The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1) will play in a unique setting when they face the Northwestern Wildcats (4-5) at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Saturday afternoon. Ohio State is one spot behind Oregon atop the College Football Playoff rankings following a 45-0 win over Purdue last week. Northwestern had a bye last week following its 26-20 overtime win against the Boilermakers two weeks ago. The Wildcats have played three games at the home of the Chicago Cubs since 2010, while this will be Ohio State's first game at the historic venue.
Kickoff is set for noon ET on Saturday at Wrigley Field. The Buckeyes are favored by 28 points in the latest Northwestern vs. Ohio State odds, while the over/under is 44.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Ohio State vs. Northwestern picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and it is a strong 18-12 on all top-rated picks over the past seven weeks of this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen strong returns.
The model has set its sights on Ohio State vs. Northwestern. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football betting lines for the game:
- Ohio State vs. Northwestern spread: Ohio State -28
- Ohio State vs. Northwestern over/under: 44.5 points
- Ohio State vs. Northwestern picks: See picks here
- Ohio State vs. Northwestern streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why Northwestern can cover
Northwestern desperately needed an extra week to rest and prepare for this Ohio State team, especially since the Wildcats went to double overtime in their win over Purdue two weeks ago. They snapped a two-game losing streak with that victory, as sophomore quarterback Jack Lausch completed 23 of 35 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Joseph Himon II led the rushing attack with 78 yards and a touchdown on just six carries.
The Wildcats have not played a home game since Oct. 19, and they have an experience edge after playing at this venue last year. They have also covered the spread in five consecutive games in November following their win over Purdue. Meanwhile, Ohio State has a massive game looming against No. 5 Indiana next week, making this a look-ahead spot for the Buckeyes. See which team to pick here.
Why Ohio State can cover
Ohio State has put together a pair of impressive performances in the last two weeks, starting with a 20-13 win over then-No. 3 Penn State in a game with playoff implications. Senior quarterback Will Howard had 182 passing yards and two touchdowns, while junior running back Quinshon Judkins added 95 rushing yards. Howard is having a fantastic season, passing for 2,237 yards, 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
Judkins leads the rushing attack with 647 yards and six touchdowns, but senior TreVeyon Henderson has 588 rushing yards and five scores. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith broke Ohio State's freshman receiving record with his ninth touchdown of the season in the blowout win over Purdue last week. The Buckeyes have covered the spread in seven of the last 10 meetings between these teams, and they have covered in four of their last six games this season. See which team to pick here.
How to make Northwestern vs. Ohio State picks
The model has simulated Ohio State vs. Northwestern 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in nearly 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Northwestern vs. Ohio State, and which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Ohio State vs. Northwestern spread to jump on, all from the advanced computer model that's up well over $2,000 on its top-rated college football spread picks since its inception, and find out.
