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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. Check out our college football odds series for our Notre Dame Ohio State prediction and pick.
This is what makes college football great. Week 1 of the season, and yet the national championship is on the line. When Notre Dame and Ohio State play this Saturday night, the winner gets a huge leg up in the race for a College Football Playoff berth. The loser isn't out of the hunt, but it will have to run the table the rest of the way in order to grab a spot in the four-team championship event which provides the crowning moment to the season.
Notre Dame begins a new era. Brian Kelly is off to LSU. Marcus Freeman, 36, gets the keys to college football's most famous and globally recognizable program. Freeman's first offseason has been marked by a lot of high-level recruiting successes. It's clear that in recruiting, he understands what to do. Surrounding himself with the right assistants and staff has also been viewed as a clear success for the young head coach … but now we get to the big item: gameday coaching. Freeman has no prior head coaching experience. That doesn't mean he will fail. It offers no guarantees of anything. Yet, it has to be said that past Notre Dame coaching greats did have prior head coaching experience before they led the Irish to glory. Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian, Dan Devine, Lou Holtz, Brian Kelly — they all had plenty of experience in the business before they went to South Bend. Lots of experts think Marcus Freeman will be great for Notre Dame. This is his first big chance to show what he can do.
Ryan Day and Ohio State won the Rose Bowl last year. Imagine telling Woody Hayes that a Rose Bowl-winning season was a disappointment in Columbus. College football was a completely different world back in Woody's time. Today, making the Rose Bowl matters for a top-tier program only if it's part of the playoff. Ohio State lost twice last year, and it lost to Michigan. Woody would recognize losing to Michigan as totally unacceptable. This 2022 season, then, is a time for Day and his staff to bounce back emphatically and make sure no further slippage occurs at OSU. Day's biggest offseason move was to replace failed defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs with Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. The Cowboys nearly won the Big 12 title thanks to Knowles' defense, which was razor-sharp all year long. If Ohio State is getting the upgrade it thinks it is receiving due to Knowles, the Buckeyes should be in very good shape this season.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Notre Dame-Ohio State College Football odds.
College Football Odds: Notre Dame-Ohio State Odds
Notre Dame Fighting Irish: +17.5 (-120)
Ohio State Buckeyes: -17.5 (-102)
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Over: 59.5 (-105)
Under: 59.5 (-115)
Why Notre Dame Could Cover the Spread
The Irish can cover the spread because the spread is very large, and because Notre Dame has a very strong, tough defense. Ohio State has a loaded offense, but we saw last year that if a defensive front can win matchups against the Ohio State offensive line, the skill players for the Buckeyes aren't going to catch as many passes, because the quarterback will either be flat on his back or he will throw the ball out of bounds to avoid a sack. Notre Dame has consistently had great defensive line play over the past several years. If the Irish win battles up front with their defensive line, Ohio State is simply not going to score enough points (35 or more) needed to win by 20 or 25. OSU might score 28, in which case Notre Dame will cover as long as it can score at least 13 points or so.
Why Ohio State Could Cover the Spread
After getting Jim Knowles, the Buckeyes think they have assembled the components of a much-improved defense. Give this team a solid defense which won't get repeatedly gashed, and the Bucks should fly in 2022. Notre Dame offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson remains questionable for this game. If he can't be a factor, that's an enormous loss for the Fighting Irish, who need all hands on deck for this game. If Ohio State holds Notre Dame under 17 points, C.J. Stroud and Company can score 35 fairly easily and cover the spread.
Final Notre Dame-Ohio State Prediction & Pick
Notre Dame's defense is too good to get blown out. Buckeyes win, but by only 10.
Final Notre Dame-Ohio State Prediction & Pick: Notre Dame +17.5
