Ohio State Football vs. Notre Dame Prediction, Odds, Spread and Over/Under for College Football Week 4

It’s finally here. The Ohio State Football team is about to play their first top 25 opponent of the season. In fact, the team is a top 10 opponent. The Buckeyes travel to South Bend this weekend to take on Notre Dame in primetime. This is the game that really shows us how good Ohio State is.

It’s #6 vs. #9 and it is clearly the best matchup of the weekend in college football. The Buckeyes are coming off a 63-10 thrashing of Western Kentucky while the Irish are coming off a 41-17 victory over Central Michigan. This is the first real test for both teams.

Ohio State Football vs Notre Dame Odds, Spread, and Total

According to FanDuel, the Buckeyes are 3.5-point favorites right now. I expect that line to move a little higher as the week goes on. That dominant performance over the Hilltoppers is giving bettors more faith in Ohio State. You can get that spread at -105 odds.

The total is set at 54.5, which seems low to me. Then again, it was just a 21-10 win for the Buckeyes last season when these two teams played in Columbus. That was also in the first game of the season before both teams had hit their stride. I expect more points in this one than that.

Ohio State Football vs. Notre Dame: Key players to watch

There is one player from each team that I think deserve to be watched closely in this game. For Notre Dame, it has to be Sam Hartman. The quarterback has been excellent so far this season, throwing for 1,061 yards, 13 touchdowns and no interceptions through four games. He’s also completing over 71% of his passes.

Ohio State has done a great job of limiting big plays in the passing game so far this year. They are going to have to keep that going against a Notre Dame team that has some vertical threats. They have two receivers that average over 25 yards a catch.

For the Buckeyes, J.T. Tuimoloau is the guy to watch. JTT has yet to get a sack this year. In fact, the Buckeyes have struggled as a team to accumulate sacks, especially on the defensive line. JTT took over the Penn State game last year and may have to do the same this week.

Ohio State Football vs. Notre Dame: Early prediction

Had the Buckeyes not looked so comfortable on offense against Western Kentucky, I was prepared to pick the Irish. They hadn’t shown me anything on that side of the ball to think that they could win on the road in a hostile environment.

Then the offense scored 49 points. That’s enough for me to think they can get it done. The defense has also been excellent so far this year, ranking second in the country in points per game by allowing just 6.7. They’re also third in yards per game allowed, allowing just 223.7 total yards.

Because of those factors, I’m taking the Buckeyes. Ohio State wins 31-24