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Ohio State

Buckeyes open as heavy road favorite for Northwestern matchup

Spencer-Holbrookby: Spencer Holbrook11/10/24SpencerHolbrook
Will Howard by © Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ohio State QB Will Howard (© Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

COLUMBUS — Ohio State is halfway through its two-week stretch of games against lesser-than Big Ten teams. The Buckeyes shut Purdue out for a 45-0 win, one of the most thorough wins of the year for this team.

Now comes the second half of this two-game stretch; the Buckeyes will travel to Wrigley Field for a unique clash against a struggling Northwestern team. According to the folks in the desert, Ohio State is projected to easily move past the Wildcats and move to 9-1.

Ohio State opened this week as a 31.5-point road favorite for the game against Northwestern, which will be played at historic Wrigley Field. The total is set at 43.5 points, according to Fanduel Sportsbook.

The Buckeyes are coming off that aforementioned blowout win over a now-1-8 Purdue team just a week after pulling out a road win over Penn State.

“I think Purdue is a better football team than their record indicates,” Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard said. “I don’t think that they’re a 1-8 football team. I really do believe that. I think that they do some good things. They’ve struggled a little bit this year, but like we said, it’s not about them, it’s about us. And if we’re going to be who we say we are, and we’re going to be the baddest team in the country, we have to be that every single week.”

This week will be another challenge of making sure the Buckeyes take care of business against a lesser opponent. This time, it’s a road trip to a unique venue to take on Northwestern.

+ Ohio State is 5-4 against the spread this season
+ Northwestern is 3-6 against the number
+ The Buckeyes are 34-1 in their last 35 games against Northwestern
+ Ohio State is 7-3 against the spread against Northwestern in the last 10 meetings
+ Ohio State beat Northwestern 21-7 in an ultra-windy game on the road in 2022
+ The total has gone under in five of the eight Ohio State games so far
+ The total has gone over in five of Northwestern’s nine games this year
+ Ohio State has not lost to an unranked team on the road since it lost to Purdue in 2018
+ Northwestern hasn’t beaten a ranked team since 2020

2024 Ohio State Football Schedule

Aug. 31 – Akron (W 52-6)
Sept. 7 – Western Michigan (W 56-0)
Sept. 14 – Idle
Sept. 21 – Marshall (W 49-14)
Sept. 28 – at Michigan State (W 38-7)
Oct. 5 – Iowa (W 35-7)
Oct. 12 – at Oregon (L 32-31)
Oct. 19 – Idle
Oct. 26 – Nebraska (W 21-17)
Nov. 2 – at Penn State (W 20-13)
Nov. 9 – Purdue (W 45-0)
Nov. 16 – at Northwestern (Noon, Big Ten Network)
Nov. 23 – Indiana (TBD)
Nov. 30 – Michigan (Noon, FOX)

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