No. 5 Notre Dame vs No. 2 Ohio State
Realistically, this is either a blowout or an instant classic. We’re going in with a lot of knowns about OSU at the quarterback and wide receiver positions, and a lot of unknowns about Notre Dame at the same positions, with a new starting QB, new head coach, and the Irish’s top receiver out for the season with an ACL tear. Opening against the Buckeyes at home with all of those question marks is going to be an enormous test from the Irish, but strong returning offensive and defensive lines may be cause for hope still. With all love to my Irish, I think I have to pick OSU for this one (come on — their returning lineup includes CJ Stroud, TreVeyon Henderson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and the list goes on), but I’ll be praying for a great game at the very least.