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Check out the game details, keys to the match-up, and my game prediction in this Michigan State-Northwestern preview.
It’s time to tip-off some Big Ten basketball, with the Spartans beginning conference play at Northwestern on Sunday evening. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET and can be seen on the Big Ten Network.
The Spartans enter conference play with a perfect 6-0 nonconference record, while Northwestern is 3-1 in their four out of league tilts.
Let’s take a look at this match-up against the Wildcats, with game details, things to watch, and last but not least my prediction for this game.
Ohio State won the Big Ten again, and running back Trey Sermon turned in a performance for the record books
Big Ten Champ Game MVP ✅
Big Ten Champ Game rushing record ✅
Ohio State single game rushing record ✅@treyera was unstoppable today for @OhioStateFB 😤 pic.twitter.com/f3GwQxPRKw— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 19, 2020
Ohio State has won the Big Ten again, and running back Trey Sermon led the way with a performance for the record books.
Sermon rushed for 331 yards, a Big Ten title game and Ohio State single-game record, scoring a pair of touchdowns as the Buckeyes overcame some early struggles to put away the Wildcats in the fourth quarter.
A transfer from Oklahoma, Sermon has overcome multiple injuries throughout his career, but proved Saturday that he has the talent to be a difference-maker when he gets the ball.
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Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald had some flattering comments about Ohio State after the Big Ten Championship Game. Watch his comments.
Northwestern put a serious scare into Ohio State but came up a bit short as the Buckeyes found a way to take control of the game late in the second half. The Wildcats fought hard, displayed a hard-nosed defense and collective motivation. It just wasn’t enough to slay the Big Ten dragon on this day.
But head coach Pat Fitzgerald didn’t come into the Big Ten Championship Game for moral victories or to show everyone that the little engine that could, couldn’t quite. Even still, the Wildcat head coach showed nothing but class in his postgame press conference when talking about Ohio State.
Fitz was extremely gracious and very complimentary at the talent and heart of the Buckeyes. In case you missed any of his comments in the post-game press conference, we’ve got them for you thanks to the Northwestern Athletics YouTube Channel.
Watch the below video and watch/listen to Fitzgerald discuss Justin Fields’ play, the talent on Ohio State, what the Buckeyes did to make things difficult, whether OSU should be a playoff team or not, and more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxPsVifOeYw
We now wait to see where Ohio State will go for the postseason. We feel good about it ending up in the College Football Playoff, but we’ll just have to wait and see until it’s all announced Sunday.
Ohio State outlasted a tough and motivated Northwestern squad to win its fourth-straight Big Ten Championship. Here are five observations.
OK. Settle down and step away from the ledge Ohio State fans. Northwestern put a scare in all of Buckeye Nation, but then a Superman stepped out of the booth by the name of Trey Sermon and rescued the Big Ten championship.
The win is now the fourth-straight conference title for the Buckeyes, and the fifth championship game victory overall, both conference-leading. But at the end of the day, there’s a lot to take from this game, and not all of it good. Justin Fields struggled, so did the rushing defense at times, and there were far too many mistakes.
However, you’d much rather learn lessons after a win as opposed to a loss, and nobody should ever apologize for winning a ring. That’s where things stand today.
As we always do, here are five things we observed from the nip and tuck — and sometimes squeamish — game in Indianapolis.
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Ohio State got an otherworldy performance from an unexpected source. Running back Trey Sermon led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten Championship.
It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t pretty, but Ohio State found what it needed in the second half to beat back an upstart, well-coached, and hardnosed Northwestern squad 22-10. The Buckeyes did it in a way almost nobody could predict.
That’s because quarterback Justin Fields had an unusually off game against a Wildcat defense that doesn’t give up the big play. He threw two interceptions, only completed 12 of 27 passes and seemed to be frustrated by the scheme of the Northwestern defense. It didn’t help that Chris Olave was lost before the game even started.
So, Ohio State jumped on the shoulders of running back Trey Sermon who absolutely went off today. He wasn’t used very much in the first half, but even then, you could see signs that he was dialed in. Once the second half hit and OSU was behind, struggling to find any rhythm in the passing game, it was time to turn to Sermon.
Time after time, he found holes and used his vision, shiftiness, and speed to rip off big run after big run. At the end of the day, he was the MVP Ohio State sorely needed, breaking the single-game OSU rushing record, going for 331 yards rushing, 270 of it coming after halftime.
TREY SERMON CAME TO PLAY 😤
He set an Ohio State single-game record AND Big Ten Championship record with 331 rushing yards ‼️ pic.twitter.com/EeHYg9sVrL
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 19, 2020
With the win, the Buckeyes have won their fourth-straight Big Ten Championship and should have punched a ticket to the College Football Playoff. It’s not a slam dunk with what we’ve seen from this CFP committee, but you can probably feel pretty safe on making some postseason playoff plans that have a scarlet and gray hue to them.
