Tag: Northwestern Wildcats

Five things to know about the Northwestern Wildcats ahead of the Big Ten Championship Game

Ohio State and Northwestern will face off at Noon in Indy in the Big Ten Championship game. Here are 5 things to know about the Wildcats.

Ohio State is off to Indianapolis to defend its Big Ten Championship title and will be attempting to win four-straight. It’ll be facing a familiar foe, the Northwestern Wildcats who met the Buckeyes in the 2018 game.

If you’re a Big Ten fan, you know a little about these Wildcats, but with such a wacky year, and with Pat Fitzgerald getting this crew off the mat after a very disappointing 2019 campaign, there are some things you probably don’t know.

We started a new segment here that goes along with our scouting of the opposition, where we look at five interesting things as well. It’s always good to know a little about the opponent, so here are five things to know about Northwestern in 2020 as we get ready for all the fun in the Crossroads of America.

NEXT … A familiar name at quarterback

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Scouting the Northwestern Wildcats before the Big Ten Championship game

Time to scout Northwestern ahead of the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State. Speed and defense are the hallmarks of the Wildcats.

Northwestern is a bit of a surprise matchup for Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game this weekend. Very few predicted this type of season for the Wildcats, and the campaign has been spearheaded by an opportunistic and very quick defense. There are a few takeaways from watching Northwestern this season.

The coaching staff has been solid. The hiring of offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian was a slight departure from the Wildcats of previous years and their gunslinging wide-open style. Instead, Northwestern has tried to be balanced and efficient, relying on the defense to shut teams down and score on the opportunities.

And, yeah, it has worked wonders while winning the Big Ten’s West division out of seemingly nowhere. But, let’s talk about the guy under center for Northwestern.

Peyton Ramsey won’t beat you alone…

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Scouting the Northwestern Wildcats before the Big Ten Championship game

Time to scout Northwestern ahead of the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State. Speed and defense are the hallmarks of the Wildcats.

Northwestern is a bit of a surprise matchup for Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game this weekend. Very few predicted this type of season for the Wildcats, and the campaign has been spearheaded by an opportunistic and very quick defense. There are a few takeaways from watching Northwestern this season.

The coaching staff has been solid. The hiring of offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian was a slight departure from the Wildcats of previous years and their gunslinging wide-open style. Instead, Northwestern has tried to be balanced and efficient, relying on the defense to shut teams down and score on the opportunities.

And, yeah, it has worked wonders while winning the Big Ten’s West division out of seemingly nowhere. But, let’s talk about the guy under center for Northwestern.

Peyton Ramsey won’t beat you alone…

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Ohio State basketball game vs. North Carolina rescheduled to later time slot

The Ohio State – North Carolina basketball game has been moved to a later time slot to accommodate OSU football’s Big Ten Championship Game.

If you read the headline, you probably thought it was another coronavirus cancellation. We’re sorry about that, but we can confirm that’s not the case — the exact opposite rather.

Now that we know the Ohio State football team will be playing in Indianapolis Saturday against Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship game, a quick look at the calendar tells you there was a potential conflict. Not only is the big one in Indy happening on December 19, but so too is the Ohio State basketball game against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

We know the Big Ten Championship is slotted for Noon EST, and the CBS Sports Classic game OSU hoops was to play in was scheduled for 2:00 p.m. EST. Say what? That’s bad news to have to choose between the two.

Don’t worry, you no longer have to. That’s because per an announcement by the folks that are in charge of these things, the OSU vs. UNC basketball game has now been moved to 4:15 p.m EST, which should give all you Buckeye fans the ability to watch both.

Whew!

Hopefully, it’s a twin victory for the two biggest revenue sports and we can all go to bed happy and forward-looking towards Christmas less than a week later.

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Early BetMGM line significantly favors Ohio State over Northwestern in Big Ten Championship Game

Ohio State is the big, early favorite over the Northwestern Wildcats in the Big Ten Championship Game according to BetMGM.

It’s all over aside from “championship week” in the Big Ten. For Ohio State, that means a matchup in Indianapolis with the West division winner, Northwestern Wildcats.

It’s a name brand Buckeye squad against the overachieving, less-talented team north of Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan. You have to give credit to Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald for what this team has been able to accomplish, but beating Ohio State is a whole other animal.

The Buckeyes are unlikely to get “out Northwesterned.” The Wildcats will be challenged to stay with a speedy and athletic OSU team across multiple fronts and the odds agree that it could get a bit out of hand.

We always keep tabs on what the folks at BetMGM are doing with their betting odds, and the popular sportsbook has Ohio State as an early 19.5 favorite.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM, The King of Sportsbooks. 

Frankly, we believe OSU could easily win more than that, but they have to play the game, and it wouldn’t be the first time Northwestern surprised folks. And let it be known that we have a ton of respect for the school and what it has meant to college football recently.

Either way, the two will matchup on Saturday at Noon EST. You can find the game on FOX.

