Why Ohio State Football will beat Notre Dame

The Ohio State football team has a mixed record when it comes to big games under Ryan Day. The Buckeyes have beaten Penn State, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Michigan under Day. Unfortunately, they have also lost to Michigan twice as well as Georgia and Alabama.

Day seems to have his teams ready to play in big matchups early in the season. That’s part of the reason why I think the Buckeyes are going to beat Notre Dame on Saturday night when the two face off in South Bend. Here are some of the other reasons I believe in a Buckeye victory.

The Ohio State football team has a legitimate defense. They have shown that they are able to stop high-powered passing attacks, as evidenced by holding Western Kentucky to just 10 points a week ago. They were also able to stop IU from running the ball when they came out with a triple-option-style offense.

While this defense has yet to face anyone of the caliber of Notre Dame, I still believe that they will be able to hold Sam Hartman in check. The secondary hasn’t given up any big plays this year, which was a concern heading into the season. The safeties have played much better.

On offense, Kyle McCord seems to have found his comfortability in this offense now that he is the undisputed starter. He no longer has to worry about making a mistake and being yanked. He can let the ball fly. That’s exactly what he did against the Hilltoppers and threw just four incompletions.

Yes, Notre Dame does have a really good defense as well. But they also haven’t faced an offense as explosive as Ohio State’s. I’m not sure that they can get enough pressure on McCord to rattle him into making mistakes. They don’t have a dynamic pass rusher.

I expect the Buckeyes to win and to cover the spread. Give me the Buckeyes 31-24 in South Bend.