The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish meet in week 4 college football action from Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night.

Buckeyes Improve To 3-0 Vs. WKU

The Ohio State Buckeyes come into this one unbeaten on the year at 3-0 after a 63-10 win over Western Kentucky in their last game. Kyle McCord has thrown for 815 yards, 6 touchdowns and an interception on 69.7% passing while TreVeyon Henderson has a team-high 191 rushing yards with 4 touchdowns. Chip Trayanum has 133 rushing yards while Marvin Harrison Jr. leads the Buckeyes receivers with 14 grabs for 304 yards and 3 touchdowns. Three more receivers for OSU have 100+ receiving yards, including Emeka Egbuka, who has 167 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns this season. On defense, Tommy Eichenberg leads Ohio State with 20 total tackles while the Buckeyes’ defense as a whole has combined for 5 sacks and 3 interceptions this season.

Ohio State Buckeyes Team Facts

Ohio State has won 22 of its last 23 games in September.
Ohio State has failed to cover the spread in nine of its last 10 games as a favorite against top-15 AP-ranked teams.
Ohio State has won the first quarter in five of its last six games against non-conference opponents.
Ohio State has won the first half in each of its last five games against non-conference opponents.
Five of Ohio State’s last six games against AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

Notre Dame Improves To 4-0

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish improved their mark to 4-0 on the year after taking out Central Michigan by a final score of 41-17. Sam Hartman has thrown for 1,061 yards and 13 touchdowns on 71.1% passing while Audric Estime has 521 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns to lead the Irish in the backfield this season. Chris Tyree leads Notre Dame’s receiving group with 216 receiving yards in addition to a pair of receiving touchdowns while four other Notre Dame receivers have 100+ receiving yards, including Jaden Greathouse who has 3 TDs and Holden Staes who has 4 receiving touchdowns as well this season. On defense, Jack Kiser has a team-leading 26 total tackles while the Irish defense as a whole has 6 sacks and 5 interceptions this season.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Team Facts

Notre Dame has won 14 of its last 15 home games in September.
Notre Dame has covered the spread in each of its last six September games against AP-ranked teams.
Notre Dame has won the first quarter in five of its last six games against opponents from the Big Ten Conference at Notre Dame Stadium.
Notre Dame has won the first half in six of its last seven games against opponents from the Big Ten Conference at Notre Dame Stadium.
Ten of Notre Dame’s last 11 games have gone OVER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

Notre Dame ranked 3rd among FBS teams for Q2 points allowed per game last season (3.5).
Notre Dame ranked T12th among FBS teams for Q2 win percentage last season (.692).
Ohio State ranked 1st among FBS teams for Q1 points per game last season (13.0).
Ohio State ranked 1st among FBS teams for Q3 points per game last season (11.5).

Chris’ Pick

I’m leaning towards Notre Dame and the points here. I think we’re getting points with the team that’s been consistently solid from day one, and I’m just not all that excited about Ohio State outside of Henderson and Marvin Harrison Jr. Notre Dame getting a field goal and a hook is a big deal here as I think Ohio State wins by a field goal if Notre Dame doesn’t win it outright. I think this is going to be game of the night and the most-watched one as well. Give me the Irish here.