College football stages its first big must-see showdown of the 2022 season when the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish collide in the teams' season opener on Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. The Buckeyes are coming off a season in which they did not win the Big Ten title for the first time since 2016. Meanwhile the Fighting Irish are playing their first game under new head coach Marcus Freeman. 

Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. ET. The Buckeyes are 17-point favorites in the latest Ohio State vs. Notre Dame odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 58.5. (See up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college football odds page.)

Before you make any Notre Dame vs. Ohio State picks and college football predictions, you NEED to see the predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. The model enters Week 1 of the 2022 college football season on a 45-32 run on all top-rated college football spread and money-line picks. Anyone who has followed the model has seen huge returns.

The model knows that Ohio State has arguably the best player in college football in quarterback C.J. Stroud. A sophomore from Inland Empire, Calif., Stroud is coming off a season in which he set 17 program records and finished second in the country in passer efficiency rating (186.6). For his efforts he was named the Big Ten offensive player of the year and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

The model also knows that Notre Dame has an elite pass rusher in Isaiah Foskey. A 6-foot-5 junior from Antioch, Calif., Foskey led the team last season with 11 sacks, the third-most in a single season in program history. With a similar season in 2022, he can surpass the program's all-time record for career sacks (24.5), set by Justin Tuck (2002-04).

Now, the model has set its sights on Ohio State vs. Notre Dame. We can tell you it is leaning Over the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in more than 60% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college football picks.

Who wins Notre Dame vs. Ohio State? And which side of the spread hits in more than 60% of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Ohio State vs. Notre Dame spread you should be all over Saturday, all from the model on a roll on college football picks!