Season opener for Notre Dame Fighting Irish this weekend

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Fighting Irish take on the Buckeyes in just a few days.

The first game of the season is Saturday in Columbus.

Head coach Marcus Freeman has been hard at work prepping his team for the top five showdown.

He says he's feeling good about the season opener.

"Any competitor wants this. You want an opportunity to play against the best and see -- there's no better way to see where we're at as a football team than to go and say, 'Okay, let's go play one of the best teams in the country. And let's see where we're at.' And so we're excited. I really, really am pleased with the progress we've made as a team over these past three or four weeks of fall camp," says Freeman.

The pressure is on for Freeman since Ohio State is his alma matter.

Make sure to join ABC57 Kickoff for special coverage of game one Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and watch the matchup Saturday night.