In what is one of the biggest games of the first full weekend of College football, we will see the Notre Dame Fighting Irish travel to Ohio Stadium to battle it out with the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Irish come in ranked 5th in the Nation after going 11-2 last year. Ohio State also went 11-2 and they are primed for a huge season as they come in ranked 2nd in the nation.
Yes, this is a #5 vs a #2, but Ohio State is a huge favorite in this game and that means the Irish will be looking to pull off a big upset. They have all the tools to do so and a new attitude after Brian Kelly left the team last year, putting Marcus Freeman in the head coaching role. he was the defensive coordinator last year but did coach them in the Bowl Game, which was a tough 37-35 loss to Oklahoma State. The Irish had a 28-7 lead in that game, so they will be looking to make amends for how bad last year ended, and Freeman does have the respect of all of his players.
Normally I start with the offense, but I will start on the other side of the ball in this one. Notre Dame always fields a tough defense and they have now allowed 19.7 ppg or less in the last four years in a row. This year will be just as good as the last four years and could end up being the best over that stretch. The Irish have 8 starters back and 11 of their top 13 tacklers, plus Marcus Freeman is a defensive-minded coach. According to Phill Steele, all three units on the defense are ranked 10th or better in the nation. This defense will get a good test against one of the best offenses in the nation in this one.
The offense was solid last year as the Irish averaged 35.7 ppg on the season. Gone is QB Jack Coan and top running back Kyren Williams, but this will still be a very good offensive team. Tyler Buchner was the 8th-rated QB in high school a few years ago and he did get playing time last year. I will look for him to have better numbers than Coan did. He has six of their top eight pass catchers back from last year and an offensive line that returns four starters. Chris Tyree takes over the running back position and he was rated as the 6th best back to come out of high school a couple of years ago. He had 222 yards rushing last year on 56 carries, so he does have some experience. T his offense will not drop off that much from last year.