The Ohio State Notre Dame rivalry isn’t like the others. It’s not Michigan-Ohio State, where the hate is a low-grade fever that burns 365 days a year. It’s also not the kind of manufactured rivalry you see when a TV network tries to force a trophy game between two schools that share a border but nothing else.
This is different. It's rare.
When the Buckeyes and the Irish meet, it feels like a total lunar eclipse in the college football world. It doesn't happen often—only eight times in over a century—but when it does, everything else stops. You’ve got the two biggest brands in the Midwest, and arguably the country, clashing over more than just a win. It’s about identity. It’s about the "Golden Dome" versus "The Horseshoe."
Most people assume these teams play all the time because they’re only a few hours apart on I-80. They don't. In fact, for decades, they avoided each other like the plague.
The Weird History of Ohio State Notre Dame
There was a massive gap in this series. A huge, fifty-year void. After a home-and-home in 1935 and 1936—which featured the 1935 "Game of the Century" where Notre Dame staged a legendary comeback in Columbus—the two schools basically stopped talking.
Why? It depends on who you ask.
Some historians point to the regional politics of the mid-20th century. Others say the Big Ten’s scheduling rules made it a nightmare. But honestly, it mostly felt like neither side wanted to give the other the satisfaction of a "territory" win. If you don't play, you can both claim to be the king of the region.
Then came the 90s.
Eddie George and the Buckeyes finally got the Irish back on the schedule in 1995 and 1996. Those games were massive. Ohio State swept them, and it started a trend that Irish fans absolutely hate talking about. Despite Notre Dame’s global prestige, they have struggled immensely to get past the Buckeyes in the modern era.
The Lou Holtz Factor and Recent Drama
If you want to understand why the 2023 matchup was so spicy, you have to look at a 86-year-old man in a suit. Lou Holtz.
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Before the most recent game in South Bend, the legendary former Notre Dame coach went on national TV and basically called Ryan Day’s Ohio State team "soft." He questioned their toughness. He said they weren't physical enough to win in the trenches.
It was a classic old-school jab. But it hit a nerve.
Ohio State won that game on the literal last second of the clock. Chip Trayanum dove into the end zone with one second left to give the Buckeyes a 17-14 win. It was ugly. It was gritty. It was exactly the kind of game Holtz said Ohio State couldn't win.
Ryan Day’s post-game interview was an all-timer. He was fired up. He was screaming about "Ohio against the world." It was one of those rare moments where the corporate veneer of college football cracked and you saw the genuine, raw emotion that this specific matchup creates.
Why the "10 Men" Blunder Changed Everything
We have to talk about the mistake. It's the elephant in the room for Notre Dame fans.
On that final play in 2023, Notre Dame only had 10 players on the field. They were missing a defensive lineman on the side where Trayanum scored.
How does that happen at this level?
Marcus Freeman, the Irish head coach—who, ironically, played linebacker at Ohio State—took the heat for it. It was a coaching breakdown of epic proportions. If that 11th man is there, does Ohio State score? Maybe not. But that’s the margin of error when these two teams meet. It’s razor-thin. One substitution error can define a decade of bragging rights.
Comparing the Cultures: Columbus vs. South Bend
The vibes at these two schools couldn't be more different.
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Columbus is a massive, sprawling city. Ohio State is a giant, state-funded machine with over 60,000 students. It’s loud, it’s aggressive, and it feels like a professional sports franchise. The fan base is demanding. If an Ohio State coach doesn't beat Michigan and make the playoff, the seat gets hot immediately.
South Bend is a quiet, private, Catholic enclave. There’s a sense of "tradition" that feels almost religious. Walking around the Notre Dame campus on a game day feels like being in a movie. It’s "Touchdown Jesus" and the "Victory Cloggers."
But don't let the polite exterior fool you. Notre Dame fans are just as obsessed. They view themselves as the keepers of college football's soul. When they play Ohio State, it's a culture war. It’s "The People’s University" versus the "National Catholic Icon."
