The Northwestern Wildcats (6-1) will clash with the Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) in the Big Ten Championship Game Saturday at noon ET. The contest between the East Division champion Buckeyes and West Division champion Wildcats will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. Below, we analyze the Northwestern-Ohio State college football betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Ohio State is No. 4 in the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports. Northwestern is ranked No. 14.
Northwestern vs. Ohio State: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 8:15 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Northwestern +680 (bet $100 to win $680) | Ohio State -1100 (bet $1,100 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Northwestern +20 (-105) | Ohio State -20 (-115)
- Over/Under: 56.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Northwestern vs. Ohio State: Three things to know
- The Wildcats’ 14.6 points per game allowed is a stingy total ranking second in the nation. In yardage measures, Northwestern ranks 21st in FBS against both the run (121.9 yards per game) and the pass (192.0 YPG).
- Ohio State’s 46.6 PPG on offense ranks fourth in the nation. OSU’s ground game (251.0 YPG) ranks seventh. The Buckeyes’ 281.4 passing yards per game rank 24th. QB Justin Fields has thrown 56 touchdown passes in his 19-game Ohio State career. He has also scored 15 rushing TDs with OSU.
- OSU and NU also met in the Big Ten title game two years ago (Dec. 1, 2018). The Buckeyes won that game 45-24. The Bucks and ‘Cats met in the 2019 regular season in Evanston, Ill., with OSU winning 52-3.
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Northwestern vs. Ohio State: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Ohio State 48, Northwestern 17
Money line (ML)
Peg the true odds on both sides as being well-bracketed by a wide berth in these figures. PASS.
Against the spread (ATS)
The Buckeyes may still be dealing with some COVID-19 player unavailability, but the talent on the field can still dominate in every phase of the game. OSU’s stutter-start-and-stop schedule of late is a bit of a concern, especially for the passing game, but the way the Bucks handled their Michigan State game (52-12 road win two weeks back) chips away at that concern adequately.
Northwestern has been dinged by running quarterbacks, and Fields will be the best the Wildcats have seen by a healthy measure. Look for a drop-seven-or-eight style to challenge the Ohio State passing game, especially in the red zone. Ultimately, expect a tremendously efficient OSU offense to get its points.
Figure on healthy respect between the head coaches and maybe a sluggish afternoon for Buckeyes running backs factoring into some four-score game-control stuttering but THERE IS CERTAINLY VALUE IN OHIO STATE -20 (-115).
Over/Under (O/U)
There is a lot of defensive talent on both sides in this one. What wins out in the lean on the total is the 70-degree living-room climate, the speed carpet, and the modern game in general. BACK THE OVER 56.5 (-110).
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