We’ll see if the line moves any from here through the end of the week.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Ohio State vs. Northwestern 2020 Big Ten Championship Football Preview And Prediction

Ohio State and Northwestern are all set to clash in the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game. As always, we have your preview and prediction.

It is finally championship week and it feels like the Big Ten is limping across the finish line. Thanks to commissioner Kevin Warren, the conference had no room for error and as a result, questions abound whether the Big Ten Champion is worthy of a College Football Playoff spot.

Thankfully, Warren did the right thing by changing the six-game minimum and allowed undefeated Ohio State the opportunity to get to the championship game. The Buckeyes will play the Big Ten West champ, Northwestern Wildcats, for a chance to wear the conference crown.

OSU is a heavy favorite in the game, but don’t count out Pat Fitzgerald’s squad. The Northwestern head coach knows how to get the most out of his players… actually there may be no one better than Coach Fitz.

Let’s get ready for championship week!

NEXT … Records and broadcast information

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The ACC is close to finding their new commissioner

The ACC has zeroed in on Northwestern’s athletic director Jim Phillips as their top candidate to replace John Swofford as commissioner.

Late last night Twitter was set ablaze with the rumor that current Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips will be offered the ACC commissioner job in the near future.

This would be a massive coup for the ACC, as Phillips is extremely highly regarded as an administrator. What he has accomplished at Northwestern is impressive, leading them to break their program long Men’s NCAA tournament drought in 2017 while the football program has reached new heights in winning the West division two of the last three years.

Phillips was one of the final candidates to take over the Big Ten when former commissioner Jim Delaney retired, but wasn’t selected as they opted for Kevin Warren.

Although a formal offer has yet to be given to Phillips to take over for John Swofford, but except him to oversee the ACC for years to come.

Want to see Ohio State in the College Football Playoffs? Become a fan of these four teams.

Ohio State most likely controls it’s own future, but a little help never hurt anything. Here is who to root for in college football.

Well, we should be watching Ohio State face Michigan today, but unfortunately, the Wolverines decided to take a year off from their annual beatdown. So what are Buckeye fans to do on another Saturday with no football in scarlet and gray?

Even though the Buckeyes won’t be taking the field, there are plenty of other games taking place today and next week that could affect how the College Football Playoff rankings will all shakedown.

We thought we’d give you some insight on who fans should be rooting for both today and next week, which will help bolster the Ohio State football resume for the playoff committee.

First up: Roll Tide

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Mean Tweets as a result of Ohio State getting advanced to the Big Ten Championship Game over Indiana

The world is burning from Ohio State being selected for the Big Ten Championship Game over Indiana. Here are the best mean tweet responses.

Ohio State is going to the Big Ten Championship Game as a 5-0 team and the world has been set on fire because of it. There are a lot of layers we could peel back here, but the crux of why the college football world is standing on end is because the Big Ten changed its minimum game policy to advance the Buckeyes to Indy to face West division champ Northwestern.

The move effectively pushed second-place Indiana out of the Big Ten Championship Game. It really makes perfect sense because the Buckeyes already beat the Hoosiers on the field, but nobody wants to hear or listen to that because there are implications in places that drink sweet tea and eat grits and barbecue.

And, despite almost the entire conference coming together to not penalize Ohio State for things it cannot control, social media has been abuzz with vitriol and criticism. Heck, even Indiana released a classy statement with an understanding of the situation.

Regardless, we thought it’d be fun to collect some of the meanest and outlandish Tweets criticizing and bashing Ohio State. So, here you go. Enjoy the unfettered nonsense that can be found on the app called Twitter.

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Ryan Day issues statement on Big Ten decision to send Ohio State to B1G Championship Game

Ohio State coach Ryan Day released a statement expressing gratitude for the conference rewarding OSU with spot in the B1G Championship Game.

The Big Ten put on its big boy pants and stepped up to the plate this time, rewarding its best team, Ohio State, for going 5-0 and beating second-place Indiana head-to-head. It could have kept with the policy of requiring a minimum of six games, but instead voted to scrap that and rightfully provide the Buckeyes a shot at another Big Ten Championship and a better path to the College Football Playoff.

The move by the power brokers in the Big Ten was not lost on Ohio State head coach Ryan Day either. He released a statement through an OSU athletic department spokesman on Wednesday with his gratitude to other members in the conference.

“On behalf of Ohio State University, the players, all those associated with the football program and our fans, I am appreciative of our Big Ten Conference colleagues for reconsidering the six-game requirement to qualify for the Big Ten championship game,” said Day in the statement. “A lot of changes have happened since that recommendation was put in place. I know making this decision was not easy, and I am thankful for the opportunity our players will now have to play in Indianapolis as an undefeated East Division champion.”

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Now, all that’s left is to prepare like heck, stay safe, and hope that both teams don’t run into issues with a further spike in coronavirus cases. As long as everything is headed in the right direction, Ohio State and Northwestern will face off at Noon next Saturday for a trophy that will be remembered forever.

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