Notre Dame Football Preview: Roster Breakdown, Key Stats, Schedule & CFP Odds Ahead of Title Game
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish find themselves back in the national title for the first time in over a decade. They'll take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff National Championship, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) on Monday, Jan. 20 from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Our Notre Dame football preview features a position-by-position breakdown of the Fighting Irish's roster ahead of Ohio State vs. Notre Dame. Our best sports betting sites list the Buckeyes as 8.5-point favorites, but what does a deep dive into each depth chart say about the squads?
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame odds
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Notre Dame football schedule, stats, key players
All stats provided by College Football Insiders and NCAA.
Notre Dame football schedule & results
| Date | Opponent (site) | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 31 | Texas A&M (away) | W, 23-13 |
| Sept. 7 | Northern Illinois (home) | L, 16-14 |
| Sept. 14 | Purdue (away) | W, 66-7 |
| Sept. 21 | Miami (OH) (home) | W, 28-3 |
| Sept. 28 | Louisville (home) | W, 31-24 |
| Oct. 12 | Standard (home) | W, 49-7 |
| Oct. 19 | Georgia Tech (neutral) | W, 31-13 |
| Oct. 26 | Navy (neutral) | W, 51-14 |
| Nov. 9 | Florida State (home) | W, 52-3 |
| Nov. 16 | Virginia (home) | W, 35-14 |
| Nov. 23 | Army (neutral) | W, 49-14 |
| Nov. 30 | USC (away) | W, 49-35 |
| Dec. 20 | Indiana (home)* | W, 27-17 |
| Jan. 2 | Georgia (neutral)* | W, 23-10 |
| Jan. 9 | Penn State (neutral)* | W, 27-24 |
*College Football Playoff game
Notre Dame football stats & rankings
| Category | Stats | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 37.0 | 6th |
| Points per game allowed | 14.3 | 2nd |
| Yards per game | 405.1 | 53rd |
| Yards per game allowed | 298.3 | 9th |
| Turnover margin | +17 | 5th |
| EPA/dropback (offense) | 0.064 | 26th |
| EPA/dropback (defense) | -0.178 | 1st |
| EPA/rush (offense) | 0.122 | 1st |
| EPA/rush (defense) | -0.108 | 5th |
| EPA net margin | 0.239 | 3rd |
Key players to watch vs. Ohio State
| Player | Season stats |
|---|---|
| Riley Leonard, QB | 2,606 passing yards, 66.4% completion percentage, 19 passing TDs, 8 INTs, 866 rushing yards, 16 rushing TDs |
| Jeremiyah Love, RB | 1,121 rushing yards, 7.1 yards per carry, 17 rushing TDs, 26 receptions, 232 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs |
| Jaden Greathouse, WR | 36 receptions, 464 receiving yards, 12.9 yards per reception, 2 receiving TDs |
| Jack Kiser, LB | 85 combined tackles, 4 TFLs, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles |
| Xavier Watts, S | 75 combined tackles, 3 TFLs, 6 INTs, 1 INT return TD, 8 PDs, 1 forced fumble |
Notre Dame football roster breakdown: Position-by-position analysis
Here is our Notre Dame position-by-position breakdown to help your college football picks.
Quarterbacks
The expectations were high when Notre Dame brought senior quarterback Riley Leonard over from Duke. The Fighting Irish paired him with former LSU offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, who returned to South Bend on the back of coaching Heisman Trophy-winning signal-caller Jayden Daniels. The two hit it off right away to the tune of 3,472 total yards and 35 total touchdowns.
His recent passing numbers don't jump off the page, but his big-play ability on the ground has proven to be the difference in Notre Dame's College Football Playoff wins. Leonard is a true dual-threat quarterback, but the Fighting Irish could be in trouble if they're forced to play catch-up through the air.
Running backs
This was the year of the running back in college football, with Ashton Jeanty and Cam Skattebo dominating headlines. However, Notre Dame will feel it has the belle of the ball going forward in Jeremiyah Love.
Love put on a show for spectators all season long, averaging over seven yards per carry for the campaign. He ran for 1,121 yards and 17 touchdowns in total, only failing to find the end zone in one game (vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl). Nobody on the Fighting Irish's depth chart is capable of taking over a game like the sophomore - just ask Indiana.
