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Northwestern Wildcats vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Preview

The Big Ten Championship Game will occur at the usual Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN, this Saturday. The No. 14 Northwestern Wildcats make their second appearance against the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes.

These two teams squared off in this game in 2018, with Ohio State coming out on top 45-24. Ohio State is a -21 point favorite, according to oddsmakers. Kickoff is scheduled for noon EST on Saturday, December 19th.

Controversial Decision Leads to Ohio State Appearance

This game has not gone on without a bit of controversy. Technically, Ohio State did not play enough games to qualify for the bid to the Big Ten Championship Game. Before the COVID-19 shortened season began in October, the athletic directors from each school agreed to specific rules regarding COVID-19 related issues.

One of those rules was each team had to play a minimum of six games to qualify for the Championship Game. Due to three games being canceled for Ohio State due to COVID-19 exposures, they could only play five games this season.

Indiana met the minimum six games and was the next team in line for the bid. The AD’s revoted, and Ohio State was granted the bid. It did make sense because they had already beaten Indiana earlier in the season, and none of the games were canceled because Ohio State had COVID-19 issues.

What To Know- Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern won the West Division of the Big Ten with a 6-1 record. Their only loss was to Michigan State 29-20. That was also the most points Northwestern has given up this season.

The Wildcats defense is why there are here. It has held opponents to 20 points or less in six of their seven games. The question is whether or not the defense is actually this good or just played against weak opponents all season.

Northwestern’s best win was against No. 16 Iowa way back on Halloween. They rallied back from being down 17-0 early to win 21-20.

What To Know- Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes start and end with quarterback Justin Fields. In five games, he has 15 touchdown passes to just three interceptions. He also has used his legs to the tune of five additional touchdowns. He is electric, and I struggle to envision the Northwestern defense being able to contain him.

If there is a weakness with this Buckeyes team we haven’t seen in past years is a bit of a leaky defense. They yield 23.5 points per game and have allowed lesser teams to stick around for longer than they should. Northwestern should be able to put up points in this one.

The Pick Is In

The Buckeyes are -21 point favorites, and that seems like a lot at first glance. They have only covered that spread in three of their five games. But Justin Fields makes this an easy pick.

I have Ohio State covering the -21 point spread with a resounding 45-17 win. Northwestern hasn’t had to play an offense with the kind of talent Justin Fields and company are rolling out there.

The Pick: Ohio State -21

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