Seven seasons ago, Notre Dame made it to the Fiesta Bowl only to be clobbered 44-26 by Ohio State. It might as well have been a replay of how things ended 17 seasons ago, when the Irish were outclassed 34-20 by the Buckeyes in the Fiesta.
And 27 seasons ago? The Irish got smacked around 45-26 at Ohio Stadium in the front end of a home-and-home between the football powers. The Buckeyes rolled a year later in South Bend, too, by a count of 29-16.
Those outcomes meant a little something extra to coaches Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel and John Cooper, and they stung a little extra for Brian Kelly, Charlie Weis and Lou Holtz. A Notre Dame-Ohio State game is a special occasion — and an all-too-rare one at that. The four meetings above are the only ones between the schools over the last 86 years, which, although it’s only occurring to me now, is an outrageous affront. How dare they?
But I’ll let them off the hook because another home-and-home has arrived, with No. 5 Notre Dame (+17½) at No. 2 Ohio State (6:30 p.m., Ch. 7) on the marquee for the first full Saturday of the season. The rematch will take place next September in South Bend.
This time, most around the sport doubt the Irish — led by first-year coach Marcus Freeman, a former Buckeyes linebacker — have much of a chance against Ryan Day’s playoff-or-bust monster. Question: Which number is off, the massive point spread or the Irish’s ranking? Seems like it must be one or the other.
“You want an opportunity to go and play against the best,” Freeman said. “There’s no better way to see where we’re at as a football team.”
We know where the Buckeyes reputedly are at: in an ideal position, with an off-the-charts offense and, after last November’s inglorious run-in with Michigan, off-the-charts motivation. Quarterback C.J. Stroud, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back TreVeyon Henderson led the No. 1 offense in the land in 2021 and could be too much for Isaiah Foskey, JD Bertrand, Northwestern transfer Brandon Joseph and the rest of the Irish defense to deal with.
But what about this intriguing Irish offense? How will dual-threat QB Tyler Buchner, NFL-ready tight end Michael Mayer, new No. 1 back Chris Tyree and some real tough guys up front perform against a defense that might not be playoff-caliber at all? The Buckeyes embarrassed themselves defensively last season, getting spun like a top by Oregon early and bullied by Michigan late. Day responded by hiring coordinator Jim Knowles, whose Oklahoma State defenses were tremendous.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on Freeman, only 36, who claims to be “pretty emotionless” about his homecoming.
“It’s what happens between those white lines that really impacts the game,” he said.
Have I mentioned that opening games make me nervous? But the pick is in: Buckeyes 38, Irish 24.
OTHER WEEK 1 PICKS
No. 23 Cincinnati (+6½) at No. 19 Arkansas (2:30 p.m., ESPN): Much luck to Cincy’s Evan Prater, who not only has to fill the playoff-size shoes of quarterback Desmond Ridder, now an NFL guy, but must begin in a raucous SEC stadium packed with overalls-clad maniacs shouting nonsensically about hoofed mammals. Woo Pig Sooie! Hogs by 10.
No. 7 Utah (-3) at Florida (6 p.m., ESPN): Seems everybody out there loves the Utes this season, and they indeed have the potential to rise to the top of the Pac-12. But this is a heck of a long way to travel just to get stuck in a Swamp. Two words, people: Anthony Richardson. The Gators QB has it all. Chomp, 26-20.
Illinois State (+33) at No. 18 Wisconsin (6 p.m., FS1): That sound you hear is another Badgers tackle for loss. Big boys by 35, and that’s just the first half.
No. 4 Clemson (-22) vs. Georgia Tech (Monday, 7 p.m., ESPN): Are the Tigers still inexplicably bad on offense, or have we moved on from that? This one’s “neutral” in Atlanta, which isn’t very neutral at all, but it’s a mismatch any-ol’-where. Tigers, 34-7.
My favorite favorite: LSU (-3) vs. Florida State (Sunday, 6:30 p.m., Ch. 7): FSU has the advantage of having already played a game. LSU has the advantage of not being FSU. The Kelly era starts well enough in New Orleans.
My favorite underdog: No. 11 Oregon (+17) vs. No. 3 Georgia (2:30 p.m., Ch. 7): It’s easy for everyone else to say the national champs — who lost 15 players to the NFL draft — simply reload and keep dominating. Bulldogs win, Ducks cover.
Last week: 1-1 straight up, 2-0 vs. the spread.
Season to date: 1-1 straight up, 2-0 vs. the spread.
