Notre Dame vs Ohio State Picks & Odds: Can Irish Slow Buckeyes Attack?

After having their four-year reign as Big Ten champs ended last season, the Ohio State Buckeyes look to bounce back when they kick off the 2022 campaign against Notre Dame. The Buckeyes led the nation with nearly 50 points per game last year and have gone OVER the total in each of their last six season openers.

Best College Football Betting Sites

Fighting Irish vs Buckeyes Sportsbook Odds 

Ohio State opened as a 13.5-point favorite, but you’ll probably have to lay more than two full touchdowns if you’re going to back the Buckeyes in this matchup. Ohio State had been bet up to 17-point chalk or higher by the time of writing. There hasn’t been much movement on the total, however, which had ticked up half a point to 58.5 in early betting action.

Get the best Notre Dame vs Ohio State odds and lines available from our recommended sportsbooks for your favorite picks of the night.

Notre Dame Could Take Some Time To Hit Its Stride With New Coach, Quarterback

Notre Dame was on the verge of making the playoffs last year, finishing fifth in the final poll, but it might be hard for the Fighting Irish to pick up exactly where they left off. A lot has changed in South Bend since then — including a new head coach in Marcus Freeman and a new starting quarterback in Tyler Buchner.

Freeman does already have a lot of familiarity with the Irish, serving as defensive coordinator last year before taking over from the departed Brian Kelly to coach the team in the Fiesta Bowl. Buchner could take a little longer to settle in, however, in his first collegiate start. The sophomore saw limited action in 10 games last year behind Jack Coan, throwing for three touchdowns and running for three more.

Don’t be surprised if Buchner looks for superstar tight end Michael Mayer early and often. Mayer is easily Notre Dame’s top receiving weapon as no other player on the roster had more than 32 catches last year, following a season-ending injury to wideout Avery Davis during summer workouts. Notre Dame may also have to rely more heavily on its stellar defense, which finished 15th in points allowed in 2021 and returns much of that cast this year.

Ingredients Are In Place For Another High-Scoring Ohio State Season Opener

Even after winning 11 games and the Rose Bowl last year, the Buckeyes come into 2022 hungry for more. “That’s not the standard that was put there before us, and … we feel like we came up short,” receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba told the Associated Press of the team’s dissatisfaction with the 2021 campaign, when the Buckeyes’ four-year run as Big Ten champs came to an end.

Smith-Njigba is one of several key returnees from last year’s nation-leading offense, along with quarterback C.J. Stroud and running back TreVeyon Henderson. But coach Ryan Day is more concerned about shoring up a defense that was below average in the Big Ten, hoping that new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles can turn things around with a largely returning cast.

If Ohio State’s offense lights it up against Notre Dame while the defense takes some time to jell, that would be on brand for a Buckeyes season opener. Ohio State has gone OVER the total in each of its last six Week 1 games, with those contests seeing an average of 78.8 points scored.

Bet on College Football Here

Fighting Irish: Keys To Win

With an inexperienced quarterback and not much receiver depth, it’s hard to imagine Notre Dame putting up a ton of points in this one — even against an Ohio State defense that was mediocre last year. If the Irish are going to keep things close or pull off the upset, it’ll probably have to be by chewing up clock with the running game and riding their defense.

Buckeyes: Keys To Win

Ohio State hasn’t been held under 28 points in any of its last 29 home games, and offense shouldn’t be a concern for the Buckeyes in this season opener either. Whether or not Ohio State can win comfortably and cover this big spread will likely be decided by how much improvement the Buckeyes defense shows in its first game under Knowles.

NCAAF Computer Pick: Notre Dame +17.5

Check out more of our signature NCAAF computer picks, plus our favorite sportsbooks that serve college football customers.