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The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) and the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-0) meet Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Ohio State vs. Notre Dame odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Buckeyes started off rather sluggish this season, barely getting by a subpar Indiana side 23-3 as 30-point road favorites on Sept. 2. It followed that up with a solid, yet unspectacular in a 35-7 win over Youngstown State of the FCS, failing to cover for the 2nd time in as many outings.
The public was all over a high-octane Western Kentucky offense catching 30 points from the Buckeyes at “The Shoe” last Saturday, but that’s when QB Kyle McCord and the offense came alive. Ohio State blew out WKU 63-10 as McCord threw for 318 yards and 3 TDs and RB TreVyeon Henderson rushed for a pair of scores for the 2nd straight game.
Notre Dame has enjoyed the services of new QB Sam Hartman so far. The Irish have scored 41 or more points in all 4 games to date, going 4-0 straight up (SU) and 3-1 against the spread (ATS). The Over has cashed in the past 3 outings.
Hartman has completed 71.1% of his passes for 1,061 yards, 13 TDs and 0 INT through 4 games. Ohio State’s defense has allowed just 223.7 total yards per game to rank No. 3 in the country, holding foes to just 140.3 passing yards per contest, checking in 7th overall. The big matchup to watch will be Hartman vs. the Ohio State secondary.
Ohio State is No. 4 and Notre Dame is No. 9 in the US LBM Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
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Ohio State at Notre Dame odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 12:49 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Ohio State -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | Notre Dame +125 (bet $100 to win $125)
- Against the spread (ATS): Ohio State -3 (-108) | Notre Dame +3 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 55.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Ohio State at Notre Dame picks and predictions
Prediction
Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 28
Moneyline
Playing OHIO STATE (-150) straight up as moderate favorites is the way to go. This game is going to be super close, likely coming down to the final possession.
McCord has plenty of weapons at his disposal, including WR Marvin Harrison Jr., who figures to have a big game, and Henderson, who has busted 4 TD runs in the past 2 games.
Notre Dame not only has Hartman, but the run game is in good hands with RB Audric Estime, who has 521 yards and 5 TDs with 8.3 yards per attempt already this season, but Ohio State should still get it done in a competitive game.
Against the spread
Ohio State -3 (-108) is installed as the slight road favorite, and I believe this game comes down right on the number, barring any movement before kickoff. If this were to get to 3 and a hook, I’d gladly take the points at home with Notre Dame.
For now, AVOID, and just play the moneyline.
Over/Under
OVER 55.5 (-110) is the lean. We’re not going to have a defensive battle like we saw in Columbus last season, with the Buckeyes eking out a 21-10 win. The Irish offense is much more high-powered than a season ago, and the Buckeyes have plenty of depth and experience. This is going to be a fun game that flirts with 60 points.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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