A Penn State letterman and highly-coveted assistant coach is returning to the NFL. Al Golden, Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator, is leaving to take the same position with the Cincinnati Bengals, according to multiple reports on Wednesday.

The Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator job has been open for more than two weeks now, but there hasn't been much movement on a possible hiring and now we know why: The team was waiting for Notre Dame to finish its season.

It should come as no surprise that the Buckeyes landed plenty of players on the CBS Sports' All-College Football Playoff Team

Ohio State is No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 football poll of the season after beating Notre Dame for its first national championship since 2014

The national champion Ohio State Buckeyes topped the final Associated Press Top 25 college football poll of the season. Notre Dame finished No. 2 for its highest end-of-season ranking since 1993.

And in my 24 years on the Notre Dame football beat, no Irish team created more for the fan base than this one. Covering a run through the Playoff was to know you were documenting a team Notre Dame fans will be talking about for decades.

Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman is shouldering the blame for the Irish 34-23 loss to Ohio State in Monday night's College Football Playoff National Championship. Notre Dame fell into a 24-point hole against the Buckeyes midway through the third quarter that Freeman said was the result of uncharacteristic mistakes in communication for which he takes all the blame.

After the Notre Dame football team lost to Ohio State in the national title game, Marcus Freeman spoke on the future of the program.