Bobby Carpenter: Win or lose, Ohio State will learn a lot about itself vs. Notre Dame

Bobby Carpenter believes Ohio State will leave South Bend a better team. On Saturday, the Buckeyes will march into Notre Dame for their first ranked matchup this season. Carpenter claims the game will boost Ohio State forward no matter the outcome.

“Anytime you’re playing tough competition, it’s going to obviously help sharpen you,” Carpenter told On3’s Andy Staples. “If you look across college football this year, we have six ranked-on-ranked matchups this Saturday.

“This year, college football seems more wide open than ever before. So I think playing big games like this is going to help you immensely as you get through the season. Kind of figuring out what you’re good at, what you’re not, what you need to improve upon.”

The Fighting Irish will be a far cry from the other opponents Ohio State has faced in the 2023 campaign. The undefeated Buckeyes boast an average win margin of 33.7 points per game. However, their only win against a fellow Power Five opponent came against Indiana in the season opener.

Despite Ohio State’s unassuming resumé, history is on its side. OSU comfortably defeated Notre Dame 21-10 in the programs’ clash last season. Nonetheless, this isn’t the same Fighting Irish the Buckeyes took down last year.

No luck of the Irish for the Buckeyes

No team is yet to come within 20 points of Notre Dame this season, including a feisty NC State squad. In his second year at head coach, Marcus Freeman is making a statement. Notre Dame is averaging 508.8 yards per game while allowing just 234.2 yards per outing on the opposite side of the ball.

Despite Notre Dame’s imposing start to 2023, Carpenter believes this matchup will serve the Buckeyes well.

“I like this. I love this matchup, going on the road early. It’s going to be at Notre Dame. Hopefully, there’ll be a strong Buckeye contingent there,” the former OSU linebacker said. “Anytime you go on the road and play a tough opponent, you [finding] a way to get a win is huge, but even if you don’t, I think you can learn a lot about yourself.”

Ohio State feels ready for the matchup

Ohio State will need the experience. Immediately after the Notre Dame game, OSU will kick off conference play against Maryland. Just two weeks later, the Buckeyes will go toe-to-toe with No. 7 Penn State.

OSU head coach Ryan Day claims his team isn’t afraid of the early challenge.

“They have a really good team. Marcus [Freeman] does a great job,” Day said on Tuesday. “They have a great staff. We got to go win a top 10 game on the road. Our guys are really excited for this game.”

On Saturday, the two programs will collide with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on NBC.