Ohio State vs. Notre Dame best bets: Picks and more for CFB
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The upcoming college football weekend is highlighted by a top-10 showdown between the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Saturday evening.
The schools are a combined 7-0 and have aspirations of reaching the College Football Playoff, but only one of them will remain in pole position following the final result.
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame best bet: Notre Dame +3 (-110 or better)
Ohio State is second to Michigan in odds to win the Big Ten. They’re led by junior quarterback Kyle McCord, whose 87.2 QBR ranks ninth in the country.
They also have the talents of wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., a speedy, 6-foot-4 wideout who is expected to be the first off the NFL Draft board at his position.
Ohio State is not as strong in the trenches as it has been in years past. It also has not been dominant offensively against inferior competition thus far, though it has allowed a total of 20 points in three games (against zero Power Five opponents).
Notre Dame is much improved from last year. It is already 4-0 and has rallied around Wake Forest transfer quarterback Sam Hartman, who is also in the Heisman discussion with 1,061 yards, 13 touchdowns, zero interceptions and the sixth-best QBR in the nation.
Audric Estime also leads a backfield that averages 204.5 yards per game, which is just outside of the top 25 nationally. The Buckeyes’ ability to limit Notre Dame’s influence on the ground and ability to control the clock will be paramount in determining the winner.
Ohio State is third in yards allowed and second in yards per play, while Notre Dame is ranked fourth and third in those categories.
The Irish have had a real inability to win marquee matchups against the powers that be in college football. Ohio State, conversely, is no stranger to such events, whether it be with their regular matchups against Michigan or facing other schools in the College Football Playoff.
Our favorite pick is Notre Dame +3, but we also expect them to win this game. The defenses are roughly equivalent, and Hartman is the more steady of the two quarterbacks.
Notre Dame is also at home, and Ohio State’s worst offensive performance of the year was in its lone road game.
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Grant is a Virginia-based writer for Catena Media who graduated from Virginia Tech in 2021 with a degree in sports media & analytics. He has contributed to well-known publications such as Forbes, appeared on the VSiN TV network. You can keep up with Grant's work here or by checking out his YouTube channel "The Sitch With Grant Mitchell.”
