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ESPN’s FPI predicts outcome of Notre Dame-Ohio State in Week 1
By Paul Harvey
Published:
ESPN’s FPI is predicting the outcome of all the games in Week 1, and that includes the primetime battle between Notre Dame and Ohio State.
Right out of the gate, it will be a top-5 battle between the No. 2 Buckeyes and the No. 5 Fighting Irish. However, the game is not currently projected to be particularly close.
Most places have the spread for Saturday’s set at 17.5 points with Ohio State looking to get off to a hot start playing at home in Columbus. The Football Power Index is also predicting the Buckeyes to be resounding favorites.
According to ESPN’s FPI, Ohio State is given an 83.5% chance of winning the game and moving to 1-0 to open the year. We’ll see if that prediction holds true.
Entering the season, Ohio State does have some question marks, but the Buckeyes also have one of the biggest positions answered. Heisman finalist CJ Stroud returns at quarterback and brings stability and an elite presence to the offensive side of the ball.
Defensively, Jim Knowles was brought on to fix the unit and get things back to an elite level. That defense is bound to have some wrinkles, and we’ll see how Knowles deploys his unit in Week 1.
Kickoff for Saturday’s game is set for 7:30 pm EST on ABC. ESPN’s College GameDay will also be live from Columbus Saturday morning.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.