Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Week 1 Betting: Can Buckeyes Cover Massive Spread?

Although the 2022 NCAA college football season technically began last week, things really kick off in a few days with Week 1. Among the top first-week matchups is a showdown between the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes.

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? No. 2 Ohio State
? Columbus, Ohio
? Saturday, Sept. 3rd
? 7:30 PM ET
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— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 29, 2022

Notre Dame enjoyed a fair amount of success last fall, going 11-2 over the course of the campaign. Unfortunately, things didn’t end on the greatest note as the Fighting Irish lost, 37-35, to Oklahoma State at the Fiesta Bowl.

While the Buckeyes failed to make the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2018, they also had a solid 11-2 showing in 2022. Ohio State had a more fortunate end to its season than Notre Dame, scoring a 48-45 victory over Utah at the Rose Bowl to cap things off.

Here are BetMGM’s latest Notre Dame vs. Ohio State betting odds, as well as a prediction and best bet for the upcoming NCAAF tilt.

Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-0) vs. No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (0-0)
• Venue & Location: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
• Date: Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022
• Game Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
• Where to Watch Notre Dame vs. Ohio State: ABC

Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Odds

Game odds are via BetMGM. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Notre Dame Fighting Irish +17 (-110)
• Ohio State Buckeyes -17 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 58.5 (-110)
• Under 58.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Notre Dame Fighting Irish +525
• Ohio State Buckeyes -750

Buckeyes Heavily Favored Over Fighting Irish in Week 1

One might assume that a battle between two top-five schools should yield a fairly close game. However, BetMGM’s odds tell a different story. Instead, the oddsmaker is leaning towards Ohio State winning in dominant fashion as the 17-point favorite.

Not only are the Buckeyes favored by a large point total, but they also sit at -750 odds on the money. That translates to an implied probability of 88.2%.

Ohio State usually boasts one of the best teams in the nation and this season shouldn’t be any different. Although the program lost players like Quinn Ewers and Sevyn Banks over the offseason, a decent number are back this fall and it should be business as usual.

2021 Heisman Trophy finalist CJ Stroud is back for another season as the OSU quarterback. After topping over 4,400 passing yards and 44 touchdowns last year, the Buckeyes hope that Stroud can replicate his performance that helped his team average 45.7 points (No. 1) and 561.5 total yards per game in 2021.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Notre Dame defense can handle Ohio State’s offense in Marcus Freeman’s first game as the Fighting Irish head coach. He spent last year as the school’s defensive coordinator, helping Notre Dame allow only 19.7 PPG (T-No. 14).

Nevertheless, Notre Dame’s secondary doesn’t look that great this year and could be burnt by the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. Unfortunately, the Fighting Irish like don’t have the offensive talent to bounce back if the Buckeyes significantly pull ahead early on.

The Buckeyes’ biggest question mark in 2021 was their inconsistent defense, so expect things to be better this year. It helps that Ohio State kicks things off at home, where OSU has an 18-1 record in its last 19 games at Ohio Stadium.

Although Notre Dame is a top-five school for now, I expect Ohio State to knock them down a peg or two.

Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Betting Trends

• Notre Dame is 5-1 straight up in its last six games against Big Ten opponents.
• Ohio State is 6-0 in its last six home games.
• Notre Dame is 9-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last 11 games played on Saturday.
• Ohio State is 2-4 ATS in its last six games.
• The total has hit the over in four of Notre Dame’s last five games played in September.
• The total has hit the over in each of Ohio State’s last five Week 1 games.

Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Prediction and Picks

Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Prediction: Ohio State 38, Notre Dame 24

Notre Dame vs. Ohio State: Notre Dame +17 (Best Value: -110 at BetMGM) & Over 58.5 Points (Best Value: -110 at BetOnline)

Ohio State is heavily favored for a reason here and Notre Dame has a lot of work to do to show that it’s on its opponent’s level. I’m expecting the Buckeyes to get out to a decent-sized lead early on and not look back.

Having said that, I could see Notre Dame’s defense keeping it close enough to cover the 17-point spread. The total tends to hit the over in Ohio State’s first matchup of the year and with how good the offense was in 2021, I expect that trend to continue this weekend.

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• Central Michigan vs. Oklahoma State Prediction & Odds
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