Notre Dame football: Who must be great to beat Ohio State?

The Notre Dame football team battles it out against Ohio State in Week 1, so which members of the program must be great to get the victory?

The time has finally come for the Notre Dame football team to take on Ohio State. The Week 1 matchup will take place inside the Horseshoe, a magnificent stadium that is home to the Buckeyes and can be a very tough place to play.

For the Irish, the goal is simple, as a Week 1 victory against the No. 2 preseason team per the AP Poll would vault them into the College Football Playoff discussion. Notre Dame football is ranked No. 5 to start the season and has a very tough schedule ahead of them, but it all starts this Saturday against Ohio State.

Here, we look at who needs to be great for the Irish to pull off the victory.

Notre Dame football: Who must be great to beat Ohio State?

Tyler Buchner

We start out at the most important position in sports, and that is the starting quarterback spot. True sophomore Tyler Buchner beat out Drew Pyne to earn the starting job a few weeks back and has become a real leader for this program on and off the field.

Against Ohio State, making his first collegiate start, Buchner is going to have to lean on the vets, as there are plenty of players on this roster who have played in big games before. However, he also must show his playmaking ability, as he has the ability to beat a team with his arm, and his legs, and against Ohio State, he may have to be perfect.

Isaiah Foskey

The Notre Dame football team has a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball, but the man who must have his A-Game against the Buckeyes is Isaiah Foskey. One of the premier edge rushers in the history of this program, Foskey must make life very uncomfortable for CJ Stroud, widely considered a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season.

Foskey is on the doorstep of being No. 1 all-time in terms of sacks in Notre Dame football history, which would be a great accomplishment. He can get the party started in a big way against Ohio State, playing in front of a national crowd, and bolstering his first-round status.

Al Golden

All eyes will be on Al Golden in this matchup, as he has beaten Ohio State before when he was the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes. The Ohio State offense is one of the best in the country, and they have elite playmakers all over the board, so his game plan against them is going to be the difference between a win, and a loss on Saturday night.

Notre Dame football: What does DE Armel Mukam bring to the Irish?

The Notre Dame football program was able to get a flip on Wednesday, as Stanford commit Armel Mukam from Virginia committed to the Irish.

Luckily for Irish fans, Golden is one of the best in the business, and before he became head coach of the Notre Dame football program, Marcus Freeman was considered one of the best defensive coordinators as well. That combination has to be able to put together a game plan to stop the talented Stroud and company.