Ohio State Football: Confidence level against Notre Dame
By Eric Boggs
The Ohio State football and Notre Dame football programs have a lot in common. They have the largest fan bases in the country. They both have iconic looks, color schemes, and tradition. Also, they both at one point or another have been national powers who have dominated the sport, let alone the region. Despite all these commonalities and being neighbors less than 250 miles apart, this Saturday’s game will mark only the eighth time these two schools have played one another.
Ohio State has won the last five games in a row, beginning back in 1995. Notre Dame took the first two back in the 1930s. Last year the two schools kicked off a home-and-home series with the Buckeyes winning in week one over the Fighting Irish by a score of 21-10.
A lot has changed for both programs since that season-opening game. Ohio State went on to lose their final two games last season in disappointing fashion seeing star quarterback C.J. Stroud leave for the NFL.
Notre Dame on the other hand finished the season on a good note, winning the Gator Bowl over South Carolina and giving it’s fanbase hope that former Buckeye Marcus Freeman can build a winner who could compete on the national scale against the big boys. Something former Irish head coach Brian Kelly never could.
The biggest change in South Bend, Indiana came in the form of 24-year-old transfer quarterback Sam Hartman, who immediately changed the entire offensive perspective for the Irish. Hartman has been on an absolute tear this season. There is legitimate Heisman buzz surrounding him.
All college football eyes will be watching NBC this Saturday night as the Ohio State football team goes back on the road to fulfill the second half of the home-and-home series with their neighbors to the west. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm EST.
Here is my confidence level heading into the biggest game of the season for the Buckeyes.