Ohio State vs. Notre Dame game preview, prediction

What to expect as Ohio State and Notre Dame square off in this epic Week 4 college football game with our updated predictions

The game so many fans had circled on their calendar months ago is finally set to kick off this weekend as No. 6 Ohio State and No. 9 Notre Dame meet under the eyes of Touchdown Jesus for an epic clash in college football's Week 4 action on Saturday.

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What do you need to know about the matchup? Here's what you should watch for as Ohio State and Notre Dame square off, along with our Week 4 game predictions.

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame preview, prediction

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame prediction, preview / USA Today Images

How to watch

When: Sat., Sept. 23
Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern
TV: NBC network
Stream live: fuboTV (Try for free)

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame odds

Courtesy of SI Sportsbook

Line: Ohio State -3.5 (Track it)
Total: 55.5 points
Moneyline: OSU -167 | ND +130
FPI pick: Ohio State 65.8%

What to watch for

What to watch as Notre Dame hosts Ohio State / USA Today Images

1. The X Factor. Notre Dame doesn't win a game like this unless it convincingly wins the QB battle, and Sam Hartman is the man for the hour. The veteran is 3rd nationally in total pass efficiency hitting 71% of his throws with 13 TDs and no turnovers and distributing the ball evenly. Unlike years past when the Irish could only really open things up by running the ball, Hartman has made Notre Dame confident to get aggressive in the air at the outset and set the tempo early on, and he will force the Buckeyes to defend the whole field far more than they have up to now. OSU has struggled defending the back end against better-caliber quarterbacks in recent seasons and has to play its A-game against Hartman.

2. Battle at the line. The jury's still out on how well Ohio State will be able to maintain gap integrity when blocking for the run on the interior, especially against an Irish rotation in the middle that can grind you down. Meanwhile, the Irish stack up well protecting Hartman, giving him plenty of time to throw, and opening consistent lanes for back Audric Estime, who is over 500 yards rushing and posting over 8 yards per touch. Ohio State doesn't have the likes of Chase Young or anybody named Bosa on the line, but J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer are legit problems who can pile on the pressure all night. If they can throw Hartman out of his rhythm, the deep Buckeye secondary can mix things up in the deeper field with disguised coverages and close down throwing lanes.

3. Kyle McCord vs. ND's rushers. While the Irish don't have that home-run hitter on the edge, they do present a credible threat rushing the quarterback from the inside, especially with some highly experienced linebackers in the middle who will snake through the A and B gaps with some regularity. ND is happy to gamble on getting pressure against the Ohio State quarterback even if that means leaving OSU's targets relatively open on the back end at times. The Irish secondary is tight enough in its coverage to take those chances.

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame prediction

This feels like the moment that Notre Dame has been waiting for. It's almost impossible to take down Ohio State in the regular season, and the Irish have the weapons, the depth, and the home-field edge to do it. 

ND plays an athletic brand of defense that counters well against Ohio State's speed in space approach with the bodies up front to throw the source of the Buckeye passing attack out of kilter, and crucially, have the quarterback who can establish the pace of the game right away, and win it with his arm.

McCord will struggle at first against Notre Dame's interior pass rush, but he has the ability to adapt to the pressure and enough mobility to nudge the pocket further to the outside in the 3rd and 4th quarter, giving the likes of Marvin Harrison, Jr. and Emeka Egbuka enough time to find holes downfield and come up with the big play.

College Football HQ predicts...

• Ohio State wins 34-31
• Doesn't cover the spread
• And hits the over

More: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame score prediction by CFB computer models

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