No. 2 Ohio State vs. Northwestern November 5 Betting Preview

Ohio State will go on the road to play the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday at noon after getting heavily tested this past weekend at Penn State. The Buckeyes are a perfect 8-0 overall and sit tied for first with rival Michigan at the top of the Big Ten East. Northwestern is at the bottom of the Big Ten West at 1-7.

Ohio State must be feeling energized after coming from behind to win the game at Penn State by a score of 44-31. This game was very close and even looked to be in the favor of Penn State until the fourth quarter, where the Buckeyes poured it on for 28 points. CJ Stroud threw for 354 yards and one touchdown in the win.

Northwestern took their seventh loss in a row last Saturday against 4-4 Iowa by a score of 33-13. The Wildcats were held scoreless in the first half until quarterback Brendan Sullivan was able to muster up two throwing touchdowns; one in each of the final two quarters. 

Let’s look ahead at this Big Ten matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Northwestern Wildcats.

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Odds

The Buckeyes are 38-point favorites on the road in Evanston. The over/under for total points scored in the game is set at 56, with odds of (-112) and (-109) for the over and under, respectively.

Keys To The Game

The keys for this game for both teams is not about winning or losing but about covering the spread. As shown by the margin in the spread, the Buckeyes will win this game. The question is: by how much? CJ Stroud will get to showcase all of his skills and make a point to the Heisman committee with a game that should be no more than a stat padder.

The Buckeyes defense will need to play tough the whole game, not because there is a doubt they will win, but because they are playing to show the playoff committee that they deserve to be the number one team in the country.

Northwestern needs to slow this game down and drag as much of the clock down as they can on each possession to prevent the Buckeyes from covering. This will require a lot from Brendan Sullivan, who is sure to be put in many third and long situations that he will need to convert on. The Northwestern defensive goal is to prevent the big play and keep the space in front instead of behind their secondary.

Expected Outcome

I expect the Buckeyes to come in and roll the Wildcats. I like them to win with the spread because I don’t see Northwestern scoring a lot of points, and I expect Ohio State to score throughout the game. Depending on how the first week’s College Football Playoff Rankings shape up, the Buckeyes may need to flex their muscles to maintain/improve their position.