Ohio State vs Notre Dame Betting Preview
In the next game of our Countdown to Kickoff series, Sportsmemo handicapper JM Sports takes a look at Ohio State vs Notre Dame on September 3. Ohio State came away with a Rose Bowl win over Utah to end last season. Notre Dame lost the Fiesta Bowl to Oklahoma State.
The GoldSheet has been the industry standard for providing NFL and College Football betting information for the last six decades. Take advantage of early-bird pricing before the season kicks off, with detailed write-ups and stat logs on every NFL and NCAAF game this season.
Saturday, September 3 | College Football Betting Notes |
---|---|
Point Spread: | Ohio State Buckeyes -15 vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
Total: | 58.5 (Over -110 / Under -110) |
Kickoff: | 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT |
Venue: | Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH |
TV: | ABC |
Ohio State vs Notre Dame Analysis
It is hard to argue that the #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish heading to Columbus to take on the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes isn’t the best game in a true college football week 1 in September!
The similarities and talent among these two teams is endless. From CJ Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, to Michael Mayer and Isaiah Foskey, there are multiple players on each team that rank in the top-10 of all draft eligible players at their position.
These two teams rank 10th (Ohio State ; 77.8%) in returning tackle percentage and 11th (Notre Dame ; 77.7%), while also ranking nearly identical in returning big play percentage on defense, coming in at 14th (Notre Dame) and 15th (Ohio State).
Not to mention the fact that both of these defenses return 8 of their top 9 tacklers from last season, coinciding with 8 returning starters for each team on defense.
Fighting Irish Fighting Their Way To Top
Notre Dame’s offense was a big part of their success last year, leading to an 11-2 record. This season they start their season with one of, if not their, most difficult opponent on the season and last year, the Fighting Irish were 0-2 against top-10 teams.
They lost to #7 Cincinnati in Week 5 and #9 Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl. Their wide receiver core may not be the deepest in the game, but they are impressive and stacked at the top, especially when you factor in Michael Mayer and 4 legitimate back-up tight ends as well.
Notre Dame got their old OL coach back, and there is plenty of potential for a coach that created one of the most dominant lines in D1 football in his first tenure with the team. Tyler Buchner is one of just 16 projected QB’s in division 1 football that haven’t started a game in their career leading into this season.
Notre Dame also adds 1st team B10 S, Brandon Joseph from Northwestern in the transfer portal to pair with a veteran secondary.
Buckeyes Sport High Talent at Quarterback
Ohio State has depth and potential that is more impressive than they have had in recent years. That is saying a lot when you look at the talent that was lost in the draft last year.
Even with the departure of Olave and Wilson, they still return their leading receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who could be the best in the country, and running back Treyvon Henderson who has All-American potential and is the 2nd leading returning receiver.
Stroud has Heisman potential at QB, but they are legitimately 3 deep and may have the best QB room in the country. All of this behind an offensive line that ranks in the top-5 in the nation, averaging 6-5 and 317 pounds, with plenty of NFL potential.
Ohio State vs Notre Dame Prediction
Notre Dame may be 15-2 on the road in the last four years, but Ryan Day has only lost two regular season games in 5 years with the Buckeyes.
Ohio State is 32-2 under Ryan Day, with an 18-1 record at home and 12-2 in the regular season against top-25 teams. Dating back slightly prior to Day’s tenure, they are 6-3 in the last nine home openers but against the spread has been a little different . Under Day, the Buckeye’s are 12-7 ATS at home and just 5-7 ATS in non-conference games.
This is the 5th meeting between these two teams in the regular season and they have split those 2 match-ups, with Ohio State covering both the lined games (2-0 ATS).
Although the two most recent match-ups between these two teams have come in the Fiesta Bowl with Ohio State going 2-0 SU & ATS, winning the most recent game by 16 points as a 6 point favorite in 2015.
I think Ohio State comes out and looks impressive and wins this game by two touchdowns. Although, Notre Dame has an impressive and experienced (the key) defense that should keep this game within two scores, or right at two scores.
Especially since this Fighting Irish team looks better than the team in 2015 that lost by 16 in the Fiesta Bowl, with a drastically improved defense in comparison.
Prediction: Notre Dame Fighting Irish +15.5
Interested in placing a bet on this Ohio State vs Notre Dame Week 1 showdown? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 risk-free bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
Sportsmemo Today | NFL Season Preview
JM Sports joins Dan Neubert and Dr Chuck on Sportsmemo Today to discuss the NFL futures market, and the Week 1 betting lines.
**************************************************
Meet the Author
Jeff’s hunger for handicapping began at a young age being surrounded by parents that made sports betting a daily routine. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of other Cleveland handicappers like Marc Lawrence, Phil Steele, Ralph Michaels, Ed Meyer and Bryan Leonard, Jeff started his sports betting career working for both Northcoast Sports and Phil Steele Publications learning the intricacies of sports betting and becoming a profitable handicapper. Through out his college years, Jeff’s mathematical and analytical prowess helped him develop a betting strategy that turned sports betting into a profitable venture, where he focuses on the NFL, college football, NBA, college basketball and MLB while showing strong results in the WNBA.
Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?
- Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.
- Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)
- Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.
Make sure to bookmark all the above!