The Ohio State Buckeyes (13-2) face off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-1) on Monday, January 20th. This game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and televised on ESPN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Kickoff is set for 7:30 ET.
Ohio State Buckeyes vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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Ohio State Offense Breakdown
Ohio State’s offense is ranked 2nd in our power rankings heading into the national championship game, and they are 10th in scoring, with 35.8 points per game. Will Howard has thrown for 3,779 yards and has a passer rating of 118. Ohio State is 4th in the nation in completion percentage at 71% and passer rating.
Howard has thrown 33 touchdown passes this season, but he also has 10 interceptions. Leading the ground game is TreVeyon Henderson, who has rushed for 964 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 7 yards per carry. Jeremiah Smith leads the receivers with 1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns on 71 catches.
Notre Dame Offense Breakdown
Notre Dame’s offense has been driven by their rushing attack, ranking 7th nationally with 211.8 yards per game. Jeremiyah Love has rushed for 1,121 yards, averaging 7 yards per carry, and has scored 17 touchdowns. Overall, the Fighting Irish are scoring 37 points per game, placing them 6th in the nation.
Quarterback Riley Leonard has thrown for 2,606 yards, with a completion percentage of 66.4%. Notre Dame ranks 12th in completion percentage nationally. Leonard has thrown 19 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, with a passer rating of 94. Jaden Greathouse leads the team’s receivers with 464 yards and two touchdowns.
Ohio State Team Defense
Ohio State’s defense has been a standout this season, leading the nation by allowing just 12.2 points per game. They rank 7th in passing yards allowed, giving up only 161.1 yards per game, and 9th in rushing yards, allowing 93.5 yards per game.
In their recent game against Texas, Ohio State’s defense gave up 14 points, while holding Texas to 58 rushing yards on 29 attempts. They allowed 283 passing yards but also forced an interception.
Ohio State Team Defense
Notre Dame’s defense ranks 5th nationally, allowing just 14.3 points per game. They’ve given up 165.3 passing yards per game, the 8th-lowest in the country, and quarterbacks have managed a passer rating of only 58, the 2nd-lowest in college football.
In their recent game against Penn State, Notre Dame allowed 24 points but held the Nittany Lions to 135 passing yards and forced one interception. Penn State ran the ball 42 times for 204 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns.
Ohio State vs Notre Dame Trends
- Across their last five road contests, Ohio State has been good against the spread posting a mark of 3-2. Their overall mark in these games was 4-1, while averaging 30 points per game.
- In their last five home games, Notre Dame has averaged 36 points per game while allowing 19. The team’s record in this stretch was 5-0 while going 5-0 vs. the spread.
- In their last three games as the betting underdog, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a strong straight up record of 2-1. In addition, their ATS record was 2-0-1 in these scenarios.
- Going back to their last ten games as the favorite, the Ohio State Buckeyes have a straight up record of 8-2. But, their mark vs the spread was just 6-4.
Buckeyes vs Fighting Irish Prediction
Notre Dame is the +8.5 point underdog at home in their week one matchup against Ohio State. We have Ohio State winning straight-up by a score of 27-19, but Notre Dame should be able to cover the spread as the underdog.
With the over/under line set at 45.5 points, our projection of 46 total points aligns closely with the line, but we lean slightly towards the over.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:January 14, 2025 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Ohio State Buckeyes