We’ll find out for sure tomorrow when the pairings are announced.
Bruce Feldman is reporting that Ohio State wide receiver is out for the Big Ten Championship Game against the Northwestern Wildcats.
The rumors appear to be true. They were flying earlier this week that a prominent star wide receiver — in this case Chris Olave — would be out for the Big Ten Championship Game. Ohio State is very private and silent on injuries, and specifically COVID-19 protocols, so we weren’t really given a whole lot of information.
However, FOX Sports Bruce Feldman has confirmed that Olave will not be on the field for Ohio State when it takes on Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Now, if there’s any position group that can absorb a loss like this, it’s the talented receiver room. There is a slew of young talent that can step in and be the next man up, but Olave has smooth route running and is a leader on this team. His absence will be missed.
SOURCES: #OhioState will be without a few key starters today vs #Northwestern. Speedy WR Chris Olave, the team’s leading receiver, is expected to miss the Big Ten Title game. #BigNoonKickoff
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 19, 2020
Our thoughts are with Olave and his health and recovery. In the meantime, the bottom line is that Ohio State still has plenty of talent to soldier on and win this thing.
Let’s go.
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It’s almost time for kickoff between Ohio State and Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game. We’ve got some final thoughts.
It’s here. Ohio State and Northwestern have both cleared COVID-19 testing and are ready to face off for the Big Ten title in Lucas Oil Stadium at Noon. If the Buckeyes win, it’ll be their fourth-straight Big Ten championship and clears the decks for a path to the College Football Playoff. That’s the expected result from almost everyone.
However, Northwestern has other designs. It has surprised everyone so far this year after an abysmal showing in 2019 and are looking to spring the shocker and take home its first Big Ten Championship Game win.
As we get ready for the game, we thought we throw out some final thoughts and senseless musings to get you ready for what’s about to go down in Indy.
Find all the information you need to watch and listen to the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game between Ohio State and Northwestern.
We’ve finally reached championship Saturday after what seems like an incredibly long (yet short) season. Ohio State is going into the Big Ten Championship game as a heavy favorite and the odds have increased since the beginning of the week.
Rumors have been floating around that the Bucks may be dealing with some COVID related illnesses. We won’t know for sure until just before kickoff when Ohio State will release its player availability report. Word on the street is that one of the players missing could be Chris Olave, but that is pure speculation at this point.
That would be a huge blow to the Buckeye offense, but if there is one place the Ohio State team has depth, it is at the wide receiver position. Of course, should OSU win the Big Ten Championship game, any players who have tested positive for COVID-19 would be at risk of missing the national semi-final because of rules set forth by the conference to sit out 21 days.
Before we get too far ahead though, let’s focus on the task at hand. Win the Big Ten and the Bucks are in! Here is how to find the game.
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NEXT … Television, streaming, and radio information
According to a report from ESPN, both Ohio State and Northwestern have cleared COVID-19 testing for the Big Ten Championship Game.
According to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN, sources have indicated to him that both Ohio State and Northwestern have cleared COVID-19 testing and are set to play at Noon in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Rumors circulated earlier this week that the Buckeyes were dealing with another mild coronavirus outbreak and could potentially have a star player and other potential key contributors out of the game. And while we won’t know the answer to that until Ohio State releases its player availability report approximately one hour prior to the game Saturday, we now know that both sides are ready to play the game at mid-day tomorrow in Lucas Oil Stadium.
This is great news, not only for the health and safety of the players from OSU, but for its chances on the field to win its fourth-straight Big Ten Championship. A win in Indy would add another key data point for the College Football Playoff committee to ponder.
Also confirmed #Buckeyes have cleared final testing in Indy for #B1GFootball championship game. Game on for No. 4 Ohio State and No. 14 Northwestern.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 19, 2020
#Northwestern cleared Big Ten COVID testing tonight, 100% clean. https://t.co/zDfzTNPX1W
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 19, 2020
The game is a go, now all that’s left to receive is from the Ohio State athletic department on who isn’t going to suit up. We’ll have that for you tomorrow as soon as we receive notice from the athletic department spokesman.
Game on.
Ohio State vs. Northwestern Big Ten Championship Game preview central
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Ohio State will face off with Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game Saturday at Noon. Here are five bold predictions.
It’s almost time. Ohio State is traveling to Indianapolis to take on Northwestern in the tenth edition of the Big Ten Championship Game. If the Buckeyes win, it’ll be their fourth-straight conference title, and fifth championship game win overall.
OSU is a prohibitive favorite, but you never know how these things will play out until the players step off the bus, warm-up, and get the whole thing going on the field. Northwestern throws out a formidable defense and is about as well a coached team as you’re going to find. We also hear they’re pretty smart in those neck of the woods.
There are some things you feel pretty good about, like Justin Fields scoring a touchdown, but others might be a little off the reservation. We’re going out on limb and providing you with five bold predictions for the Big Ten Championship Game tomorrow.