Looking at the Numbers
Here is the cold, hard truth that Notre Dame fans hate: The Buckeyes have owned the series lately.
- Overall Record: Ohio State leads 6-2.
- The Streak: Ohio State has won the last six meetings (1995, 1996, 2006, 2016, 2022, 2023).
- Last Notre Dame Win: 1936.
Think about that. If you are a Notre Dame fan, you haven't seen your team beat the Buckeyes since before World War II. That’s a heavy weight to carry.
The 2006 Fiesta Bowl was particularly painful for the Irish. A.J. Hawk and Ted Ginn Jr. basically ran circles around them. It was a "speed" gap that Notre Dame spent the next fifteen years trying to close. They’ve closed it recently—the 2022 and 2023 games were one-score battles—but they still haven't cleared the hurdle.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Recruiting
There’s this myth that Ohio State and Notre Dame are fighting over the same five kids every year.
It’s true to an extent, but the "academic hurdle" at Notre Dame changes the math. Notre Dame has a much smaller recruiting pool because of their admissions standards. Ohio State can take almost any elite athlete they want.
However, the "Ohio-to-South Bend" pipeline is real. Notre Dame has made a living for years by "stealing" the top kids from Cincinnati and Cleveland that Ohio State didn't prioritize or that wanted a private school environment.
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Marcus Freeman is the ultimate example. He’s an Ohio guy through and through. He knows the high school coaches in the state. He knows the culture. That makes him more dangerous to Ohio State than any Notre Dame coach in the last thirty years.
The Future of the Matchup
With the Big Ten expanding and the College Football Playoff moving to 12 teams, will we see more of Ohio State Notre Dame?
Probably not as a regular season thing.
Scheduling these non-conference "mega-games" is getting harder. Teams are playing nine conference games now, and with the playoffs expanding, coaches are becoming more protective of their records. Why risk a loss to a top-5 team in September if you don't have to?
That said, the 12-team playoff makes an Ohio State Notre Dame postseason matchup almost inevitable. Imagine a quarterfinal game in the Horseshoe in late December. That is the dream for any college football fan.
Actionable Insights for the Next Game
If you're planning on attending or betting on the next clash, keep these three things in mind:
- Watch the Trenches, Not the Stars: These games are rarely won by a 50-yard bomb. They are won by the offensive lines. In 2023, Ohio State won because they eventually wore down the Irish front seven in the fourth quarter.
- The Home Field is Worth 3.5 Points: In this specific series, the home crowd has been massive. The noise in the 2022 opener in Columbus was some of the loudest the stadium has ever been.
- Check the "Transfer Portal" Impact: In the modern era, you have to see who is missing. Both of these teams are now built on high-end transfers. A single key injury to a transfer quarterback changes the entire betting line.
The reality is that Ohio State Notre Dame is the best thing about college football. It represents two different philosophies, two massive fan bases, and a level of history that you just can't manufacture. Even if the Buckeyes have the winning streak, every game feels like it could be the one where the Irish finally reclaim the Midwest.
Until they play again, the tension will keep building. If you have the chance to see this game in person, take it. There is nothing else like it in American sports.
How to Prepare for the Next Rivalry Meeting
- Track the Recruiting Rankings: Keep an eye on the 247Sports Composite for both schools. If the gap between Ohio State's "blue-chip ratio" and Notre Dame's starts to close, the Irish are a much safer bet.
- Review the Defensive Schemes: Ohio State has moved toward a more aggressive, NFL-style 4-2-5 defense under Jim Knowles. Notre Dame’s success against this scheme depends entirely on their ability to run the ball between the tackles.
- Set Up Alerts for Schedule Changes: Since these games aren't annual, you need to watch for "Series Announcements." Typically, these are scheduled 5-10 years in advance, so early travel booking is essential for South Bend, where hotel prices quadruple on game weekends.
- Focus on the Line of Scrimmage: Look at the returning starters on the Offensive Line. For both programs, this has been the primary indicator of success in their head-to-head matchups over the last decade.