Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Week 1 college football odds, betting trends: Irish may close as biggest AP top 5 underdog this century

The marquee matchup in Week 1 of the 2022 college football season -- and a game that should draw huge betting action and TV ratings  -- features No. 5 Notre Dame visiting No. 2 Ohio State at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. ESPN's College GameDay will be on hand, the show's 21st visit to Columbus -- more than any other city. The Fighting Irish are whopping 17.5-point underdogs at Caesars Sportsbook.

It's the first regular-season game for which Notre Dame is at least a 17-point underdog since it visited USC on Nov. 26, 2016 at +17.5 and lost 45-27. The Irish are 3-4 against the spread in their past seven as at least 17-point regular-season dogs. 

If this spread rises a bit more – and it opened at 13.5 – Notre Dame could close as the biggest Associated Press top 5 underdog since 2000. That biggest number was the No. 4 Irish getting 18.5 points against No. 1 Alabama in the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal following the 2020 season. The Crimson Tide won 31-14.

It's the regular-season coaching debut for Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, although the team's former defensive coordinator did coach the Irish's 37-35 Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State on New Year's Day after Brian Kelly left for LSU.

Freeman, just 36 and already one of the best recruiters in the country, has named sophomore Tyler Buchner as the team's starting quarterback. The sophomore beat out Drew Pyne for the job. Buchner, out of California, was ranked as the No. 71 overall player and No. 11 quarterback in the Class of 2021 by sister site 247Sports.

Buchner did see the field in 10 games last season, largely in mop-up duty. He completed 21 of his 35 passes for 298 yards, three touchdowns and three picks while rushing for 336 yards and three scores. He'll have one of the nation's top tight ends in Michael Mayer (71 catches, 840 yards, seven TDs) to throw to and what should be a terrific offensive line in front of him.

The Irish are likely going to have to score plenty of points to hang close because Ohio State looks absolutely loaded on offense. The Buckeyes have arguably the best quarterback in in CJ Stroud (+200 Heisman Trophy favorite), running back in TreVeyon Henderson (+2000 for Heisman) and receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba (+4000) in the country.

Ohio State has won 22 straight season-openers, the longest streak in the FBS and third-longest streak in the AP poll era (since 1936). Notre Dame has won its past five openers. The Irish are looking for their first straight-up win as double-digit underdogs since 2014 vs. Florida State. 

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