Ohio State vs. Notre Dame: Land-Grant’s experts make their title game picks
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Every week, we will be picking the score, MVP, and major storyline for each Buckeye game.

Being the Buckeye beat’s black sheep blog, we here at Land-Grant Holy Land like to pat ourselves on the back. So, throughout the season, members of our staff will be making predictions about that day’s game. They will go on the record with what they think the final score will be, who the game’s MVP will be, and what the major storyline will be coming out of the day.

The Ohio State Buckeyes will square off with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish tonight in the College Football Playoff Championship Game. The title bout is supposedly scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be aired in various forms on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, and ESPN Deportes. However, both of the semifinal games actually kicked off closer to 7:45 p.m., so be forewarned

As of this article’s writing, the Bucks are 8.5-point favorites according to FanDuel Sportsbook. College football’s gold-standard advanced analytics model SP+ is predicting a score of Ohio State 28, Notre Dame 22.

Check out what our staff members think and then let us know your thoughts on the game in the comments below. As we move forward with the season, you will be able to keep up with just how well our prognosticators do on a weekly basis HERE.

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Justin Golba​

Score Prediction: Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 21
Offensive MVP: Emeka Egbuka will record nine catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensive MVP: J.T. Tuimoloau will be the MVP with two sacks and three TFL, but Denzel Burke will record an interception.
Major Storyline: Ryan Day is a national champion head coach. Tell that to someone on Nov. 30.

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Dan Hessler​

Score Prediction: Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 24
Offensive MVP: Will Howard shows off in his final game. 275+ passing yards and 3 TDs.
Defensive MVP: I think Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau impress again but I’m going with Caleb Downs here. I expect him to be all over the field making tackles and getting at least 1 INT, my guess is early in the game.
Major Storyline: The major storyline will be Ohio State winning a national championship in the same year that it lost to Michigan. Ryan Day keeps his job, as he should. Will Howard finally starts getting the NFL Draft recognition he deserves, and Ohio State is the favorite going into next season with the best individual players in college football on offense and defense coming back.

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Caleb Houser​

Score Prediction: Ohio State 28, Notre Dame 13
Offensive MVP: Will Howard | 18-for-25, 215 yards, 2 touchdowns
Defensive MVP: Jack Sawyer | 2 Sacks, 5 total tackles
Major Storyline: Ohio State finishes the deal winning in a two-score game over the Irish. The Buckeyes will have a solid offensive night, but a dominant defense will hold ND’s limited offensive firepower in check.

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Connor Lemons​

Score Prediction: Ohio State 27, Notre Dame 18
Offensive MVP: TreVeyon Henderson | 2 total touchdowns, 1 receiving and 1 rushing
Defensive MVP: Jack Sawyer | forces another second-half fumble in his final collegiate game.
Major Storyline: The two major storylines will be: A) How does the fanbase feel about a national championship when Ohio State still did not beat Michigan, and B) How big of a roster exodus will there be over the next several days?

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Brett Ludwiczak​

Score Prediction: Ohio State 28, Notre Dame 17
Offensive MVP: Emeka Egbuka | 7 catches, 98 yards, 1 TD
Defensive MVP: J.T. Tuimoloau | 3.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks
Major Storyline: Ohio State and Notre Dame have played a couple of tight games over the last two years. There will be some early nerves in this one but Ohio State extends the lead to double digits by halftime. The Fighting Irish don’t let the Buckeyes run away with it, but their limited offense is no match for the pressure Jim Knowles brings. Jack Sawyer and the rest of the seniors who returned for one last run earn a storybook ending with a national title.

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Gene Ross​

Score Prediction: Ohio State 35, Notre Dame 17
Offensive MVP: Will Howard | The Buckeyes take a little while to figure it out, but eventually break through Notre Dame’s man coverage and find success through the air to match a good rushing performance by TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.
Defensive MVP: Jack Sawyer | The Central Ohio kid completes his storybook ending by causing a turnover in his final game in scarlet and gray.
Major Storyline: Ryan Day finally got the job done. After fans were rightfully angry following the loss to Michigan, Day was able to make the changes necessary to win a national title. With a buffer coming in 2025 off of a championship season, the only focus on everyone’s mind will be if he can get over the Michigan hump. Nothing else matters next season. Also, Jim Knowles gets a big extension — a well-deserved one.

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Matt Tamanini​

Score Prediction: Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 13
Offensive MVP: Jeremiah Smith | Notre Dame has been open about sticking to its press-man coverage scheme despite the fact that Ohio State’s roster includes the best wide receiver in the country and the best stable of pass-catchers in college football. While I do expect them to play a lot of man, they will obviously have to add some more help over the top for Smith.

But, if they only dedicate two defenders to J.J. we have seen how dominant he can be in those situations. I imagine that Will Howard, Ryan Day, and Chip Kelly will want to ensure that the best weapon at their disposal is targeted early and often. Put me down for 8 targets, 7 receptions, 115 yards, and 2 touchdowns for Smith.
Defensive MVP: Caleb Downs and Cody Simon | I do not see a scenario in which Notre Dame’s quarterback Riley Leonard is able to pass the ball consistently on this Ohio State defense. I also do not see a scenario in which Notre Dame’s running back Jeremiyah Love is able to run the ball consistently on this Ohio State defense.

So, I expect the ND offense to devolve to little more than Riley Leonard left, Riley Leonard right, Riley Leonard up the middle by about halfway through the second quarter. That will mean that safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Cody Simon will be tasked with keeping the Irish quarterback from breaking big runs. Whether that is by keeping contain, spying on him, or meeting him near the line of scrimmage, I think that the leaders of the Silver Bullets’ back two lines of defense will be up for the challenge.
Major Storyline: There will be two major storylines coming out of the game. The national media will focus on the fact that Ryan Day pulled all of the right strings following the loss to Michigan to get his team (and himself) refocused on the opportunities ahead. That will deservedly get a lion’s share of the coverage, and I will be leading the way.

However, a story that will resonate far more in Buckeye Nation than nationally will be how this OSU senior class was able to battle through all of the adversity that they have faced in their careers to make it to the top of the college football mountain.

Both will be wonderful stories from what will go down as an all-time great Ohio State team, should they win the game.

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Jordan Williams​

Score Prediction: Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 13
Offensive MVP: TreVeyon Henderson | 150 total yards, 3 touchdowns
Defensive MVP: Cody Simon | 11 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble or interception
Major Storyline: The major storyline coming out of the game will be around Ryan Day and the 2021 class redeeming themselves. This game will be won on key plays from that class, especially on defense. There will be more conversation about how Day kept this team together despite the criticism and how the players bounced back to dominate all four of their playoff opponents. This game will never be close as Ohio State shows up from the first snap. After the game, OSU's defense will finally be talked about as one of the best of the last decade and Jeremiah Smith solidifies himself as the best freshman wide receiver in college football history.

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