Ohio State vs. Notre Dame football preview, prediction

Ohio State hosts Notre Dame in the 2022 season opener. Both teams are ranked in top five of the AP top 25 poll. The winner gets a leg-up in College Football Playoff chase.

Ohio State and Notre Dame are playing each other on Saturday.

Jim Knowles takes over the defense at Ohio State. He replaces the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, who had the No. 3 defense last season.

Ohio State and Notre Dame are going to play each other on Saturday. Notre Notre will move the ball. Tyler Buchner is unproven at quarterback, but he showed flashes in big moments last year. Lorenzo Styles, Michael Mayer and Chris Tyree are good receivers.

Ohio State's offense was the No. 1 in college football last year. The team is loaded with big-play players. It's a three-headed monster that will terrorize the Big Ten this year, but it can get bogged down occasionally.

Ohio State is 21-17-1 in games against two top-5 teams. Notre Dame is 2-21-2 in those games since 1998. Ohio State scored 40 or more points in 38 games in the last decade. The Buckeyes are 1st in college football history with a .731 win percentage.

Notre Dame is the only team on Ohio State's schedule that can field a team comparable to the Buckeyes. Notre Dame's offensive line and secondary are the team's key to success. The difference in big-play ability might be the piece of the puzzle that tips the scales over in the scarlet and gray's favor.

College Football HQ predicts Ohio State will win 38-30 over Notre Dame.