The Northwestern Wildcats will try to get their struggling offense on track when they face the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday night. It all goes down at Ryan Field in Evanston, just north of Chicago. The Wildcats (1-4, 0-3 in Big Ten) rank 128th out of 130 Division I teams in scoring offense (14.4 points per game) and only 125th in total offense (292.8 yards per game). In the team's most recent game at Nebraska, Northwestern managed just 293 yards and in a 13-10 loss. On the other sideline, the Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0) have rolled through their first six opponents, outscoring them 296-53. Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Buckeyes are 27-point favorites in the latest Ohio State vs. Northwestern odds after the line moved as high as 28, while the over-under is 50. Before settling on any Northwestern vs. Ohio State picks of your own, listen to the latest college football predictions from SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh.
The renowned co-founder of Accuscore, Oh simulates each game 10,000 times using the SportsLine projection model. Since the start of the 2016 season, he has nailed 150 of 270 college football picks against the spread, including an 16-7 record this season. And he is on an amazing run in games involving Ohio State. Dating to September 2017, Oh is 16-1 picking Buckeyes games, including 4-1 this season. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, he has crunched the numbers and generated another strong against the spread pick for Ohio State vs. Northwestern. It's available only at SportsLine.
Oh knows the Buckeyes have dominated both sides of the ball this season. The Buckeyes are scoring 49.3 points per game while limiting opponents to just 8.8, a margin of over 40. They rank fourth in the country in both categories. Ohio State has been particularly dominant in the first half, outscoring opponents 200-28.
Oh also has taken into account that history favors the Buckeyes. They've won seven consecutive games over the Wildcats and haven't loss to Northwestern since 2004. In addition, Northwestern hasn't beaten a Top 5 team since 1961. Quarterback Justin Fields has 18 passing touchdowns this season against just one pick. He's also run for another eight scores on 57 attempts.
But just because the Buckeyes have been dominant this season does not guarantee they will cover the Ohio State vs. Northwestern spread.
The Wildcats' defense has been among the best in the nation. Northwestern enters Friday's game ranked seventh in first downs allowed (82), 14th in passing yards allowed (140.4 yards per game), 19th in red zone defense (.714), 26th in total defense (318.8 yards per game) and 30th in scoring defense (19.8 points per game). In the team's last game, the Wildcats yielded just 13 points in a loss at Nebraska.
In addition, Oh knows that Friday's game is a classic trap game for Ohio State. Eight days after facing Northwestern, the Buckeyes will play a season-defining game against No. 6 Wisconsin. With the Badgers on deck, Ohio State is not likely to extend its key players deep into this game. That could give Northwestern a chance at a backdoor cover even if it gets out of hand.
Oh has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he's leaning under, he has discovered a crucial x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's sharing it only at SportsLine.
Who covers in Northwestern vs. Ohio State? And what crucial x-factor causes one side of the spread to hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Northwestern vs. Ohio State spread you need to jump all over Friday, all from the data scientist on an amazing 16-1 run on picks involving the Buckeyes.
