When No. 2 Ohio State welcomes No. 5 Notre Dame to Columbus on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET on ABC), it will be the first season opener in program history in which both teams are ranked in the top five.But if that wasnt enough to get you excited, consider the shared history between the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish, who rank No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in all-time winning percentage and havecombined for a whopping 1,001 Corn Elder Jersey NFL Draft picks including 157 first-rounders 195 consensus All-Americans, 91 bowl appearances, 19 national championships and 14 Heisman Trophy winners.Its hard to probably appreciate right now because theres just so much going on, but when you think about what an opportunity this is on Saturday night, just getting Ohio State and Notre Dame together, the first game of the year, the 100th anniversary of the Shoe, all of those things combined, what a great opportunity, head coach Ryan Day said this week. Thats what college football is all about.I talked to our players the other day about when you grow up and youre 7, 8, 9, 10 years old and you watch a game on TV on Saturday night, then you wake up the next morning on Sunday and youre playing in the back yard. All of a sudden, youre taking on the personality of the guys who you watch the night before. You could see a couple of them nod, and I said, Well, thats going to be you. , including home-and-home series in 1935-36 and 1995-96, as well as matchups in the 2006 and 2016 Fiesta Bowl. And while the Buckeyes have won four straight of the Fighting Irish, none Sean Chandler Jersey of that matters when the ball is kicked on Saturday night.(The players) realize every year is a different opportunity, Day said. This is the 100th anniversary of the Shoe, the 2022 Ohio State football team and they have the pen to write the story of what it is."Sometimes you just kind of go along with life and dont realize the opportunity that you have, so were really trying to help these guys realize the opportunity is here, the urgencys got to be here and weve got to seize it and run because were in control.Date: Sept. 3, 2022Where: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, OH)Expected Weather:79 degrees, scattered thunderstormsKickoff: 7:30 p.m. ETSpread: Ohio State (-17)O/U Total:59Betting: Check out the new !Television: ABCStreaming: (get a 7-day free trial)Announcers: Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter)Local Radio: Flagship: WBNS 97.1 The FanAnnouncers: Paul Keels (play-by-play), Jim Lachey (analyst), Matt Andrews (sideline reporter), Skip Mosic (pregame/halftime/postgame host and producer)Ohio State leads Notre Dame, 4-2* OSU record at home: 1-1LAST TIME THEY MET2016: Ohio State 44, Notre Dame 28* At Ohio State: Fourth Season, Record Tommy Tremble Jersey : 34-4* Overall: Same* At Notre Dame: 1st Season, Record: 0-1* Overall: SameEveryone knows what Ohio State has on offense, with a trio of returning Heisman Trophy candidates in redshirt sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud, sophomore running back TreVeyon Henderson and junior wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But for all the talent the Buckeyes had on that side of the ball last year, as well, the team was ultimately let down by its defense. Thats why Day wiped the slate clean (with the exception of defensive line coach Larry Johnson) and hired coordinator Jim Knowles, secondary/cornerbacks coach Tim Walton and safeties coach Perry Eliano.The focus in the eight months since has been installing Knowles complex defensive scheme, which involves two linebackers and three safeties and is built to confuse opposing offensive coordinators. And now that its game week, he believes his unit is finally up to the challengeWere 100 percent ready to go, Knowles said this week. Weve put them through the crucible. We go against the nations best offense every day, and weve pushed and prodded and poked and tried to stretch them as far as they can go.We're building a mindset of excellence. This is how we do it and this is how were going to it every day. Were going to do it on the gra s in practice and thats how the games going to go. Its really about expectations. Once the players know that you care, theyll go through the wall for you, and I believe were at that point.Scroll to ContinueIt will be quite the first start for Notre Dame sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner, but Ohio State shouldnt expect him to be wide-eyed given his experiences last year, when he threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 336 yards and three more scores in 10 appearances as a backup.(Hes) very athletic, very talented D.J. Moore Jersey , highly recruited, Day said. Seeing his ability to throw, his ability to run, we know weve got to do a good job because were expecting a high level of play.The Fighting Irishs top returning wide receiver is actually junior tight end Michael Mayer, who was a finalist for the Mackey Award last season after he caught 71 pa ses for 850 yards and seven touchdowns. The 6-foot-5 and 265-pounder will undoubtedly present challenge for Ohio States revamped defense.Hes an excellent player. Hes an NFL player, Knowles said. He has that ability to lean into the coverage and find the open spot, so it is about knowing where he is at all times and making sure that were changing it up enough with him to keep him off balance ... These guys have an excellent tight end, so we need to make sure we have a game plan for it."That said, Notre Dame could be without one of the best offensive linemen in college football on Saturday, Carolina Panthers Home Office as starting left guard Jarrett Patterson is questionable with a foot injury. If hes unable to go, that will be a significant hit to Fighting Irishs run game.Ohio State will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its 2002 national championship on Saturday, with former head coach Jim Tre sel, quarterback Craig Krenzel, running back Maurice Clarettand team captainMike Do samong those set to be in attendance.The Buckeyes have won 22 consecutive season openers dating back to a 23-12 lo s to No. 12 Miami (Fla.) in the 1999 Kickoff Cla sic at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman played linebacker for the Buckeyes from 2004-08 and was part of four Big Ten championship teams. He also appeared in two