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Ohio State Football: Ranking the top 5 upcoming non conference games

By Frank Teriaca

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 23: Head Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes and his team prepare to take the field before a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 23: Head Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes and his team prepare to take the field before a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 01: Running back Jalin Marshall #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes rushes the football against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second quarter of the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 1, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Buckeyes defeated the Fighting Irish 44-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 01: Running back Jalin Marshall #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes rushes the football against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second quarter of the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 1, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Buckeyes defeated the Fighting Irish 44-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 2022 and 2023 seasons

Arguably the top two programs in the mid-west meet up for an awesome home-and-home series starting for the 2022 season. These two historic programs rarely play each other during the regular season as the last one was played in 1996.

But the last meeting between the two schools occurred in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, a game in which Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes completely dominated the Fighting Irish. This series is sure to be huge not only for the CFP standings but also for recruiting as these two schools are always competing against each other for top recruits within the midwest.

Brian Kelly has done a fine job while at Notre Dame and has turned the program into a consistent 10 win team. Notre Dame is challenged by Penn State, Michigan, and Wisconsin for the label of second-best team in the midwest but I would give the nod to Kelly’s program.

With Notre Dame being a non-conference school, these two games weigh heavily for them in regards to getting into the CFP. An early-season slip up against the Buckeyes could mean the end to their national title hopes.

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