Rece Davis, Pete Thamel warn fans to doubt Notre Dame vs. Ohio State 'at your own peril'

Many counted Notre Dame out of the College Football Playoff after its shocking Week 2 upset loss to Northern Illinois. They proved the naysayers wrong, and haven’t missed a step during their 13-game winning streak heading into the national championship vs. Ohio State.

That’s why Rece Davis and Pete Thamel, the hosts of the College GameDay Podcast, believe the Buckeyes shouldn’t take this matchup against the Irish lightly.

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“[Ohio State] looks to be a team so full of weapons that you cannot possibly decide which one to slow down without getting destroyed by the other one,” Davis said. “And yet, this Notre Dame team has an edge, a feel of resiliency to it that makes you feel like that they’ve got a little bit more than a puncher’s chance, that they have an avenue to win their first national championship since 1988.”

Part of that, as Notre Dame LB Jack Kiser has noted, that the Irish have fighting for their right to be in the playoffs since the upset to NIU. One more loss could have thrown a wrench into their postseason plans. Instead, the Irish held strong and have rattled off 13-straight victories in the wake of their last defeat.

One thing that Thamel noted is that the 12 team playoff has taught us teams have to win games different way. Notre Dame has done exactly that, blowing past Indiana in the first round, staving off Georgia from coming back in the second half, and then winning on a go-ahead field goal in the final minute against Penn State.

“Count out Notre Dame at your at your own peril,” Thamel said. “… But these playoffs become a war of attrition, and the injuries have not been kind to Notre Dame. If you go through the course of the season, they haven’t been kind to Ohio State either, especially on the on the offensive line.

“But sitting here today, in mid-late January, in this new paradigm we are in — Notre Dame has some juju. They are the hot team in the NCAA basketball tournament, right? They are clicking, and they are firing, and they are finding ways to win.”

Despite this, the Fighting Irish are 8.5-point betting underdogs according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Kickoff between Notre Dame and Ohio State is set for Monday night at 7:30 p.m. ET live on ESPN.