Football in a baseball stadium? Well, that's weird yet cool.
The fact that it's a place like Wrigley Field makes it better and the matchup more interesting. Given that the game is in Chicago, paired with its uniqueness given the venue, don't be surprised if it's essentially an Ohio State home game in terms of the fans. Buckeye Nation will be out in full force in and around Wrigley Field this weekend.
Football at Wrigley Field pic.twitter.com/bJ0cxN85TF
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 16, 2024
The Buckeyes and Northwestern will kick off at noon on Big Ten Network.
As Ohio State prepares for its matchup against the Wildcats, the Eleven Warriors staff expects another dominant performance by OSU in the Windy City.
Score Predictions
Andy Anders - Ohio State 48, Northwestern 3: I think the Buckeyes end up with more possessions than they had against Purdue, and thus a slightly higher score. Northwestern’s pass defense is weaker than its run, so expect a big game from Will Howard and company.
Chase Brown - Ohio State 38, Northwestern 6: The more I think about this game, the more I believe Ohio State wants to get in and get out with a win and without injuries. That said, I think the Buckeyes keep their game plan simple on both sides of the ball and move on to Indiana with a comfortable win at Wrigley Field.
George Eisner - Ohio State 35, Northwestern 3: Hey Chicago, what do you say? Bucks are gonna win today!
Jack Emerson - Ohio State 42, Northwestern 7: Ohio State leaves The Friendly Confines with a no-doubt win over the Wildcats, with a top-five
matchup awaiting the Buckeyes next week.
Johnny Ginter - Ohio State 38, Northwestern 6: Ohio State's streak of not allowing an offensive touchdown continues, but Wrigley makes everything weird and the Buckeyes don't break out offensively as much as we'd like to see before the Indiana game.
Matt Gutridge - Ohio State 42, Northwestern 7: The last time Ohio State played Northwestern in Illinois was the wind tunnel game of 2022. The weather isn’t going to save the nerds tomorrow.
Garrick Hodge - Ohio State 45, Northwestern 3: Buckeyes cruise again against another outmatched opponent, but the next two weeks will be very interesting.
Dan Hope - Ohio State 42, Northwestern 3: Ohio State will methodically dominate one of the Big Ten’s worst teams for a second week in a row in what should be its last easy game of the season.
Kyle Jones - Ohio State 42, Northwestern 7: Ohio State looks a little clunky in the first quarter as they get used to the friendly confines, which will be filled with fans in scarlet and gray with only a little bit of purple, before pulling away for an easy W that’s largely over by halftime.
Chris Lauderback - Ohio State 38, Northwestern 9: It might be... it could be... it is! A Bucks win! Holy cow!
Ramzy Nasrallah - Ohio State 31, Northwestern 7: Just get in, win and get the hell out of there.
Josh Poloha - Ohio State 38, Northwestern 3: The Chicago Cubs averaged 3.94 runs per game in Wrigley Field this year. Will the Wildcats outscore the MLB team in the Cubs' stadium? This game being played in an old MLB stadium that doesn't offer much space behind the end zones will be odd but Ohio State will still take care of business against an inferior opponent. The pro-Buckeye crowd will have plenty to cheer for inside Wrigley. Just stay healthy, please.
Jason Priestas - Ohio State 41, Northwestern 6: Is everyone using baseball analogies? They are? Good. Look for Ohio State to go yard all afternoon in Wrigley Field while Northwestern tries to answer with bunts.
Jordan Raines - Ohio State 38, Northwestern 3: The Bucks look dominant once again and pull the starters earlier than last week for some extra rest before the big matchup with Indiana next week.
Will Ohio State Cover?
After the Buckeyes opened as 30.5-point favorites over Northwestern, that number has dropped to 28.5 as of this morning.
While all of 11W's staff believes OSU will dominate the Wildcats, Ramzy Nasrallah is the only one who doesn't think the Buckeyes will cover the four-touchdown spread, as he believes Ohio State will only win by 24.
What About the Over/Under?
The total opened at 43.5 and has slightly increased to 44.5 points as of this morning.
Given that no members of the 11W's staff believe that Northwestern will notch double digits, with the majority picking the Wildcats to score a touchdown or less, OSU will be counted on to light up the scoreboard a bit for the total to hit the over.
With that, eight staff members believe the game will hit the over while, six staffers – Chase Brown, George Eisner, Johny Ginter, Ramzy Nasrallah, Josh Poloha and Jordan Raines – don't think the Buckeyes and Northwestern will reach a total of 45 points.
Eleven Warriors Prop Bets
Looking for more lines to evaluate? Take a peek at our in-house prop betting lines for this matchup to get a greater sense of what oddsmakers are expecting from individual performances. Leave your predictions for us in the comments and compete for bragging rights!
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Will Carnell Tate score a touchdown in his first game back in Chicago?
- Yes (+140)
- No (-115)
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Will Northwestern score more points than the Chicago Cubs' averaged runs (3.94) in Wrigley Field this year?
- Yes (-190)
- No (+130)
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Will Will Howard score another rushing touchdown?
- Yes (-150)
- No (+110)
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Who will have more receiving yards?
- Jeremiah Smith (-170)
- Emeka Egbuka (+130)
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Who will have more rushing yards?
- Quinshon Judkins (-140)
- TreVeyon Henderson (+120)
