One of the most anticipated college football games of the 2023 season is here. Ohio State travels to South Bend, Indiana, to take on a top ten opponent, Notre Dame in a nationally televised, primetime affair.
It’ll go a long way to setting a path ahead for the College Football Playoff, with the winner having a big-time feather in its cap towards that end goal. It won’t be easy for the Buckeyes, despite being a slight favorite according to Vegas. The Fighting Irish have a balanced offense, a seasoned quarterback, and a defense that’s looked like one of the best in the country.
Buy Buckeyes TicketsBut the Buckeyes have talent dripping from the roster on both sides of the ball and have more than a puncher’s chance on the road. It should be a good one with most of the college football world watching.
Each week we ask each of our writers to predict the outcome of the Ohio State football matchup and it’s time for that once again. Here’s how each member of our staff sees the game between the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish panning out on Saturday night.
Phil Harrison, Publisher/Editor and Featured Writer
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— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 22, 2023
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The Prediction
Ohio State is starting to round into form now that Kyle McCord has the keys to the offense. However, it’ll be the first real test on the road in a more hostile environment than the sterile one we saw at Indiana. More than that, Notre Dame is an experienced team with the talent to make life really difficult on a Buckeye team that isn’t quite a finished product.
If Ohio State played Notre Dame later in the year, I would like the Buckeyes chances more. As it is, I think the timing is very much in favor of the Fighting Irish in a close one. I hope I’m wrong.
Score
Notre Dame 31, Ohio State 27
Mark Russell, Featured Writer
𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 week 3: The Shooter vs The shots 👀 📸🔥 pic.twitter.com/eLbAdy0p7x
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The Prediction
Ohio State has owned Notre Dame in recent history, but playing a night game will make the task that much more difficult. Fighting Irish fans are eager to get back to elite status and a win over the mighty Buckeyes would vault them into the conversation.
Both teams are going to have to play their best game of the year to pull off a victory and the game may very well come down to who is more disciplined with fewer penalties. I see this being a heavyweight battle going back and forth all night, but in the end, the OSU offense is too much for Notre Dame to contain for the entire four quarters.
Score
Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 27
Josh Keatley, Featured Writer
Work Week Done❕ pic.twitter.com/sj2kCRqwC4
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 22, 2023
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The Prediction
All of this love for Notre Dame is confusing. Yes, this is the first real test for Ohio State, but that is true for the Fighting Irish as well. Notre Dame has a great quarterback, but no one at receiver who should scare this defense. On the defensive side of the ball, the Fighting Irish struggled to get a pass rush against Central Michigan, a mid-tier MAC school. Despite the struggles on the Ohio State offensive line, they can handle an underwhelming Notre Dame defensive line. My biggest worry is the Fighting Irish have arguably the best offensive line in college football and the Ohio State defensive line is extremely disappointing at this point in the season.
SCORE
Ohio State 35, Notre Dame 21
Michael Chen, Featured Writer
𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 ⏳📝 pic.twitter.com/ijif6N8lSe
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 20, 2023
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The Prediction
I have seen a lot of both teams, that’s what happens when you just happen cover Notre Dame and Ohio State. For both teams, I have seen every snap this year and there’s one thing that has stuck out to me. Progression.
The Irish blew out Navy in Ireland and Tennessee State at home for their first two wins, but then have seen “blowouts” the last two weeks. An average NC State team was down just a score late into the third quarter before a three touchdown sprint. Central Michigan hung around until the end of the third. Ohio State on the other hand has gone from 27, to 35 and then 63 points while searching for its starting quarterback.
Notre Dame’s floor is very high, but their ceiling isn’t. Ohio State is just scratching the surface of how good it can be. Saturday night the Buckeyes continue their upward trajectory.
SCORE
Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 21
Evan Bachman, Featured Writer
𝕿𝖍𝖊 Hunt is on 🔎 pic.twitter.com/EBnnwoReBn
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 20, 2023
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The Prediction
There’s no doubt that this will be the Buckeyes’ biggest test to date this season as the Fighting Irish will be playing at home and are strong on both sides of the ball.
This will not only be a big test for new starting quarterback Kyle McCord, but for an offensive line that replaced three starters from last year’s unit. If the Buckeyes’ offensive line can protect McCord, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka can be the difference makers in leading the Buckeyes to a victory.
I predict this will be a tight matchup throughout with a strong second half performance ultimately leading to an Ohio State win.
Score
Ohio State 28, Notre Dame 20
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