Before Betting on Notre Dame vs Ohio State Week 1
It’s rare to see over a two TD point spread in a matchup of top five teams, but that’s where we are in the Notre Dame Ohio State week 1 matchup. Both squads were 11-2 last season, but have very different projections in 2022. OSU is considered perhaps the only team (apologies to Georgia) that can contend with Alabama for the National Championship while the Irish may have some growing pains with a new coach and a QB that hasn’t started a game.
Marcus Freeman takes over Notre Dame as Brian Kelly and his family are off to Baton Rouge to coach LSU. The 36-year-old Freeman is a bright young talent and a great mind as he led the Fighting Irish to the #10 scoring defense in the country last season, but he’s also never been a head coach. ND’s QB Tyler Buchner has never started a game until Saturday night’s matchup.
For Ohio State it’s the same potency on offense as QB C.J. Stroud returns to the unit that was #1 in college football last year with 551.6 yards and 45.5 ppg. The Heisman candidate (favorite?) had 44 TD and 6 INT last year and even though the Buckeyes lost two WR’s to the 1st round of the NFL draft, they weren’t event Stroud’s favorite target as Jaxon Smith-Njigba returns after a 1,600+ yard receiving season.
Ohio State’s defense should be better with a new coordinator, and this team simply has no weaknesses.
| Offshore Sportsbook | Moneyline | Total | Point Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnline | ND (+545) | OSU (-725) | 59 | ND +16 (-105) | OSU -16 (-115) |
| Bovada | ND (+475) | OSU (-700) | 59.5 | ND +16 (-105) | OSU -16 (-115) |
| BetUS | ND (+550) | OSU (-750) | 59 | ND +16 (-110) | OSU -16 (-110) |
| SportsBetting.ag | ND (+545) | OSU (-725) | 59 | ND +16 (-105) | OSU -16 (-115) |
| Pinnacle | ND (+593) | OSU (-843) | 59 | ND +16 (+101) | OSU -16 (-114) |
| MyBookie | ND (+500) | OSU (-699) | 59 | ND +16 (-110) | OSU -16 (-110) |
Buckeye bettors will find their best value at MyBookie for the Notre Dame Ohio State week 1 matchup. Those taking the Fighting Irish get huge value at Pinnacle, where it looks like a ton of money is coming in on OSU. Under bettors can get the hook at Bovada in what they are expecting to be a high scoring game. It’s hard to see Notre Dame putting up that many points with an inexperienced QB against OSU’s revamped defense, so this one looks all Buckeyes.
