COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The morning after arriving in Atlanta, it was time for both national championship contenders to set the narrative ahead of Monday's showdown. Both Ohio State and Notre Dame met with the media at the Georgia World Congress Center before taking the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for their respective practices. While individual Buckeyes may have their own sources of motivation to win on Monday, the overall consensus among the players is that they want to win for Ryan Day. ‘Maniacal approach’ led Urban Meyer to success, fatigue and the College Football Hall of Fame "As a team. We faced adversity this year, but I don't think no one faced one person who didn't coach day. So, I mean, he's my coach, man. He's my leader," Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom said. "I'll do anything for him. So to go out there and try to win this for him, it means everything." The OSU head coach was met with an avalanche of criticism a month ago in the wake of the loss to Michigan. But the Buckeyes took the backlash personally and have rewritten the narrative with their run in the inaugural 12-team playoff. "You see everything that he's been through this year. People saying he should be fired and this, that and a third. But I've seen everything that he's been through this year," wide receiver Jeremiah Smith said. "I've seen everything people say about him on Twitter. I wasn't here when he first got the head coaching job. But I know this year for sure, we definitely have got to win this for him." Day is the only active coach with four playoff appearances in the last six years. A win on Monday night against the Irish would mark his 70th victory with Ohio State. "He's a really caring person. He does everything that he can for the team,": Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs said. "And you can you can know that in his heart, he truly cares about his players and that he'll do whatever he can to help us." Both Day and Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman will meet on Sunday morning for a joint press conference ahead of the national championship, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Monday night. Media Day Snapshots