This Saturday Ohio State will face Northwestern in the 2018 Big 10 Football Championship Game. The game will air on FOX and be held at 8pm in Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis. Ohio State (11-1 and 8-1 in conference) is the home team, winner of the Eastern Conference. Northwestern (8-4 and 8-1) comes in as the winner of the Western Conference.
Ohio State History
This is the Buckeye’s fourth time in the Championship game, beating Wisconsin in 2017 and 2014. Northwestern has never been to the game. JK Dobbins was the MVP last year when Ohio State beat Wisconsin.
The 2018 Season
Ohio State is entering the game after one of their best performances of 2018, a 62-39 victory over Michigan. The Buckeye season overall was a rollercoaster with difficult games against Nebraska and Maryland and a loss at Purdue. Dwayne Haskins has been outstanding all season long with 4000 yards and 42 touchdowns so far. He is being considered for the Heisman and recently won the Big Ten Player of the Year Award. Parris Campbell (903 yards/11 tds), KJ Hill (823 yards/6 tds), Terry McLaurin (591 yards/ 9 tds) and Johnnie Dixon (513 yards/6 tds) have been his favorite wide-outs. Runnings backs Dobbins (961 yards/8 tds) and Mike Weber (807 yards/5 tds) have led the ground attack.
Ohio State has struggled on defense at times but have put together some great games too.
Northwestern this year lost 3 non-conference games and had difficulty when they were favored. The Wildcats are being given 14 points in the game as everyone recognizes the skill level of Ohio State, their strong coaching staff and their recent win. Clayton Thorson is their quarterback with 2675 yards, 14 touchdowns but also 12 interceptions. They should come out and compete but get worn down as the game progresses.
The Outcome
Ohio State hopes to reach the College Playoffs with a win while Northwestern would go to the Rose Bowl. Georgia, ranked number four in the country, has to play Alabama and win to make the playoffs. If Georgia loses, then its either Oklahoma or Ohio State that gets the final spot.
2018 Big Ten Football Championship Preview: Ohio State vs. Northwestern