I wouldn't say ND has no chance. If they show up they have a chance.
What is the probability OH-IO St wins? If these two teams played 100 times with the same context I'd say the Buckeyes win 70 times. That's my opinion and I've already wagered on that opinion.
I agree with you and I've said as much, the Irish just don't have the athletes 1 thru 11 on both sides of the ball to compete if the Buckeyes are focused. There is no reason to think they won't be. They dismantled Tennessee, Oregon, and the Texas game was and wasn't as close as it finished. 3 Buckeye penalties stalled drives while up 7-0 and had Hook Em' on their heels. That game could have easily been 14-0 or 21-0 just as easily as it could have been 21-21 late when OH-IO St scooped and scored.
ND struggled with Penn St and gave Franklin every chance to lose the "can't win the big game" moniker. They failed.
This game comes down to horses, and ND just doesn't have enough on defense to stop the Buckeyes consistently for 4 Q's. If Golden tries to scheme them similarly to what Texas did, that could prove a bad move. ND doesn't have the speed on defense Texas did.
ND is down at least one offensive lineman and possibly two. That's going to force Leonard to run run run, and he better do it well cause he isn't consistently a good enough passer to beat OH-IO St. Love looked better than thought against Penn St and logic would say he should be even healthier than last week. I'm guessing he's taken quite a few cortisone shots in that knee. He's going to have to be a huge factor offensively for the Irish to keep this close.
Best of Luck!