The Ohio State Buckeyes continue their quest toward their fourth appearance in the College Football Playoffs with a road matchup Saturday against the Northwestern Wildcats. Earlier this week, Ohio State was awarded the No. 2 spot in the first CFP rankings released this season, behind only top-ranked Tennessee. The Buckeyes should be in position to reach the coveted final four format if they finish the regular season undefeated and reach the conference title game. Ohio State (8-0, 5-0) won the first-ever CFP title in 2015 and has returned twice since. The Buckeyes lost 52-24 to Alabama in the championship game two seasons ago. Northwestern (1-7, 1-4) hopes to snap a seven-game losing streak by pulling a massive upset.
Kickoff is set for noon ET from Northwestern's Ryan Field. The Buckeyes are 38-point favorites and the over/under for total points scored is 55.5 in the latest Ohio State vs. Northwestern odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Before finalizing any Northwestern vs. Ohio State picks, you need to see the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Ohio State vs. Northwestern and locked in its picks and CFB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several college football odds and betting lines for Northwestern vs. Ohio State:
- Ohio State vs. Northwestern point spread: Ohio State -38
- Ohio State vs. Northwestern over/under total points scored: 55.5
- NU: The Wildcats have covered the spread in three of their past five conference games as a double-digit underdog.
- OSU: The road team is 5-1 against the spread in the last six meetings in this rivalry.
- Ohio State vs. Northwestern picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Ohio State can cover
Despite being listed as a more than five-touchdown favorite in the college football odds, Ohio State coach Ryan Day insists the Buckeyes will not overlook Northwestern. In fact, Day was reportedly watching film of the Wildcats when he was informed Tuesday night that his club was voted in the No. 2 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings.
"Do I think we deserve to be in the top four? Absolutely," Day told the media during his weekly news conference. "Do I think that matters all that much right now? No. What matters is beating Northwestern."
Although it's unlikely that the Buckeyes will be in jeopardy of losing outright to Northwestern, they are motivated to put on a dominant performance because their entire body of work will be considered should there be multiple teams vying for a playoff berth.
What's more, Day is aware of what can happen if his team overlooks Northwestern. Two years ago, they met in the Big Ten title game and gritty Northwestern, a nearly three-touchdown underdog, played an inspired first half and took a 10-6 halftime lead. The Buckeyes responded with 16 unanswered points in the second half for a 22-10 victory.
Why Northwestern can cover
Although the Wildcats have struggled to produce consistently on offense, they have seen a spark in their past two games since making a switch at quarterback. Sophomore Brendan Sullivan was tabbed to replace incumbent starter Ryan Hilinski, and the Wildcats have improved their output. Sullivan is an athletic dual threat who can make plays with his feet, and he presents another dynamic for opposing teams to worry about. Hilinski, the South Carolina transfer, is more of a classic pocket passer who struggled under a heavy pass rush.
Sullivan took over two weeks ago against Maryland and helped generate the team's highest point total since its season-opening victory against Nebraska. In the 31-24 defeat, he threw for 143 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 53 yards and another score. Last week against Iowa, he went 23-of-30 passing for 159 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. But the Wildcats were held to 18 rushing yards in the 33-13 defeat.
How to make Northwestern vs. Ohio State picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting a combined 58 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the model's CFB picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Ohio State vs. Northwestern? And which side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college football picks, and find out.
