2022 Week 1 college football odds: Ohio State now nearly two-touchdown favorite vs. Notre Dame

Many experts think Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud will win the Heisman Trophy this season and then be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Stroud and the Buckeyes open the 2022 college football season with a tough test at home vs. Notre Dame. Caesars Sportsbook has raised the Buckeyes to -13 after opening a few days ago at -10.5 among a few early Week 1 offerings. No time has been set for the Sept. 3 game yet, but it will be the most-watched opener.

Even after losing star receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave to the NFL, Ohio State is going to open in the top three of the preseason AP Top 25 this summer with Stroud, sensational running back TreVeyon Henderson and wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba back.

While OSU missed the 2021 College Football Playoff because of a regular-season finale loss to Michigan, we last saw the Buckeyes hanging 48 points on a good Utah team in a Rose Bowl victory. Stroud threw for a school-record 573 yards and six TDs against a terrific defense and Smith-Njigba set the record for any FBS bowl game with 347 yards receiving while catching a school-record 15 passes and scoring three touchdowns.

Stroud is currently a +300 co-favorite at Caesars to win the 2022 Heisman with 2021 winner Bryce Young, the Alabama quarterback. OSU is a +700 third favorite to win the national title.

This will be the regular-season head coaching debut of the Irish's Marcus Freeman. He was Notre Dame's defensive coordinator under Brian Kelly before Kelly left for LSU ahead of the Irish's bowl game. Freeman was named the full-time replacement and ND lost 37-35 against Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Despite losing quarterback Jack Coan, running back Kyren Williams and All-American safety Kyle Hamilton to the NFL Draft, the Irish will be in the AP Preseason Top 10 as well. Drew Pyne and Tyler Buchner will battle for the quarterback job. This is one of only fur true road games for Notre Dame next season.

The last time the Irish were at least 13-point underdogs in a regular-season game was at Georgia in September 2019 and Notre Dame lost by six. The Irish haven't won a regular-season game as at least at 13-point dog since 2007 at UCLA.

This will be the first regular-season meeting between Notre Dame and Ohio State since 1996 in South Bend, but they did play in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day 2016 and the Buckeyes won 44-28. They have won the past four in the series.

Early Week 1 college football odds via Caesars Sportsbook

• Ohio St -13 vs. Notre Dame
• Georgia -15 vs. Oregon (Atlanta)
• Florida -1 vs. Utah
• Arkansas -8.5 vs. Cincinnati
• LSU -4 vs. Florida State (New Orleans)
• Clemson -21.5 at Georgia Tech

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