Wide receivers / tight ends
Our Ohio State football preview highlights the Buckeyes' wide receiver room as one of the team's biggest strengths. Unfortunately for Notre Dame, its pass-catchers might be the roster's most glaring weakness.
The Fighting Irish didn't have a 500-yard receiver this season. Jaden Greathouse's career day against Penn State saw him overtake Beaux Collins as the team's leading receiver with 464 yards on the season. Nine players have registered 100-plus receiving yards this season for Notre Dame, so if nothing else, the wide receiver corps' parity is a positive.
Offensive line
Left tackle Charles Jagusah suffered a major injury before the season even began, which led to true freshman Anthonie Knapp stepping up as a starter. If you're wondering how that turned out, Knapp started all 15 games for the Fighting Irish along an offensive line that was named a Joe Moore Award semifinalist.
Unfortunately for Notre Dame, Knapp has been ruled out for the national championship, and Jagusah - who stepped in for Rocco Spindler in the Orange Bowl - will likely take his place. Spindler appears ready to go, which means Notre Dame retains four of its five regular starters. That experience will be key as the Fighting Irish prepare for perhaps the best defensive line in the sport.
Defensive line
Al Golden's ability to shuffle around the defensive line in recent weeks without captain Rylie Mills deserves praise. Mills - who tallied a team-high 7.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss this season - will be missed against one of the nation's best offenses. Luckily for Notre Dame, Howard Cross III has returned to form following his recent injury.
The Fighting Irish's defense is defined by resiliency. Players like Donovan Hinish and Junior Tuihalamaka have personified ferocity as they've stepped up in the face of injury to help Notre Dame become one of the best defenses in the country. The Fighting Irish rank No. 1 in EPA per dropback and No. 5 in EPA per rush, and that success is built in the trenches.
Linebackers
It's the Jack Kiser show at linebacker for Notre Dame. The fifth-year senior leads the team in combined tackles with 85. He has put on a clinic in versatility this season from the weak-side linebacker spot with 51 solo tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a pass deflection.
Jaylen Sneed and former high school Butkus Award winner Drayk Bowen have also taken huge steps forward. The health of the Fighting Irish's linebackers has given the defense some consistency in the face of adversity. That said, they could be without regular contributor Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa against Ohio State.
Defensive backs
Things looked bleak for Notre Dame's secondary early in the year when future first-round pick Benjamin Morrison suffered a season-ending injury against Stanford. However, true freshman Leonard Moore has stood out for all of the right reasons since slotting in opposite Christian Gray. Moore not only leads the team in pass breakups, but he's also responsible for four takeaways.
The real talking point among the Fighting Irish's defensive backs, though, is Xavier Watts. The senior's impact has been undeniable on the stat sheet as his draft stock has skyrocketed in recent weeks. Notre Dame's secondary has its work cut out for it against some of the best receivers college football has to offer, but they should be up for the challenge.
Special teams
At one point this season, the Fighting Irish were statistically the worst field-goal-kicking team in the nation. Notre Dame fans forgot all about that, though, when Mitch Jeter's go-ahead 41-yard field goal snuck through the uprights with less than 10 seconds on the clock against Penn State.
Marcello Diomede, Jeter, and Zac Yoakam have combined to go 18-for-29 (62.1%) on field goals. Fortunately for the Fighting Irish, their kicking woes have gone away as of late, with Jeter draining seven of eight in the College Football Playoff.
Coaching staff
When Marcus Freeman stepped foot in South Bend in 2021, he couldn't have imagined where he'd be right now. The 39-year-old has ascended the sport's coaching ranks, so much so he's already getting NFL head coaching interest. Freeman has posted a 33-9 record during his three seasons as a head coach, with three College Football Playoff wins to his name.
His passion has been on display for all to see throughout recent weeks; he's done the impossible by making Notre Dame a lovable underdog during this run. If he's able to lead the Fighting Irish to the promised land, he'll bring a title back to South Bend for the first time since 1988.
College football odds pages
| CFP National Championship Odds | SEC Odds | Big 12 Odds |
| Heisman Trophy Odds | Big Ten Odds | ACC Odds |
| College Football Playoff Odds | Mountain West Odds | MAC Odds |
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