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tOSU at Notre Dame, Sat. 9/23, 7:30pm EST, NBC

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College football 2023: Best non-conference games of season headlined by Florida State-LSU opener​

2. OHIO STATE AT NOTRE DAME, SEPT. 23​

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Notre Dame has three matchups scheduled against College Football Playoff hopefuls this year, but so as to not clog up this list with Fighting Irish games, we elected to slot just the single best of them here. Ohio State is arguably the program’s top opponent in 2023, though USC and Clemson also provide for thrilling contests. This game should provide insight into Notre Dame’s ability to compete at the national level in year two of the Marcus Freeman era, and it is an early test for the Buckeyes as they look to prove their worth as a national title contender.

Just sayin': Both Ohio Sate and Notre Dame have a bigger "national draw" than LSU and Free Shoes. I'll say the Ohio State - Notre Dame game gets the higher TV ratings.
 
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Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman explains what's different about 2023 rematch with Ohio State​

The Notre Dame coach didn't hold back his excitement about facing the Buckeyes again this season.​

Marcus Freeman's debut season at Notre Dame was spoiled to a degree by a 1-2 start, aided by a loss to Ohio State. The two programs clash again in 2023 on Sept. 23 and Freeman said his squad is “looking forward” to hosting the rematch. Notre Dame finished the 2022 campaign 9-4 after rattling off a five-game winning streak late in the season. The streak included signature victories over Clemson and South Carolina, with the latter coming in the Gator Bowl.

“I think you can look back to last year in that first game, you're really, your true first game as a head coach, and you go back to your alma mater, and you face a really good football team,” Freeman said on Good Morning Football. “We were up with maybe one minute left in the third quarter and we end up losing 21-10. But I think you play them close enough that you kind of mask some of the issues that you have as a program and as a team. Then the next week we lose to Marshall and that to me is really where you said, 'Okay, we have to rip off all the layers and figure out what's the issues and really try to correct them with a sense of urgency.'

“That's what we're able to do. But you know, as you fast forward this year, we'll play them in Week 5 for us. It's Week 4 in the season, but since we play Week Zero, it’ll be Week 5 for us, so we'll know what our football team is all about. We'll know what our strengths are. Listen, it's a lot tougher to play a game in Notre Dame Stadium. We're looking forward to the opportunity.”
 
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9. NOTRE DAME (SEPT. 23, AWAY)​

Average Ranking: 9.6
High Rank: 8
Low Rank: 11

While the first eight games in this countdown are all games that Ohio State will be heavily favored to win, the bottom four games are the contests that will truly make or break the Buckeyes’ season. The first of those four games on the schedule, and in our confidence rankings, comes when Ohio State plays Notre Dame on the road in its final game of September.

After a defensive slugfest in Columbus last year, Notre Dame is expected to be more explosive offensively this year with Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman at quarterback. Notre Dame’s defense should also be the best by far that Ohio State faces in the first month of the season, making the trip to South Bend the first real test for the Buckeyes’ new starting quarterback. And the Fighting Irish, who have playoff hopes as the No. 13 team in the preseason AP poll, will surely be motivated to earn a signature early-season win that puts them in the CFP conversation.

Still, only four of our staffers view Notre Dame as one of Ohio State’s three toughest games of the year.

www.elevenwarriors.com

2023 Season Preview: Ranking Ohio State’s 12 Regular-Season Games from Easiest to Most Difficult

We rank Ohio State’s 12 regular-season games from the one we’re most certain the Buckeyes will win (Youngstown State) to the game we expect to be the biggest challenge (Michigan).
www.elevenwarriors.com www.elevenwarriors.com
 
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