Cleveland.com: Notre Dame toughest opponent for Ohio State in 2022

Think the Irish can give the Buckeyes a game?

The average college football fan most likely is writing off Notre Dame in its season opener at Ohio State. The only Irish-related thing anyone seems to be focusing on is [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] beginning his first full season as head coach at his alma mater. However, Doug Lesmerises of Cleveland.com thinks the Irish could give the Buckeyes a game at the Horseshoe. In fact, he’s calling the game against Irish the Buckeyes’ toughest of the upcoming season.

Lesmerises cites the Irish’s potential as a College Football Playoff team and the possibility of them getting better under Freeman. He also thinks [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Joseph[/autotag] could have big performances in this game. Finally, he mentions that while the Buckeyes have a winning record in recent games against major programs not in the Big Ten, that drops to a losing record when you take out games played against California and Miami when those programs were having down seasons.

While it’s nice to make some people in Buckeye Nation nervous, the Irish still will have to prove they can compete in one of the toughest environments imaginable. Hopefully, they will.

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