Ohio State vs. Penn State Prediction
Number two Ohio State travels to Evanston, IL to face unranked Northwestern at 12:00 PM ET on Saturday. Can the Wildcats cover the spread as 38-point home underdogs?
Ohio State is 8-0 on the year, and their best wins came against Notre Dame and Penn State. The Buckeyes are looking to remain undefeated on Saturday. The Buckeyes are 4-3-1 ATS on the season.
Northwestern is 1-7 on the year with their only win coming against Nebraska in Week 0. Their worst losses came against Southern Illinois and Miami Ohio. The Wildcats are 3-5 ATS on the year.
Game Matchup and Betting Odds
363 Ohio State Buckeyes -38 at 364 Northwestern Wildcats +38; O/U 55.5
12:00 PM ET Saturday, November 5th, 2022
Ryan Field, Evanston, IL
Ohio State vs. Northwestern Public Betting Information
The public favors the Buckeyes in this game. Our CFB Public Betting Page shows that 72% of public bets are on Ohio State -38. Do note that those numbers are subject to change and could be different once game time rolls around.
Ohio State Game Notes
Ohio State defensive lineman J.T. Tuimoloau had the game of his life against Penn State on Saturday. The sophomore from Edgewood, WA had 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and 2 interceptions; one of which he returned for a touchdown. He could be primed to have a big day against a Northwestern offense that is 99th in the country in average passer rating.
On offense, Ohio State may attempt to ground Northwestern down with the running game. The Wildcats are allowing an average of 4.8 yards per rushing attempt, which ranks 110th out of 131 FBS teams. Ohio State running back Miyan Williams is probable for Saturday’s contest with an arm injury. If he’s limited at all, it might not be that big of a loss for the Buckeyes as they have TreVeyon Henderson and Dallan Hayden, who are both averaging 4.7+ yards per carry on the year. The Buckeyes may effectively give quarterback C.J. Stroud the day off if they think they can win without showing too much of their playbook to their future opponents.
Northwestern Game Notes
Wildcats quarterback Ryan Hilinski missed last week’s game against Iowa with a concussion. He’s questionable for Saturday’s home clash with Ohio State. In Hilinski’s stead last weekend, sophomore QB Brendan Sullivan threw for 159 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Sullivan’s total QBR (55.7) is actually better than Hilinski’s (48.4) so I’m not sure the starting quarterback will make much of a difference against Ohio State in this game.
Northwestern must slow down Ohio State’s high-powered offense to cover this game. Wildcats linebacker Bryce Gallagher is second in the Big Ten with 79 total tackles this year. He’ll have to make several stops to keep the game close on Saturday. Northwestern’s leading sack man is senior defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore. He’s tallied 4 sacks on the season in addition to 2 forced fumbles. He’ll need to make an impact if the Wildcats are going to cover this contest on Saturday.
Ohio State vs. Northwestern Betting Trends
Ohio State is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a losing record.
Northwestern is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games following an outright loss.
Ohio State is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games against Northwestern.
The over is 5-0 in the last 5 games between these two teams at Northwestern.
Ohio State vs. Penn State Betting Prediction
Ohio State is one of the top teams in the country on both sides of the ball. Their offense leads the nation in yards per play (7.6), points per game (48.9), points per play (0.734), and average scoring margin (+32.0). Northwestern is likely the worst team in the Big Ten, as evidenced by their ranking in net points per play. The Wildcats have a points-per-play margin of -0.179, which ranks 117th in the country. Ohio State might be able to name their score in this game, and that’s why I’ll lay the points with the Buckeyes.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 10 PREDICTION: OHIO STATE BUCKEYES -38
