Ohio State vs. Notre Dame football preview, prediction

Your look at the Week 1 college football clash between Ohio State and Notre Dame

Two college football superpowers meet in the Horseshoe to open the 2022 season as Ohio State hosts Notre Dame in the Week 1 opener.

Both teams come in ranked in the top five of the AP top 25 poll, with each hoping to use this game as a launching pad for an eventual College Football Playoff appearance.

The winner gets a major leg-up in the playoff chase, while the loser still has time to mount a comeback for when the top four teams are announced.

Here's what you need to know about the Week 1 clash between Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame preview, prediction

Ohio State kicks off the 2022 college football schedule against Notre Dame

How to watch

When: Saturday, Sept. 3

Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern

TV: ABC network

Streaming: Fubo (Click here)

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame odds

Point spread: Ohio State -17.5

Over/under: 58.5

Moneyline: ND +475, OSU -700

FPI prediction: Ohio State, 83.5%

Notre Dame vs. Ohio State: What to watch

Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer

1. Ohio State's new-look defense. Jim Knowles comes over from Oklahoma State, where he coordinated college football's No. 3 defense last season, to repair the Buckeyes' unit, which looked confused, out of place, and overmatched in two losses a year ago against Oregon's and Michigan's big play attacks. Expect an aggressive, defensive back-led approach that wants to lock down deep passing lanes while getting physical with receivers and pressuring the quarterback.

2. Notre Dame will move the ball. Tyler Buchner is unproven at quarterback, but he showed flashes in big moments last year, and he has a promising group of receivers, led by Lorenzo Styles, who had a breakout a year ago, including a 100-yard showing in the Fiesta Bowl. Add in a reserve crop of young, agile targets, uber-talented tight end Michael Mayer, and returning lead rusher Chris Tyree, all behind a very solid front line, and ND should get solid yardage against OSU's center field defense early.

3. Ohio State's big plays. The No. 1 total offense in college football a year ago returns the core of that production: Heisman finalist quarterback CJ Stroud, who had 44 passing TDs in his first year as starter, wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led OSU in receiving even with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson on the roster, and power back TreVeyon Henderson: in all, a three-headed monster that will terrorize the Big Ten this year. Ohio State can get bogged down occasionally on short and medium plays, but there's no denying this group can go all the way on a single snap, and more than once.

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame: Fast Facts

Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba / USA Today Images

+ Notre Dame went 13-4 in games against AP top-5 opponents from 1988 to 1998, but is 2-21 since, including a win over No. 1 Clemson in 2020

+ Ohio State is 21-17-1 in matchups of two top-5 teams

+ Notre Dame is 20-14-3 in those games, but is 1-7 since 1993

+ Ohio State is 36-9 (.800) against ranked teams in the last decade and 14-3 (.824) at home

+ Notre Dame is 213-24 (.899) when it scores 30-plus points since 1989

+ Ohio State scored 40 or more points in 38 games since 2017 and is 38-0 in those matchups

+ Notre Dame is one of eight FBS schools to pass for 6,500 yards and rush for over 4,000 yards in the last two seasons

+ Ohio State is third with 117 wins in the last decade and Notre Dame is sixth with 97

+ Notre Dame quarterbacks are 42-16 in their first start since 1955

+ Ryan Day is 13-4 against top 25 ranked teams at OSU

+ ND recorded 15 interceptions last season, its most since 2014

+ Ohio State is 1st in college football history with a .731 win percentage, and Notre Dame is third with a .730 mark

What happens?

Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner

Aside from Michigan, Notre Dame is arguably the only team on Ohio State's schedule that actually can field a roster comparable to what the Buckeyes are putting on the field.

Perhaps not at the skill positions, but in the secondary and at linebacker, and especially on the offensive line. That could be Notre Dame's ace in the hole.

Control the tempo at the line early and stymie Ohio State's attempt to balance its offensive attack, especially on third down, while Buchner and his receivers test OSU's unproven defense, and the Irish can make this close early.

That said, the Buckeyes still have too potent a deep field threat behind what looks like the best receiver room in college football, with a Heisman finalist — and this year's Heisman favorite — driving this offense. 

That difference in big-play ability might be the piece of the puzzle that tips the scales over in the scarlet and gray's favor.

College Football HQ prediction: Ohio State 38, Notre Dame 30

College football rankings

USA Today Images

According to AP Top 25 poll

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Clemson
5. Notre Dame
6. Texas A&M
7. Utah
8. Michigan
9. Oklahoma
10. Baylor
11. Oregon
12. Oklahoma State
13. NC State
14. USC
15. Michigan State
16. Miami
17. Pittsburgh
18. Wisconsin
19. Arkansas
20. Kentucky
21. Ole Miss
22. Wake Forest
23. Cincinnati 
24. Houston
25. BYU

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