On September 3, 2022, the official Marcus Freeman era of Notre Dame football will begin. The Irish will take on Ohio State in a battle of two top five teams. Every year before the season begins the ISD staff offers their game-by-game season predictions, so here are mine for the 2022 season.
Ohio State
Normally I’m not someone who pays a lot of attention to the spread in first games of the season. I’ll admit that I’m surprised by the 17.5 point spread in this game, but then I remember that Notre Dame suffered some critical injuries to very key players this spring and fall, and it makes more sense to me, but I think it’s still a bit high.
However, nobody really knows how good Notre Dame will be, or Ohio State. It’s a new season, a new opportunity, and many variables have changed since these two teams last played. I think the Irish play this one tougher than the experts predict, but it’s still an OSU win.
Ohio State: 37 Notre Dame: 30
Marshall
The Irish bounce back with a solid performance on both sides of the ball. Marshall makes a few plays, and the Irish defense gives up a few, but Notre Dame wins comfortably.
Notre Dame: 38 Marshall: 10
California
I think the Irish offense starts to really find their identity with a nice RPO game and a solid ground game. Buchner starts to become the passer Irish fans have been hoping to see with three passing TDs.
Notre Dame: 41 Cal: 14
North Carolina
I’ve never thought much of Mack Brown, and I don’t think his game will change that. The Tar Heels still don’t have a defense, but they can score some points. The Tar Heels will likely come in undefeated with a lot of confidence after three cupcake games to start the season, but the Irish show the Tar Heels that they still have a ways to go before they can compete at this level.
Notre Dame: 42 North Carolina: 24
BYU
This game scares me because the BYU Cougars are both very experienced and also men—a very veteran team. The Cougars have at least two tough games before taking on the Irish in Las Vegas. They will be tested by both Baylor and Oregon for certain, so we should know what to expect. This will be a physical battle for certain, but the Irish win in the end.
Notre Dame: 31 BYU: 24
Stanford
The Cardinal are no longer the Cardinal of old. Stanford will play USC, Washington, Oregon and Oregon State before playing the Irish. There likely won’t be much hope at all in their locker room when they travel to South Bend.
Notre Dame: 37 Stanford: 16
UNLV
After watching the Rebels this past weekend, one could see they have a QB who can throw, and some wide receivers who can run. They scored a lot of points…against Idaho State. They won’t have the same luck against the Irish, but I do expect them to be better offensively than people believe.
Notre Dame: 41 UNLV: 17
Syracuse
The Orange have to play Clemson, North Carolina State and then Notre Dame. There won’t be much of the Syracuse team left by the time they host the Irish at the end of October. It’s not easy to play in the Dome, but the Orange have O-line issues, and that spells disaster against teams like Clemson and Notre Dame.
Notre Dame: 47 Syracuse: 10
Clemson
By this time, I think the Notre Dame offense (if healthy) will be something that Irish fans have been hoping to see under Tommy Rees. They’re going to need that to have any chance against this Clemson defense. The game is at Notre Dame, and I feel the Irish will be ready to win another big game.
Notre Dame: 27 Clemson: 24
Navy
The days of worrying about the Midshipmen are over.
Notre Dame: 38 Navy: 10
Boston College
The return of Phil Jurkovec. Jurkovec probably should’ve remembered the zero returning starters at O-line before he started to call into question Notre Dame’s culture. If I were a Notre Dame player, I would take that personally. The BC defense wasn’t very good at stopping the run last year, nor rushing the QB. That, along with a new O-line, spells doom for the Eagles.
Notre Dame: 37 Boston College 13
USC
After playing difficult early games in the season for years, the Trojans finally got smart and started scheduling teams like Rice and Fresno State. That will definitely help the Trojans gain some much-needed confidence as the season rolls along. Their toughest game all year is at Utah five games before they play the Irish. It would not surprise me if USC has just one loss or even none before they play this game. What I do wonder about, however, is how healthy they will be when they play Notre Dame? I just don’t see a team that can overcome many injuries, and they always happen. The Irish find a way to extend the streak, but it will be a classic.
Notre Dame: 37. USC: 30
