Scarlet and Game
Fansided

Ohio State Football: Our predictions for the Big Ten Championship Game

By Charlie Lockhart

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 06: Quarterback Cardale Jones #12 of the Ohio State Buckeyes lifts the Big Ten trophy after his team defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 59-0 in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 6, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 06: Quarterback Cardale Jones #12 of the Ohio State Buckeyes lifts the Big Ten trophy after his team defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 59-0 in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 6, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
COLUMBUS, OH – OCTOBER 7: J.K. Dobbins #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes eludes the tackle attempt of Antoine Brooks #25 of the Maryland Terrapins on his way to a three-yard touchdown run in the the third quarter at Ohio Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Maryland 62.14. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – OCTOBER 7: J.K. Dobbins #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes eludes the tackle attempt of Antoine Brooks #25 of the Maryland Terrapins on his way to a three-yard touchdown run in the the third quarter at Ohio Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Maryland 62.14. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

We at Scarlet And Game give our predictions for the Ohio State football game each week. Now it’s finally time to predict the outcome of the Big Ten Championship Game.

It’s been an interesting season for the Ohio State football team to say the least. After all the ups and downs the Buckeyes found their way to the Big Ten Championship Game and will face the Northwestern Wildcats.

Will it be another dominating win for Ohio State like last week’s win over Michigan?

Here are our predictions for the game beginning with Blake Biscardi.

Blake:  The real Ohio State Buckeyes finally showed themselves for sixty minutes last weekend. Their top performance of the season could not have come at a better time than during “The Game”. Ohio State dominated Michigan on both sides of the ball en route to a 62-39 victory.

The biggest win of the college football season put the Buckeyes right back in the thick of the College Football Playoff discussion. Ohio State is right on the edge, just trailing Oklahoma by a razor-thin margin. The Buckeyes will need an encore of The Game or a Sooners loss to reach the playoff.

Ohio State will have their hands full with a disciplined Northwestern team who are very well coached by Pat Fitzgerald. He and Urban Meyer are two of the best coaches in the conference and they will both make each other earn their coaching stripes on Saturday.

The Ohio State offense will have to settle for quick short or underneath routes to try to bust the Northwestern zone defense. The Wildcats try to keep everything in front of them, but that is easier said than done against the Buckeyes, especially when the game is indoors and on turf.

Look for the Buckeyes to come out with an aggressive balanced attack as they’ll have to earn everything against the stout Wildcats’ defense. Expect Mike Weber and JK Dobbins to get going early and Dwayne Haskins to get speedster Paris Campbell in space to create potential for a big play.

The Ohio State defense against Clayton Thorson and the Northwestern offense will be the matchup of the game. Thorson engineers a physical attack with both his arm and legs and has been a handful for defenses all season.

The Buckeyes have to be careful not to give up the big play down the field as the Wildcats like to take their shots after “lulling the defense to sleep” with three yards and a cloud of dust football.

Emotions will be high as both Ohio State and Northwestern have a lot to play for in Indianapolis. In the end, I believe the Buckeyes’ speed and determination to make a statement will tame the Wildcats.

They are locked in and laser focused on their mission, assignment and directive – Ohio State 52 Northwestern 10

Home/Ohio State Football