ESPN College GameDay 2022: Week 1 Schedule, Location, Predictions and More

College football is officially back with a bang this Labor Day weekend with ESPN's College GameDay.

No. 1 Auburn and No. 3 Georgia both have games on the schedule for the 36th season of the widely popular show that hits airwaves this Saturday, Sept. 3, live from Ohio Stadium in Columbus, but the marquee matchup for Week 1 is none other than the showdown between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Notre Dame.

Obviously, a big part of why the spotlight is on the Buckeyes vs. Fighting Irish game is that both teams are in the Top 5 on the AP Top 25 rankings: Preseason, but more than that, all eyes will be tuned into the action at the roaring Horseshoe because of the lop-sided 17.5-point spread by Caesars Sportsbook that has Ohio State picked to run up the scoreboard on Notre Dame.

Other top-ranked teams like No. 4 Clemson, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 7 Utah and No. 8 Michigan will also be in action to keep college football fans nationwide glued to the television.

As for entertainment, GameDay never disappoints, as they will have Grammy-nominated rapper Jack Harlow on hand to perform live.

In addition to likely performing his top single, "First Class," Harlow will also get to be the first guest picker of the 2022 season.

Here's a quick look at the schedule for the Top 25 teams this holiday weekend, as well as predictions for the games and what to expect for the matchup between the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish.

Both teams are ranked as preseason top-five opponents with Ohio State at No. 2 and Notre Dame at No. 5, but the 17.5-point spread by Caesars Sportsbook is just the fourth time in the past 45 years a team has been favored by 17 or more points in an AP top-five matchup.

Both are among the seven college football teams that have at least a 1 percent chance of winning the national title, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor.

The Fighting Irish have inked two consecutive top-10 classes and are not only off to a strong start to extend that streak but also contending for the nation's top class.

Week 1 Top 25 Schedule, Predictions

Friday, Sept. 2

No. 15 Michigan State at Western Michigan, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

Saturday, Sept. 3

No. 1 Alabama at Utah State, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network

No. 2 Ohio State at No. 5 Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

No. 3 Georgia at No. 11 Oregon (in Atlanta), 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

No. 6 Texas A&M at Sam Houston, 12 p.m. ET, SEC Network

No. 7 Utah at Florida, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

No. 8 Michigan at Colorado State, 12 p.m. ET, ABC

No. 9 Oklahoma at UTEP, 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX

No. 10 Baylor at Albany, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+

No. 13 NC State at East Carolina, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN

No. 14 USC at Rice, 6 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

No. 16 Miami (Fla.) at Bethune-Cookman, 3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network

No. 18 Wisconsin at Illinois State, 7 p.m. ET, FS1

No. 19 Arkansas at No. 23 Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

No. 20 Kentucky at Miami (Ohio), 7 p.m. ET, SECN+

No. 21 Ole Miss at Troy, 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network

No. 24 Houston at UTSA, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBSSN

No. 25 BYU at South Florida, 4 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Sunday, Sept. 4

No. 4 Clemson at Georgia Tech (at Mercedes-Benz Stadium), 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Picks in bold.

Ohio State-Notre Dame Preview

The oddsmakers have spoken, Ohio State is the overwhelming favorite for Saturday's headline game against Notre Dame, but that doesn't tell the whole story.

Everyone's confidence in the Buckeyes does make sense, though. They are on all of the analysts' lists to make the college playoff and, along with Alabama, have the shortest odds to win the title this season.

They have an elite quarterback in C.J. Stroud, who is a definite Heisman candidate, who led the most potent offense in college football last year (561.2 YPG and 45.7 PPG).

Ohio State had an excellent recruiting class to shore up their defensive, so they'll be dangerous on both sides of the ball on Saturday.

Couple all of that with the fire in their bellies from losing to Michigan last year for the first time in nearly a decade and the Buckeyes will be a tall order for the Fighting Irish to play out of the gate.

"We had to sit on that for a calendar year," Ohio State head coach Ryan Day told Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde of his team's 42-27 loss to Michigan. "It’s not good. It’s something we never want to have to go through again."

Still, it's almost disrespectful for Notre Dame to be more than two touchdown underdogs, even if the game is in Columbus.

New head coach Marcus Freeman will likely have a few tricks up his sleeve to try to start off his tenure with an upset win.

"The opportunity to go and play a great team like Ohio State in I’m sure what will be a hostile environment in Columbus, Ohio," Freeman said during his press conference. "I said this before, but any competitor wants this. You want an opportunity to go and play against the best.

"There is no better way to see where we are as a football team than to go and say, let’s go play one of the best teams in the country and see where we’re at. We’re excited."

Even to those fans that aren't keen on the Buckeyes or Fighting Irish, this is a game they don't want to miss.

Ohio State will likely score a lot of points, and if Notre Dame wants to keep the game close, they'll have to find a way to match their opponent's efforts on offense.

In the end, the Buckeyes should keep their hold on their No. 2 ranking and pad their CFP resume, but the Fighting Irish should be able to at least deliver a back door cover.