Notre Dame football: What happens if the Irish upset Ohio State?
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team takes on Ohio State in Week 1 of the college football season, but what happens if the Irish upset the Buckeyes?
We are inching ever so close to the start of the 2022 college football season, a year that will see the Notre Dame football team start out against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Usually, teams of the caliber of these two programs will start out against a cupcake team to get the kinks out, but that is not the case in 2022.
In a game with so many storylines, the truth of the matter is that the matchup has serious College Football Playoff implications. Both teams are ranked within the top 5 of the first USA Today Coaches Poll, making this a can’t-miss battle between two powerhouse programs looking to take their first step towards a national title.
Every betting website has the Irish as underdogs in this one, and I am sure that when the experts make their picks ahead of this matchup, it is going to be all Buckeyes. However, what happens if the Irish go into Ohio Stadium and knock off Ohio State?
Notre Dame football becomes an instant title contender
The answer to that question is pretty simple. With a win against Ohio State in Week 1 of the college football season, you can throw out any predictions you may have had for the Irish in 2022. With a win on the road against the preseason No. 2 team in the country, Notre Dame football instantly becomes a national title contender, no matter if they win by ten, or one.
To beat a team like Ohio State, Notre Dame will have to show they can dominate on both sides of the ball, and that Freeman can outcoach one of the best in the game in Ryan Day. With a win like this in their pocket, Notre Dame football gets that resume win that could move them ahead of the CFP contenders at the end of the day.
Of course, Ohio State is one of the elite teams in the country, has multiple first-round talents on their roster, and possibly the best quarterback in college football in CJ Stroud. This would be one of the bigger upsets in program history, and in doing so, Notre Dame football proves they can win a big-time game for the first time in a long time and puts themselves in national title contention.