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Buckeyes open week as slight road favorite over Notre Dame

Spencer-Holbrookby:Spencer Holbrook•09/17/23•

SpencerHolbrook

Emeka Egbuka by Matt Parker -- Lettermen Row --
Emeka Egbuka and Ohio State are 3-0. (Matt Parker/Lettermen Row)

COLUMBUS — Ohio State knew what it needed to do Saturday against Western Kentucky.

The Buckeyes needed to dominate in a win, show progress and move on to the massive showdown against Notre Dame.

And they did just that, dismantling the Hilltoppers before entering this week, when they’re going on the road for a massive top-10 showdown with the Fighting Irish.

After opening all the way back in February as a 8.5-point favorite, Ohio State opens this week as a 3.5-point road favorite over Notre Dame, according to Fanduel Sportsbook.

The total has been set at 57.5, implying Las Vegas believes the Buckeyes will win with a score around 30-27.

Ohio State knows that in order to do that, it must be playing at an extremely high level. And after a 63-10 win over Western Kentucky, the Buckeyes saw good things and an offense that is starting to click on all levels. And they moved on quickly from the third win of the year — moving on to Notre Dame even earlier than expected.

“We were turning it up this week,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “We know we’re about to get into. We wanted to build momentum going into next week. And everything was turned up in a big way. So we have to get back to work. Notre Dame starts now. Usually we started on Sunday. We’re starting to prepare tonight.”

Ohio State understands the stakes of this week. It knows what it needs to do in order to win in South Bend. And now, the Buckeyes are expected to win over Notre Dame. They’re entering game week as a slight favorite over the Fighting Irish.

  • Ohio State is 1-2 against the spread this season, failing to cover against both Indiana and Youngstown State but covering Saturday against Western Kentucky
  • The Buckeyes have went over the total just once in their first three games
  • Ohio State has failed to cover the 16-point spread in a 21-10 win over Notre Dame last season
  • Ohio State is 8-10 against the spread against nonconference opponents under Ryan Day
  • Notre Dame is 3-1 against the spread this season. All four of their wins have come by double digits
  • Notre Dame is 1-0 against the spread as a home underdog under Marcus Freeman
  • The total has gone OVER in three of the Fighting Irish’s four games played so far this season

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