Ohio State Buckeyes vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Prediction, 9/23/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023

Location: Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, IN

TV: NBC

Odds/Point Spread: Fighting Irish (+7)

Total/Over-Under: 53.5

The Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) are headed to Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, September 23, 2023 where they will attempt to beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-0). Ohio State opens this matchup as 7-point favorites from oddsmakers. The over/under is 53.5.

The Ohio State Buckeyes come into this matchup with a record of 3-0 for this year. In their last game, the Buckeyes faced the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and notched a win by a score of 63-10. TreVeyon Henderson led the offense in rushing for the Buckeyes with 13 carries for 88 yards (6.8 yards per attempt). Kyle McCord finished 19/23 with 318 yds through the air and 3 touchdowns. He had a quarterback rate of 241.8 and finished the contest without throwing a pick. On the ground, the Buckeyes conceded 80 yds on 33 attempts, which averages out to 2.4 yds per rush allowed. Ohio State conceded 22 completions on 39 attempts for 204 yards, and a completion percentage of 56.4%. In all, they tallied 60 plays which gave them a total of 562 yards. The Ohio State Buckeyes ran the ball 33 different times and accrued 204 yds, which is an average of 6.2 yds per carry.

The Buckeyes have racked up 1,424 yards in total over the course of this year. When it comes to scoring touchdowns, Ohio State has totaled 7 passing touchdowns and 7 rushing touchdowns. They have surrendered the football 3 different times. Ohio State has accounted for 69 first downs offensively, and they have been called for 16 penalties for 146 yds. As a team they have an average of 156.7 yards on the ground which ranks them 70th in D-1. Concerning putting the ball in the endzone, the Ohio State Buckeyes are sitting at 40.3 points per contest.

In terms of yards through the air, the Buckeyes are conceding 421 yards which has them ranked 7th in college football. They have conceded 140.3 yards per game through the air in addition to allowing a completion percentage of 55.7%. Overall, they are giving up 223.7 yards per game which ranks them 3rd in the nation. They have yielded 1 touchdown via the pass as well as 1 touchdown via the ground game. The opposition is running for 2.5 yards per attempt on the ground and 83.3 rushing yards per contest this year. During this campaign, they have given up 250 yards via the running game in 3 contests. The Buckeyes are sitting in 2nd in the nation regarding the opposition scoring, conceding 6.7 points per game.

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The Fighting Irish head into this matchup 4-0 for this season. The last time they took the field, the Fighting Irish took home the win by a final score of 41-17 against the Central Michigan Chippewas. Sam Hartman (3 TDs) finished the contest with 330 yards on 16/26 through the air while his quarterback rating was 206.2. He didn't toss any interceptions and his average yards per pass attempt was 12.7. Audric Estime ran the football 20 times for 176 yds, finishing the game with 8.8 yds per attempt for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish finished the contest with 578 yds on 65 plays (8.9 yards per play). Notre Dame ran for 6.4 yards per attempt, totaling 236 yds on 37 carries. Notre Dame gave up 34 rushing attempts for 131 yards (3.9 yds per carry). The Fighting Irish secondary gave up a completion percentage of 50.0%, relinquishing 137 yds on 10 out of 20 through the air.

Regarding putting points on the board, the Fighting Irish are ranking 9th in college football by tallying 46.0 PPG. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish maintain an average of 508.8 yards per game, which ranks them 16th in Division 1. The Notre Dame offense has racked up 200 yds of penalties on 23 violations, which ranks 23rd in D-1 in terms of helping out the opposition. They have tossed 0 picks while surrendering 2 fumbles and they have been able to earn 92 1st downs. For the year so far, the Fighting Irish have thrown for 1,217 passing yards along with an average of 304.3 passing yards per game, which ranks 21st in the nation. They hold an average of 204.5 yards per game via the rush and have rushed for 818 yards for the year.

The Fighting Irish are conceding 11.8 points per game, which has them ranked 14th in D-1. Notre Dame has allowed a total of 430 yards on the ground (107.5 yards/game) in addition to 3 touchdowns by way of the ground game for the year. In total, they have allowed 47 total points. They have allowed the opposition 2 touchdowns through the air and 126.8 yards per outing, which has them ranked 4th in college football. The Fighting Irish defense has been on the field for 245 plays, ranking them 125th in the nation. Their defense has earned 0 fumbles recovered and 5 interceptions on the campaign.

Who will win tonight's Buckeyes/Fighting Irish college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Fighting Irish +7

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