The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) meet the Northwestern Wildcats (1-7, 1-4) Saturday at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET (ABC). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Ohio State vs. Northwestern odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
Rankings courtesy of the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Ohio State debuted at No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings this week, behind only top-ranked Tennessee. It can’t afford any slip-ups if it wants to make it into the CFP, but there will be no stunning loss this week.
Ohio State has scored 44 or more points in 7 consecutive games, the longest streak by any Big Ten team since 1936. In addition, the Buckeyes have managed 20-plus points in 69 consecutive games, tying Oklahoma for the all-time record.
Northwestern is averaging just 17.9 PPG, ranked 120th out of 131 FBS teams, and the defense is coughing up 28.8 PPG. That’s not conducive to pulling an upset — or even coming close.
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Ohio State at Northwestern odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 3:31 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Ohio State -100000 (bet $100,000 to win $100) | Northwestern +1700 (bet $100 to win $1,700)
- Against the spread: Ohio State -37.5 (-117) | Northwestern +37.5 (-103)
- Over/Under (O/U): 55.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
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Ohio State at Northwestern and predictions
Prediction
Ohio State 59, Northwestern 10
Moneyline
This shouldn’t even require an explanation, but there would never be a reason to risk $100 to win a dime, which is what a bet on Ohio State (-100000) would be.
AVOID.
Against the spread
OHIO STATE -37.5 (-117) ranks 2nd in the nation with 48.9 PPG, and it has scored 44 or more points in 7 in a row. As such, it is rather surprising this number is so low.
This might be the best bet of the week, as it’s almost impossible to fathom the Buckeyes not getting into the 50s. Can Northwestern score double digits to make you sweat? I’m not so sure.
Over/Under
OVER 55.5 (-112) is a strong play, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see the juggernaut Buckeyes offense take care of the total without any assistance from the Wildcats.
Ohio State has hit 6 straight Over results because of its high-octane offense, which has been on another plane. Northwestern has cashed 3 straight Over results because its defense has packed it in, conceding at least 31 points in losses to Wisconsin, Maryland and Iowa. It’s a perfect recipe for an Over, and by quite a bit.
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