Ohio State vs. Notre Dame: History on Buckeyes' Side?
It's an exciting slate of college football in Week 2, but arguably the most anticipated matchup is the No. 6. Ohio State Buckeyes vs. the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend on Saturday.
Although the two schools boast rich traditions and history and are just 273 miles apart, the two programs have met just seven times before. The Irish took the first two contests in 1935 and 1936, but the Buckeyes have owned Notre Dame in the five meetings since in 1995, '96, '06, '16, and '22. That includes two Fiesta Bowl wins in '06 and '16.
Last year's win for Ohio State came in Week 1, and both teams look very different now. The Buckeyes lost their last two games of the season, while the Irish finished on a high note. The quarterback position looks vastly different for both programs too.
Ohio State's signal-caller from a season ago, C.J. Stroud, is playing for the NFL Houston Texans, while Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman is lighting things up for Notre Dame this season. While the Buckeyes are struggling with uncertainty with Kyle McCord and Devin Brown under center, there is real Heisman talk surrounding Hartman in South Bend.
Irish head coach Marcus Freeman is in his second season in South Bend and took some kicks to the gut last season with head-scratching losses to Marshall and Stanford. He also had a big win over Clemson, but everyone is seeing that Clemson isn't the powerhouse it once was.
Buckeyes coach Ryan Day is in his fifth season at the helm in Columbus, and with recent losses to TTUN, his seat might be slightly hot.
Saturday will see if he can match last year's success against Notre Dame without Stroud, but recent history shows Ohio State has the edge. If the Irish are to beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1936, it'll most likely be because the Ohio State offense struggled against the Irish defense.
Whatever happens, Saturday's matchup is bound to be the most-watched game of the college football week.
