Northwestern Wildcats vs Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Picks, Odds, Lines, Props & Predictions
Saturday’s Big Ten college football betting championship game brings us a matchup between one of the scariest offenses in the nation with Ohio State (5-0 SU, 3-2 ATS) ranking fourth in the FBS in points per game with 46.6 and the FBS’ second-toughest defense as Northwestern (6-1 SU, 5-1-1 ATS) allows only 14.6 points per contest. The Buckeyes have a significant edge in the all-time series with a 63-14-1 record and have won the last eight games against the Wildcats including the 2018 Big Ten championship game. The last win for Northwestern in this matchup came back in 2004.
Northwestern Wildcats vs Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Line Movement
The Buckeyes opened as a huge -20.5 favorites and the oddsmakers are clearly expecting a blowout, but over the week the line has moved slightly in favor of the visitors and stands at -18.5 at the moment. The total dropped from the opening 59.5 and can be found at 56 or 56.5 depending on where you place your bet.
Notes On The Northwestern Wildcats
Most of the people have already written the Wildcats off in Saturday’s game, and they will be extremely motivated to prove everyone wrong. The defeat to Michigan State earlier in the season has left them without a chance of appearing in the College Football Playoffs but a close game on Saturday may do the same for the Buckeyes and Northwestern will enter the game looking to play a spoiler and ruin fun for their Big Ten rivals.
The Wildcats had an impressive college football betting season and mostly have their fantastic defense to thank for it. They allowed more than 20 points only once, in a defeat to Michigan State. Only nine offensive touchdowns allowed in 7 games make them a scary opponent for anyone, even an offense as potent as Ohio State. The other side of the ball is a different story, though. They averaged only 180 yards through the air and the rushing is only a bit better, ranking 60th in the nation. Senior QB Payton Ramsey threw for only 9 TDs this season and is also responsible for 6 interceptions.
Notes On The Ohio State Buckeyes
The Covid-19 pandemic has pretty much messed up Ohio State’s season, and they have played only five games, a main point of contention for those who feel that the Buckeyes don’t deserve a spot in the College Football Playoffs. They could be up for more Covid-related problems as the latest reports indicate that an unnamed, but “prominent”, starter tested positive and could be out of Saturday’s game.
Ohio State may have played only five games but were rather convincing in all of them with the only scare coming in the home game against Indiana which they won 42-35. The offense has been nothing short of spectacular and QB Justin Fields is having an excellent season with an outside shot at getting the Heisman Trophy.
In just five games he threw for over 1.400 yards and 15 touchdowns adding 5 scores on the ground. On defense, the Buckeyes are dominating against the run, allowing only 95 yards per game on the ground, but passing defense is perhaps their biggest weakness. In this department, they rank last in Big Ten and 111th in the country
Online College Football Betting Pick: Under 56.5
There’s a lot of defensive talent on both sides here. Northwestern’s elite defense should be able to slow down Justin Fields at least to some extent, and it’s hard to see their college football betting offense doing anything of significance to challenge this bet.
