Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Predictions, Picks, Odds

Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ohio State Buckeyes square off to open the 2022 season at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ABC.

Updated on 04/25/2024

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NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH vs. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES BETTING PREDICTION

The Fighting Irish saw head coach Brian Kelly bolt for the LSU job, which was rather shocking considering the road might be harder to reach the College Football Playoff in Baton Rouge than in South Bend. Of course, the Irish open the season in one of the toughest venues in college football, so perhaps Kelly made the right decision.

Marcus Freeman takes over as the head honcho in South Bend, and the kid from Dayton, who just happened to attend college at Ohio State before serving as a graduate assistant for the Buckeyes in 2010, gets a crack at his alma mater in his first regular-season game. The excitement surrounding his hire was tremendous, and the anticipation for this opener is giant. But does the Irish have the horses to take down the Buckeyes?

The answer is no. QB C.J. Stroud is a Heisman Trophy favorite, and this Buckeyes offense is expected to be quite explosive with WRs Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr., as well as RB TreVeyon Henderson. And, oh yeah, the Scarlet and Gray have a rock-solid offensive line, too, led by future NFL OTs Dawand Jones and Paris Johnson.

The biggest question for the Buckeyes is whether or not the defense will be better. It just has to be, as the young defense was carved up, especially early last season, including a September loss in the 'Shoe against Oregon. LBs Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg appear to be rising stars, and the next great Ohio State linebackers.

Score Prediction: Ohio State 41, Notre Dame 27
Best Bet: Notre Dame +17.5 (-115)
Best Bet: Over 59 (-110)

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH vs. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES BETTING ODDS

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NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH vs. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022
Matchup: Independent vs. Big Ten
Venue: Ohio Stadium
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Time-TV: ABC, 7:30 p.m. ET

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH BETTING ANALYSIS

The Fighting Irish bid adieu to graduate transfer QB Jack Coan, who was rather underwhelming in his one season after arriving from Wisconsin. QB Tyler Buchner is the new starting signal caller in South Bend, with redshirt sophomore QB Drew Pyne also expected to factor in.

Buchner is more of a dual threat option. Buchner will have the luxury of operating behind a rather strong offensive line, with NFL-caliber guys like Joe Alt, Blake Fisher and Jarrett Patterson up front. And Buchner will have one of the best tight ends in the country in Michael Mayer, who is a nightmare for opposing defenses.

In the backfield, it appears RB Chris Tyree is the new feature back, with youngster Logan Diggs also expected to have a big role. That one-two punch looks to replace RB Kyren Williams, who is now cashing checks for the Los Angeles Rams.

The Irish head into this one having cashed in four consecutive road games, and they're 4-1-1 ATS in the past six against the Big Ten. For totals, the OVER is 7-2 in the past nine against Big Ten foes, while going 4-1 in the past five on the road.

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES BETTING ANALYSIS

The Buckeyes last met in a bowl game on New Year's Day 2016, and the Buckeyes punished the Irish 44-28 as the OVER comfortably connected. None of the players on the field were in that game, however. In fact, Ohio State leads the all-time series 4-2, with Notre Dame winning the 1935 and 1936 battles, and Ohio State winning each of the past two meetings in the Fiesta Bowl, as well as the previous two regular-season meetings.

Ohio State usually starts off well in September, but a lot of times those big wins and covers come against MAC teams or other lesser non-conference teams. It is 5-2-1 ATS in the past eight games in September. However, the Buckeyes stepped in it against Oregon at the 'Shoe last season, falling 35-28, as the defense couldn't stop anybody. The only non-conference game cover in four games, including the Rose Bowl, was a 59-7 thumping of Akron. That's not terribly impressive.

For totals, the UNDER is 4-1-1 in the past six at home for the Buckeyes against non-conference teams. This is an offense which exploded for 41 or more points on nine different occasions last season, so good luck playing the UNDER in Ohio State games. You'll need it.

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH vs. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES BETTING TRENDS

• Notre Dame is 4-0 ATS in the past four road games.
• Notre Dame is 4-1-1 ATS in the past six vs. Big Ten.
• Ohio State is 5-2-1 ATS in the past eight September games.
• Ohio State is 1-4 ATS in the past five non-conference games.
• OVER is 4-1 in Notre Dame's past five road games.
• OVER is 4-1 in Notre Dame's past five September games.
• OVER is 7-2 in Notre Dame's past nine vs. Big Ten.
• OVER is 6-3 in Ohio State's past nine games overall.
• UNDER is 4-1-1 in Ohio State's past six home games vs. non-conference teams.

Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish