3 Hardest Games on Notre Dame Football’s 2023 schedule

1. Ohio State (Sept. 23)

Last season, Notre Dame football and Ohio State played in Week 1 of the college football season and the Buckeyes won a defensive struggle.

The Irish looked like a playoff contender to many following that game, but the Irish lost to Marshall the next week. Marcus Freeman and company still salvaged a solid season, especially with the wins over Clemson and North Carolina, but it was a disappointment.

The Irish will get another chance at the Buckeyes and this time, they won’t have to rely on an inexperienced starting quarterback. Hartman has played in plenty of big games. How will he handle the stage of playing at Notre Dame and contending for national titles?

Only time will tell. This won’t be the first important game as North Carolina State is on the schedule before Ohio State, as well as three other opponents.

But Ohio State is the toughest team on the schedule. The Buckeyes are loaded with talent and have the best player in college football, pound for pound, in Marvin Harrison Jr.

Kyle McCord will also be fine at quarterback. McCord was a former top-100 prospect and ranked similarly to C.J. Stroud. The offense will be lights out and another top-100 QB is waiting in the wings in Devon Brown if he struggles.

The defense was the issue last season and now that Notre Dame has a quarterback, it should be able to take advantage. If not, it will likely be a repeat of last season. However, if the Irish win, they would immediately become a favorite to make the College Football Playoff.