to the Atlanta Falcons, and CB Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame) at No. 21 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.