Notre Dame opens as massive underdog in pivotal Ohio State matchup

Notre Dame isn’t getting much respect ahead of its marquee matchup with Ohio State later this fall.

The Fighting Irish are 13.5-point underdogs, according to an early betting line released by FanDuel earlier this week. A total has not yet been set for the game

.

That number is likely inflated by the quarterback disparity between the 2 programs.

On one hand, Ohio State boasts one of the top returners in the country in CJ Stroud. He could be a Heisman Trophy finalist this year and will be in the mix for the top spot in the 2023 NFL Draft.

For Notre Dame, the outlook is much murkier. The Fighting Irish will be deciding between Tyler Buchner and Drew Pyne for the starting job. Buchner is considered the favorite, although he missed Notre Dame’s spring game with a minor injury.

However, it’s tough to argue with the rest of Notre Dame’s roster. Marcus Freeman has done a good job of maintaining Notre Dame’s excellent roster talent from the last few years and helped bring in a top recruiting class in 2022.

ESPN’s FPI metric

projects Ohio State as an 11-point favorite on a neutral field.

The game will be played on Sept. 3. A kickoff time has not yet been announced.