Ohio State Is One 'Modest' 17 1/2-point Favorite

No. 2 Ohio State is playing against No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on ABC. The team is hungry after losing to Oregon and Michigan last season. They lost to the Rose Bowl. The coach Ryan Day believes his team has nothing to be "big-headed" about. Cade Stover, a captain, believes the media can put them last. He believes people should ignore the chatter. It's a myth that if you don't read what everyone says, you can't hear what they say.

Ohio State is preparing for a big game against Notre Dame. The team is focused on winning the game. Coach Dwayne Day has drilled his players about being on task and angry. The stakes are high for both teams. If they lose, they won't be in the conversation for the CFP. Many of the players were recruited by or got interest from Notre Notre Irish. They are aware that their opponents have been sketchy in showdown games. Ohio State has been practicing against the Irish since spring.

The Irish lost to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl in 2015. They have a new coach in Marcus Freeman, a change of quarterback in Tyler Buchner and a defensive coordinator in Al Golden. Ohio has lost non-conference games against Oregon last season, Oklahoma in 2017, Virginia Tech in 2014, Southern Cal in 2009 and Texas in 2005.

Ohio State is a 17 1/2-point favorite. Kyle McCord will be the No. 2 quarterback ahead of Devin Brown. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams will share the workload. True freshman Dallan Hayden is ready to play. First-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles declined to answer whether he would work the game from the sideline or press box. Traffic control will begin at 1:30 p.m. when the police will block off streets and turn others into one-way streets. Spectators are being asked to arrive early and be in their seats by 7 p.,m.,